Clark Wissler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clark Wissler
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| Born |
Clark David Wissler
September 18, 1870 |
| Died | August 25, 1947 (aged 76) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | North American ethnography |
| Spouse(s) |
Etta Viola Gebhart
(m. 1899) |
| Children | 2 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
| Doctoral advisor | James McKeen Cattell |
Clark David Wissler (September 18, 1870 – August 25, 1947) was an American anthropologist, ethnologist, and archaeologist. He studied human cultures, especially those of Native Americans.
Contents
Early Life of Clark Wissler
Clark David Wissler was born in Cambridge City, Indiana, on September 18, 1870. His parents were Sylvania (née Needler) and Benjamin Franklin Wissler.
After finishing Hagerstown High School, Clark taught in local schools. This was between 1887 and 1892. He also studied at Purdue University during this time. In 1893, he became the principal of Hagerstown High School. Later, he left this job to study at Indiana University.
Clark Wissler's Education
Wissler earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Experimental Psychology from Indiana University in 1897. He then received his Master of Arts (MA) in 1899.
He continued his studies in psychology at Columbia University. There, he worked with a famous professor named James McKeen Cattell. Clark Wissler earned his doctorate (PhD) in psychology from Columbia in 1901.
From 1901 to 1903, Wissler researched how people differ mentally and physically. His PhD paper showed that there wasn't a strong link between IQ test scores and school grades. This research made many psychologists less interested in using physical tests to measure intelligence.
In 1929, Indiana University gave him an honorary Doctor of Law (LLD) degree.
Clark Wissler's Career
Early Teaching Roles
In 1897, Clark Wissler worked as an instructor at Indiana University. From 1897 to 1899, he taught at Ohio State University. In 1899, he became an assistant in psychology at Columbia University.
At Columbia, Wissler also taught anthropology. He was an assistant professor from 1903 to 1905. He also lectured there from 1905 to 1909. For a short time, from 1901 to 1902, he also taught at New York University.
Work at the American Museum of Natural History
After his time at Columbia, Wissler decided to focus on anthropology. In 1902, he joined the American Museum of Natural History. He started as an assistant in Ethnology, working under Franz Boas.
In 1904, Wissler became the Assistant Curator of Ethnology. When Boas left in 1905, Wissler took over as Acting Curator. The next year, in 1906, he became the full Curator of Ethnology. In 1907, he was named Curator of Anthropology. This happened when the Archaeology and Ethnology departments joined together.
Teaching at Yale University
In 1924, Wissler began teaching at Yale University. He started as a psychology researcher. In 1931, he became an anthropology professor. He held this position until 1941. He remained Curator of the Department of Anthropology until he retired in 1942.
Other Important Work
Clark Wissler was also involved in other important groups. He was the head of a division at the National Research Council in 1920 and 1921. President Herbert Hoover also appointed him to the National Park Service Board.
Clark Wissler's Research
Clark Wissler did fieldwork from 1902 to 1905. He studied the Dakota, Gros Ventre, and Blackfoot Native American groups. His research provided detailed information about these cultures, especially the Blackfoot.
As a curator, Wissler helped fund many studies. These studies looked at Native American cultures in the Northern Plains and the Southwest. He also helped build collections of artifacts from around the world. He planned museum exhibits and oversaw the publishing of many important anthropology papers.
Culture Area Approach
One of Wissler's most important ideas was his "culture area" approach. He was one of the first anthropologists to see culture as learned behavior. He also described it as a set of ideas. These ideas about culture are still accepted today.
Wissler wanted to compare different cultures. To do this, he needed a clear way to define what a culture was. The idea of "culture areas" existed before him. But he made the concept more useful for studying cultures.
A culture area is a region where different groups share many cultural features. Wissler believed that physical things like land, climate, animals, and plants helped keep cultures distinct. He wanted to make cultural anthropology more scientific. He created a way to define culture based on these factors. This allowed researchers to compare different Native American groups. For example, they could compare Plains Indians to Great Basin Indians.
Wissler also helped bring statistics into anthropology. He used the Pearson correlation coefficient. This helped researchers compare artifacts based on where they were found. It could help figure out where a certain tool or pottery style came from.
Focus on North American Native Americans
Clark Wissler was an expert in North American ethnography. He focused on the Indians of the Plains. He also contributed to the idea of "cultural diffusion." This is the idea that cultural traits spread from one group to another. He also developed the "age-area hypothesis." This theory suggests that the age of cultural traits can be found by looking at how they are spread out.
Wissler's work helped make cultural anthropology and psychology more scientific. He used analytical and statistical methods in his research. His influence is still felt in anthropology today.
The papers of Clark Wissler are kept at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Also, one hall at Indiana University's Teter Living Center is named "Clark Wissler Hall."
Personal Life
Clark Wissler married Etta Viola Gebhart on June 14, 1899. She was from Hagerstown, Indiana. They had two children: a son named Stanley Gebhart Wissler and a daughter named Mary Viola Wissler.
Death
Clark Wissler passed away at Doctors Hospital in New York City. He died on August 25, 1947.
Selected Books and Articles
- Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, Volume XI, Part 1 (Clark Wissler). 1913
- The American Indian (Clark Wissler). 1917. Oxford University Press, NY.
- North American Indians of the Plains (Clark Wissler). 1920. Smithsonian Institution, New York.
- Making Mankind: (Clark Wissler, Fay Cooper Cole, William M. McGovern, et al.). 1929. D. Van Nostrand Company
- Star Legends (Clark Wissler). 1936. The American Museum of Natural History.
- Indian Cavalcade or Life on the Old-Time Indian Reservations (Clark Wissler). 1938. Sheridan House.
- Indian Costumes in the United States: A Guide to the Study of the Collections in the Museum (Clark Wissler).
- Man and Culture (Clark Wissler). 1940. Norwood Editions.
- Indians of the United States: Four Centuries of Their History and Culture (Clark Wissler). 1941. Doubleday and Company.
- A Blackfoot Source Book: Papers (Clark Wissler, David Hurst Thomas). 1986, Garland Pub.
See also
In Spanish: Clark Wissler para niños
