book chapter

The Arapaho

Published by order of the Trustees18Published In 1907 • Pages: i-xiv, 1-229, 279-466 , Plates I-XXXVII, LVII-LXXVII

By: Kroeber, A. L. (Alfred Louis).

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This resource describes decorative art and its symbolism among the Arapaho. Both non-ceremonial clothing and paraphernalia and ceremonial regalia are discussed. A brief ethnographic sketch of the Arapaho and ceremonial chapters offer cultural context. Unfortunately, this resource should be approached with care; the author relied on a few key informants and there is no evidence that he cross-checked their statements. The author spent only a limited time in the field, does not distinguish between Northern or Southern Arapaho, and his accounts are inconsistent, disorganized, and confusing. Terms are used erratically and the data is inconsistent. Thus, this source should be considered primarily as a descriptive source with illustrations of clothing, ornaments, paraphernalia, and design motifs and not as a source for understanding the Arapaho sociocultural system. As a marking decision, Category 531 holds almost all Arapaho visual arts but functional categories for clothing and utensils have been separated out.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Animal by-products
Special garments
Paraphernalia
Ornament
Utensils
Games
Art
Decorative art
Magic
Ecclesiastical organization
Ethnophysics
Ethnobotany
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Arapaho
RegionThe area the document pertains to
North America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Plains and Plateau
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
book chapter
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Ethnographer
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
3: Good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Eleanor Swanson ; Marlene Martin ; 1976
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1899; 1900
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1876-1900
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Cheyenne-Arapaho Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Area, Oklahoma, USA; Wind River Reservation, Wyoming, USA
NotesAdditional notes
Alfred Louis Kroeber
Analysis has followed Kroeber's erratic use of terms, and the researcher should be alert for inconsistencies in the data. Functional categories for clothing, utensils, and so on have been carried throughout the discussion of decorative art in order to help the researcher separate out materials. Since representation and symbolism are inseparable, a marking decision was made to use Category 531 for virtually all the Arapaho visual arts.
Includes bibliographical references
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Arapaho Indians