Dorothy Way Eggan facts for kids

Dorothy Way Eggan (born 1901 – died 1965) was an American expert who studied people and cultures, a field called anthropology. She was especially known for her important work with the Hopi tribe.

Dorothy was born on October 31, 1901, in Dover Hill, Indiana. When she was married for the first time, she lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico. There, she learned a lot about the Pueblo people. Her interest in anthropology grew even stronger when her first husband started studying archaeology at the University of Chicago. Dorothy became a secretary in the Anthropology Department there. She also became friends with famous anthropologists like Robert Redfield and A. R. Radcliffe-Brown.

In 1939, she married Fred Eggan, who was also an anthropologist at the University of Chicago. The next summer, they went to Arizona to do fieldwork with the Hopi people. Dorothy was very interested in how dreams connected to Hopi culture. She also worked with the Institute for Psychoanalysis in Chicago, which studies how our minds work.

Even though she suffered from rheumatic fever, Dorothy kept writing many important papers. These papers explained how dreams were important for understanding different cultures and social science. She passed away in July 1965. Her work helped many people understand the Hopi culture and the meaning of dreams.