The Mystery of “Ishi’s Brain” is Topic of UMaine Lecture April 18
Contact: Lisa K. Neuman, (207) 581-4489, George Manlove, (207) 581-3756
ORONO — The intriguing story of Ishi, the last Yahi Indian who was a living exhibit in a California museum for several years before he died in 1916, is the subject of a lecture Monday, April 18 in the Bodwell Lounge at the Maine Center for the Arts at the University of Maine.
In a talk titled “Ishi’s Brain: History, Culture, and the Politics of Memory,” Duke University anthropology professor, scholar and author Orin Starn discuss his role in working with Native communities in California to track down the preserved brain of Ishi. Ishi’s story has been the subject of a number of books and documentaries, but until recently, no one had been able to discover what happened to his remains after he died.
The lecture is sponsored by the UMaine Department of Anthropology and the Native American Studies Program. The lecture, at 3:30 p.m., is free. Refreshments will be served.
In addition to solving the mystery of where Ishi’s brain was kept for all these years, Starn’s work addresses the history of United States’ expansion westward, the treatment of America’s indigenous people and the relationship between anthropology and Native communities.
The story of Ishi is one that will resonate with students of anthropology, Native American studies, history and museum studies, as well as with members of Maine’s Native communities. Starn is the author of several books, including “Ishi’s Brain: In Search of America’s Last ‘Wild’ Indian,” “Nightwatch: The Politics of Protest in the Andes” and “The Peru Reader: History, Culture, and Politics.”