Stephen Powers (1840–1904) was an American

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

, ethnographer, and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

of Native American tribes in California. He traveled extensively to study and learn about their cultures, and wrote notable accounts of them. His articles were first published over a series of years in the ''

Overland Monthly The ''Overland Monthly'' was a monthly literary and cultural magazine, based in California, United States. It was founded in 1868 and published between the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. History The '' ...

'' journal, but collected in ''The Tribes of California'' (1877) published by the US Geological Survey.

Early years

Stephen Powers was born in

Waterford, Ohio Waterford is a census-designated place in central Waterford Township, Washington County, Ohio, United States. It has a post office with the ZIP code 45786. It is located on State Route 339 across the Muskingum River from the village of B ...

. He attended and graduated from the recently established

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1863. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

years, Powers served as a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

correspondent for the ''Cincinnati Commercial'' newspaper. In 1869 Powers left Ohio for the West. He walked across the

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

and Western United States to his destination of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. After arriving, Powers wrote about his experiences and observations, and had his book published in 1871.

California Native Americans

Between 1871 and 1876, Stephen Powers traveled thousands of miles on foot and horseback through the

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

, Central Coast, and great Central Valley regions of

. Powers become very familiar with the various distinctive Native Californian Indian population groups and tribes. He studied their lives and crafts including: spiritual and religious beliefs and ceremonies; indigenous languages,

narratives A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional ( memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional ( fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc.). N ...

and

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

; art forms of basketry,

rock art In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also m ...

, carvings, pottery and weaving; dwellings and belongings. He also studied their ways of interacting with plants and

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

s for food, clothing,

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, and Health promotion ...

s, and tools. Powers observed and documented their adaptations to circumstances from a hundred years of homeland invasions by Spanish, Mexican, and European-American immigrants settling on their land, and the resulting consequences. Stephen Powers published his diverse ethnographic studies in a series of articles, which appeared primarily in the ''

'' journal from 1872-1877.

''Tribes of California''

Stephen Powers subsequently reworked his ''Tribes of California'' articles, notes and other material for a book's publication. It was published in 1877 as part of the federally sponsored ''Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region'' series edited by the renowned western geologist John Wesley Powell, then Director of the Geological Survey of the Department of Interior, as well as the Bureau of Ethnological Studies at the Smithsonian Institution. Alfred L. Kroeber, an anthropologist, director of the University of California, Berkeley's Museum of Anthropology and the dean of Native Californian ethnologists, said Stephen Powers' book ''Tribes of California'': "..., it will always remain the best introduction to the subject."

Legacy

His book and articles are held by his alma mater, the

, which has put them online as part of the ''Making of America'' collaboration among major universities.

References

External links

* ;Stephen Powers' "Overland Monthly" articles Available on-line for the following cultural groups: *

Karuk The Karuk people are an indigenous people of California, and the Karuk Tribe is one of the largest tribes in California. Karuks are also enrolled in two other federally recognized tribes, the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Ran ...

-�
"Overland-Karuk (1)""Overland-Karuk (2)"
* Yurok —�
"Overland-Yurok"
* Hupa —�
"Overland-Hupa"
* Yuki —�
"Overland-Yuki"
* Pomo —�
"Overland-Pomo"
* Miwok —�
"Overland-Miwok"
*

Modoc Modoc may refer to: Ethnic groups *Modoc people, a Native American/First Nations people ** Modoc language **Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe of Modoc *Modoc War, the last armed resistance of the Modoc people in 1873 *The "Mo ...

—�
"Overland-Modoc"
* Yokuts —�
"Overland-Yokuts"
*

Maidu The Maidu are a Native American people of northern California. They reside in the central Sierra Nevada, in the watershed area of the Feather and American rivers. They also reside in Humbug Valley. In Maiduan languages, ''Maidu'' means "man." ...

—�
"Overland-Nisenan (Maiduan)"
*

Achumawi Achomawi (also Achumawi, Ajumawi and Ahjumawi), are the northerly nine (out of eleven) bands of the Pit River tribe of Palaihnihan Native Americans who live in what is now northeastern California in the United States. These 5 autonomous bands ...

, Achomawi, Yana people —�
"Overland-various groups"
*

Wintu The Wintu (also Northern Wintun) are Native Americans who live in what is now Northern California. They are part of a loose association of peoples known collectively as the Wintun (or Wintuan). Others are the Nomlaki and the Patwin. The Wi ...

—�
"Overland-Wintu"
* Patwin —�
"Overland-Patwin"
*Cultures —�
"Overland-General characteristics of the California Indians"

(after A.L. Kroeber 1925). Adapted from Heizer (1966: Map 4), California Prehistory Website. {{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Stephen American anthropologists American ethnologists Historians of Native Americans Native American history of California 1840 births 1904 deaths University of Michigan alumni People from Waterford, Ohio Historians from Ohio 19th-century American historians 19th-century anthropologists