Verne Frederick Ray, (1905 – September 28, 2003) was

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

, with a B.A. and M.A. in anthropology from Washington and a Ph.D. (in 1937) from

Yale 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 wor ...

. Ray was one of the first anthropologists at UW, was head of the Department of Anthropology and associate dean of the graduate school. He is known best for assisting Northwest tribes with tribal land-claim settlements and is viewed as pioneer in the field of

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 ...

. The Cowlitz tribe, which he helped gain federal recognition, made him an honorary member in 2000."OBITUARIES - Verne F. Ray (1905-2003)" by William R Seaburg ''American anthropologist''. 107, no. 1, (2005): 180 Some of his papers are held at

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the ...

. He was married to fellow anthropologist and author Dorothy Jean Ray.

Bibliography

He is the author or editor of 52 books dealing with the anthropology of the American Indians of the Northwest.Worldcat
/ref> In particular, his work with the Interior Salish Tribes of Washington following the passage of the Indian Claims Commission Act in 1946 led to the publication of a number of important articles on the tribes, including the following: *Ray, Verne F. "The Columbia Confederacy: A League of Central Plateau Tribes." In

Stanley Diamond Stanley Diamond (January 4, 1922 in New York City, NY – March 31, 1991 in New York City, NY) was an American poet and anthropologist. As a young man, he identified as a poet, and his disdain for the fascism of the 1930s greatly influenced ...

, editor, ''Culture in History: Essays in Honor of

Paul Radin Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

''. Columbia University Press: New York, 1960, pp. 771–789. *Ray, Verne F. "Cultural Relations in the Plateau of Northwestern America." Publications of the

Frederick Webb Hodge Frederick Webb Hodge (October 28, 1864 – September 28, 1956) was an American editor, anthropologist, archaeologist, and historian. Born in England, he immigrated at the age of seven with his family to Washington, DC. He was educated at America ...

Anniversary Publication Fund, Vol. III. Los Angeles, 1939. *Ray, Verne F. "Ethnohistorical Notes on the Columbia, Chelan, Entiat, and Wenatchee Tribes," Interior Salish and Eastern Washington Indians IV. Garland Publishing Inc.: New York, 1974. *Ray, Verne F. "Native Village and Groupings of the Columbia Basin," ''

Pacific Northwest Quarterly ''Pacific Northwest Quarterly'' (commonly referred to as ''PNQ'') is a peer-reviewed academic journal of history that publishes scholarship relating to the Pacific Northwest of the United States, including Alaska, and adjacent areas of western Can ...

''. Vol. 27 No. 2, April, 1936. *Ray, Verne F., The Sanpoil and Nespelem: Salishan Peoples of Northeastern Washington (New Haven, Human Relations Area Files, 1954) riginally published as Vol. V, University of Washington Publications in Anthropology, 1933

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Verne 1905 births 2003 deaths University of Washington faculty 20th-century American anthropologists Yale University alumni