
An early, meticulously compiled account of the Seri people offers a vivid portrait of life along the rugged coasts of the Gulf of California. Drawing on field observations from the mid‑1890s, the work explores the tribe’s settlement patterns, social organization, and interaction with the harsh desert‑sea landscape that shaped their daily routines.
The narrative is enriched by a wealth of detailed illustrations—drawings of traditional houses, interior layouts, and the distinctive face‑painting of men and women. Equally striking are the depictions of tools and objects such as stone mortars, woven baskets, bone awls, and the Seri’s iconic bow and arrow, each accompanied by notes that reveal how these items were crafted and used.
Together, the text and images provide listeners with a rare window into a culture that was then on the brink of profound change, preserving the Seri’s material heritage and customs for future generations.
Language
en
Duration
~16 hours (948K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by PM for Bureau of American Ethnology, Wayne Hammond The Internet Archive: American Libraries (http://www.archive.org/details/americana). and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr)
Release date
2015-07-09
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1853–1912
A self-taught scientist and explorer, he moved from geology into anthropology and became a leading figure in the study of Native American cultures at the Smithsonian. His work ranged from surveying the Atlantic Coastal Plain to shaping early American ethnology and museum work.
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