One such field collector focused on Northern California's Pomo group. He picked up Indian baskets, documenting the makers' names, locations, and techniques. Kroeber encouraged Ishi to share his toolmaking techniques with visitors. His language is captured on reels of tape stored on shelves in the museum's basement, and his skillfully made arrows are on display to this day. Kroeber was not alone in his approach.
Critics describe American anthropology as a handmaiden of colonialism.
But defenders argue it led to the preservation of countless cultural objects that otherwise would have been lost forever. For decades, thousands of skeletons were gathered systematically and shipped away to be displayed and warehoused in museums and universities. Anthropologists scoured the country to document what they perceived as vanishing cultures. But instead of dying out, and against all odds, tribes survived. And now they're returning to museums to collect on a long-overdue loan.