author
T. T. (Thomas Talbot) Waterman
1885–1936
An early American anthropologist, he is remembered for close fieldwork with Indigenous communities in North and Central America and for helping bring Ishi to the University of California's Museum of Anthropology. His writing reflects a period when anthropology was rapidly taking shape in the American West.
1 Audiobook
Types of canoes on Puget Sound
by T. T. (Thomas Talbot) Waterman, Geraldine Coffin
About the author
Thomas Talbot Waterman (April 23, 1885 – January 6, 1936), usually published as T. T. Waterman, was an American anthropologist who studied Indigenous peoples of North and Central America, especially in Northern California. Reliable sources agree that he was born in Hamilton, Missouri, and later became known for his work in American anthropology.
He is most often noted for his connection to Ishi, the Yahi man whom Waterman helped bring from Oroville to the University of California's Museum of Anthropology, where Ishi later lived and worked. Waterman's published work also included studies such as Yurok Geography, showing his interest in language, place, and traditional knowledge.
Source material found during this search describes him as an important teacher as well as a field researcher, and it links him with academic work on the West Coast, including the University of California and collections connected with the University of Washington. A clearly usable portrait image could not be confirmed from the pages retrieved, so no profile image is included here.