description John Swanton Overview
John R. Swanton (1873-1958) was an American anthropologist who spent most of his career with the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of American Ethnology. His field and archival work focused especially on the Tlingit and Haida peoples of the Northwest Coast, and also addressed Native American languages and histories in the southeastern United States. He recorded texts, vocabularies, myths, and historical traditions for use in ethnology and linguistic research.
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Where did John R. Swanton work?
Swanton spent most of his career with the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of American Ethnology. He joined it shortly after receiving his Harvard doctorate and remained there for more than 40 years. [Encyclopedia of World Cultures biography](https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/applied-and-social-sciences-magazines/swanton-john-reed)
What did John Swanton record among the Haida and Tlingit?
His Northwest Coast work documented languages, myths, social organization, and historical traditions among the Haida and Tlingit. His publications included Haida Texts and Myths and Tlingit Myths and Texts. [Smithsonian Haida texts archive](https://repository.si.edu/items/d6c9f2a9-7aa6-4303-b5e5-e11b3546b904)
What is Haida Texts and Myths: Skidegate Dialect?
It is a 1905 compilation by Swanton published as Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 29. The Smithsonian edition contains 448 pages of Haida texts and myths in the Skidegate dialect. [Smithsonian Libraries and Archives](https://repository.si.edu/items/d6c9f2a9-7aa6-4303-b5e5-e11b3546b904)
Did John Swanton study peoples outside the Northwest Coast?
Yes. He also researched Muskogean-speaking peoples, including the Creek, Chickasaw, and Choctaw, as well as groups such as the Biloxi, Ofo, and Tunica. [John R. Swanton biography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_R._Swanton)
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