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Washington Matthews
1843–1905
Best known for pioneering studies of the Navajo, this Army surgeon brought a rare mix of medical training, field experience, and deep interest in language and ceremony to his writing. His work helped preserve important accounts of Diné traditions at a time when few non-Native scholars were recording them carefully.
3 Audiobooks
The Mountain Chant, A Navajo Ceremony
by Washington Matthews
Navajo Silversmiths
by Washington Matthews
Navajo weavers
by Washington Matthews
About the author
Born on June 17, 1843, and dying on March 2, 1905, Washington Matthews was a U.S. Army surgeon, ethnographer, and linguist remembered for his research on Native American peoples, especially the Navajo. He served as a military doctor, and his postings in the American West gave him opportunities to study the communities around him in unusual depth.
Matthews became known for careful work on Navajo language, stories, and ceremonial life. He wrote influential studies that introduced many readers to Diné traditions and remains an important figure in the early history of American anthropology and linguistics.
What still makes his work stand out is the close attention he gave to language and lived practice rather than simply repeating secondhand accounts. Even now, he is often remembered as one of the earliest non-Native scholars to document Navajo culture in sustained detail.