John Canfield Ewers (July 21, 1909 – May 7, 1997) was an American

ethnologist Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology) ...

and museum curator. Known for his studies on the art and history of the American Plains Indians, he was described by ''

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'' as one of his country's "foremost interpreters of American Indian culture."Saxon (May 27, 1997) He was instrumental in establishing the

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...

and became its Director in 1964. At the time of his death he was Ethnologist Emeritus of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

. He was the first recipient of the Smithsonian's Exceptional Service Award. In addition, he received the

Western History Association The Western History Association (WHA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was founded in 1961 at Santa Fe, New Mexico by Ray Allen Billington et al. Included in the field of study are the American West and western Canada. The Western History ...

's Oscar O. Winther Award and the

American Alliance of Museums American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

's Distinguished Service Award.

Biography

John C. Ewers was born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, on July 21, 1909, to Mary Alice and John Ray Ewers. He was delivered by his maternal grandmother, Dr. Martha Ann Canfield, who was among the earliest women to practice medicine in Northern Ohio.''Bozeman Daily Chronicle'' (May 17, 1997) He attended local schools. He studied at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

as an undergraduate, receiving his B.A. in 1931. Following graduation, he studied painting and drawing for a year at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

before beginning post-graduate studies at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1932. There, he studied the art and culture of the American Plains Indians under

Clark Wissler Clark David Wissler (September 18, 1870 – August 25, 1947) was an American anthropologist, ethnologist, and archaeologist. Early life Clark David Wissler was born in Cambridge City, Indiana on September 18, 1870 to Sylvania (née Needler) and ...

; he received his master's degree with Honors in 1934. His Masters thesis formed the basis of his 1939 book, ''Plains Indian Painting: A Description of an Aboriginal American Art'', the first of his many books and

monographs A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...

on this subject. After earning his master's at Yale, Ewers took courses at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

while studying the collections at the Heye Foundation's

Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian–New York, the George Gustav Heye Center, is a branch of the National Museum of the American Indian at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in Manhattan, New York City. The museum is part of the Smi ...

and the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...

in New York City. He was selected as a Field Curator with the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

in 1935. During his time with the National Park Service, he worked at

Vicksburg National Military Park Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. The park, located in Vicksburg, Mississippi (flanking the Mississippi River), also commemorates the greater ...

and

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...

, where he helped with renovation of the Indian Room. In 1941 he was hired by the

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...

to design and establish the

Museum of the Plains Indian A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these i ...

Browning, Montana Browning is a town in Glacier County, Montana, United States. It is the headquarters for the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and the only incorporated town on the Reservation. The population was 1,018 at the 2020 census. The town was named in 188 ...

. He combined this work with his own extensive field work on the art, culture, and history of the

Blackfeet Tribe The Blackfeet Nation ( bla, Aamsskáápipikani, script=Latn, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Monta ...

.McElrath, Susan. 2003. 3–4 In 1946, after two years of service with the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Ewers joined the

as Associate Curator of Ethnology. At first he developed museum exhibits and worked on the Smithsonian's modernization program. He became Planning Officer for the Smithsonian's Museum of History and Technology (now the

) in 1956, was appointed its assistant director in 1959, and was named the museum's Director shortly after it opened in 1964. Ewers retired in 1979 as the Smithsonian's senior research anthropologist with the title Enthnologist Emeritus. He continued to research, write, and attend conferences up until his death. He also taught at

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples ...

in 1981. During the 1970s he had served as a trustee and research associate of the Museum of the American Indian in New York.

Personal life

Ewers met Margaret Elizabeth Dumville in summer 1932. He had finished the first year of his post-graduate studies at Yale and she was a student at Columbia. They married in 1935 and had two daughters, Jane Ewers Robinson born in 1938, and Diane Ewers Peterson born in 1944. Margaret collaborated closely with Ewers in his field work with the Blackfeet in Montana. She directed the newly established Museum of the Plains Indian during the two years he served in the Navy. Their 53-year marriage ended with her death in June 1988. John Ewers spent his last years in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

, where he died on May 7, 1997, at the age of 87. A memorial service was held for him on June 17, 1997, at the Carmichael Auditorium in the National Museum of American History. After his death, the

established the John C. Ewers Prize, awarded biennially for the best book on the North American Indian

ethnohistory Ethnohistory is the study of cultures and indigenous peoples customs by examining historical records as well as other sources of information on their lives and history. It is also the study of the history of various ethnic groups that may or may n ...

. In 2003, ''The People of the Buffalo: Essays in Honor of John C. Ewers'', was published by Tatanka Press. In 2011, The University of Oklahoma Press published ''Plains Indian Art: The Pioneering Work of John C. Ewers''. The latter book, edited by his daughter Jane Ewers Robinson, is a collection of her father's writings that were originally published in ''American Indian Art Magazine'' and other periodicals between 1968 and 1992.

Honors and awards

Ewers received numerous honorse: *First Recipient of the

's Exceptional Service Award (1965). *

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

from

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...

(1965) *Honorary Doctorate from

(1967) *Oscar O. Winther Award from the

(1976) *Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native American Art Studies Association (1989) *Distinguished Service Award from the

(1996)

Publications

During his career, Ewers wrote many scholarly articles,

monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...

s, and books, as well as articles for general interest magazines such as ''

American Heritage American Heritage may refer to: * ''American Heritage'' (magazine) * ''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'' * American Heritage Rivers * American Heritage School (disambiguation) See also *National Register of Historic Place ...

''. He also edited and wrote the introductions to 19th-century accounts of American Indian culture by

Zenas Leonard Zenas Leonard (March 19, 1809 – July 14, 1857) was an American mountain man, explorer and trader, known for his journal ''Narrative of the Adventures of Zenas Leonard''. Leonard was born in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. As a young adult, he ...

, Edwin Thompson Denig,

George Catlin George Catlin (July 26, 1796 – December 23, 1872) was an American adventurer, lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans in the Old West. Traveling to the We ...

, and

Jean-Louis Berlandier Jean-Louis Berlandier (1803 – 1851) was a French-Mexican naturalist, physician, and anthropologist. Early life Berlandier was born in Geneva, and later trained as a botanist there. During this time he probably served an apprenticeship to a ph ...

. Ewers's publications include: ;Books and monographs *''Plains Indian Painting: A Description of an Aboriginal American Art'' (Stanford University Press, 1939) *''The Story of the Blackfeet'' (U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs/Haskell Press, 1944) *''Blackfeet Crafts'' (U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1945) *''The Horse in Blackfoot Indian Culture'' (Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, 1955) *''The Blackfeet: Raiders on the Northwestern Plains'' (University of Oklahoma Press, 1958) *''Crow Indian Beadwork: A Descriptive and Historical Study'', co-authored with William Wildschut (Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, 1959) *''Artists of the Old West'' (Doubleday, 1965) *''Indian Life on the Upper Missouri'' (University of Oklahoma Press, 1968) *''Blackfeet Indian Tipis: Design and Legend'' (Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University, 1976) *''Murals in the Round: Painted Tipis of the Kiowa and Kiowa-Apache Indians'' (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1978) *''Plains Indian Sculpture: a Traditional Art from America's Heartland'' (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1986) *''Plains Indian History and Culture: Essays on Continuity and Change'' (University of Oklahoma Press, 1997) ;Edited books *''Adventures of Zenas Leonard, Fur Trader'' (University of Oklahoma Press, 1959) *''Five Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri'', by Edwin Thompson Denig (1812–1858) (University of Oklahoma Press, 1961) *''George Catlin's O-kee-pa'' (Yale University Press, 1967) *''Indians in Texas in Eighteen Thirty'' by Jean-Louis Berlandier (1805–1851) (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1969) ;Articles *"Early White Influence Upon Plains Indian Painting: George Catlin and Karl Bodmer among the Mandan, 1832-34". ''Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections'', Vol. 134, No. 7. (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1957) *"Hair Pipes in Plains Indian Adornment: A Study in Indian and White Ingenuity". Bureau of American Ethnology ''Bulletin'' 164, 1957, pp. 29–85 *"Mothers of the Mixed-Bloods: The Marginal Woman in the History of the Upper Missouri" in ''Probing the American West'' (Museum of New Mexico Press, 1962) *"The Emergence of the Plains Indian as the Symbol of the North American Indian", ''Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution'', 1964, pp. 531–544 *"Plains Indian Reactions to the Lewis and Clark Expedition", ''Montana: The Magazine of Western History'', Vol. 16, No. 1, Winter 1966, pp. 2–12 *"Intertribal Warfare as the Precursor of Indian-White Warfare on the Northern Great Plains", ''Western Historical Quarterly'', October 1975 (Winner of the Oscar O. Winther Award)''Western Historical Quarterly''
Oscar O. Winther Award
. Retrieved 2 May 2012. *"Images of the White Man in 19th Century Plains Indian Art" in ''The Visual Arts, Plastic and Graphic'' (Mouton, 1979) *"Climate, Acculturation, and Costume: A History of Women's Clothing among the Indians of the Southern Plains". ''Plains Anthropologist'', Vol. 24, 1980, pp. 63–82

Notes and references

Sources

*''

Bozeman Daily Chronicle The ''Bozeman Daily Chronicle'' is a daily newspaper published in Bozeman, Montana. Founded in 1883, the paper was originally a weekly. Since 1996, the ''Chronicle'' has been published each morning, and its first Saturday edition was published in ...

'' (May 17, 1997)
"Obituary John C. Ewers"
Retrieved 1 May 2012. *Dittemore, Margaret R. (1999)

Natural and Physical Sciences Department, Smithsonian Institution Libraries. Retrieved 1 May 2012. *Hagan, William T. (1997). "Foreword" to Ewers, John Canfield
''Plains Indian History and Culture: Essays on Continuity and Change''
pp. xiii-xvii. University of Oklahoma Press. *McElrath, Susan (2003)
Register to the Papers of John Canfield Ewers
National Anthropological Archives,

. Retrieved 1 May 2012. *Saxon, Wolfgang (May 27, 1997)
"John Canfield Ewers, Ethnologist, Dies at 87"
''

''. Retrieved 1 May 2012. *Ubelaker, Douglas H. and Viola, Herman J. (eds.) (1982)
''Plains Indian Studies: A Collection of Essays in Honor of John C. Ewers and Waldo R. Wedel''
Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology Number 30. Smithsonian Institution Press

External links

Ewers, John C. (John Canfield) 1909-1997
– books by and about John C. Ewers on

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the OCL ...

Painted Tipis of the Blackfeet Indians by John C. Ewers - 1975
- Edited fo
Indian Peoples of the Great Plains
*Online articles and monographs by John C. Ewers.
"Gustavus Sohon's Portraits of Flathead and Pend D'Oreille Indians, 1854"
Smithsonian institution, 1948 (

Biodiversity Heritage Library The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is the world’s largest open access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives. BHL operates as worldwide consortiumof natural history, botanical, research, and national libraries working toge ...

)
''The Horse in Blackfoot Indian Culture''
Bureau of American Ethnology ''Bulletin'' 159, 1955 (

Smithsonian Institution Libraries Smithsonian Libraries and Archives is an institutional archives and library system comprising 21 branch libraries serving the various Smithsonian Institution museums and research centers. The Libraries and Archives serve Smithsonian Institution ...

Electronic Edition)
"Hair Pipes in Plains Indian Adornment: A Study in Indian and White Ingenuity
Bureau of American Ethnology ''Bulletin'' 164, 1957 (Smithsonian Institution Libraries Electronic Edition)
"Early White Influence Upon Plains Indian Painting: George Catlin and Karl Bodmer among the Mandan, 1832-34"
Smithsonian Institution Press, 1957 (Biodiversity Heritage Library)
''Crow Indian Beadwork: A Descriptive and Historical Study''
co-authored with William Wildschut. Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, 1959 (

archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

)
"Deadlier Than The Male"
''

'', Volume 16, Issue 4, June 1965 (americanheritage.com)
"Plains Indian Reactions to the Lewis and Clark Expedition"
Montana: The Magazine of Western History, Vol. 16, No. 1, Winter 1966, pp. 2–12 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ewers, John C. American ethnologists Smithsonian Institution people Yale University alumni Dartmouth College alumni Scientists from Cleveland 1909 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American anthropologists