Theodora Kroeber

The Handbook of the Indians of California, written by Alfred Kroeber between 1916 and 1917, is the defining work by which he is widely recognized. Known beyond academic circles, the Handbook remains a primary reference for many on California's Indigenous cultures. Kroeber embraced this association with his work, considering it the “first fruits” of his career and a testament to his early fieldwork. His later explorations into broader theoretical concepts were deeply rooted in these experiences with the living cultures of Native Americans, which began on his early field trips to Wyoming and Oklahoma, and ultimately California, where he made his lifelong home. Kroeber's westward journey marked a turning point, setting him apart from his East Coast roots. Arriving in California in 1900, he immersed himself in fieldwork, traversing the state to study Native American communities in rural areas. Known as the serious young anthropologist with his black beard and pockets full of tools and treats, he quickly became a respected figure among the Indigenous tribes he worked with, particularly the Yurok of northern California’s Klamath River and the Mohave of the Colorado River. His interest lay in California's landscapes—the rivers, bays, and coastline—which paralleled the natural surroundings of the Indigenous cultures he studied, reflecting his deep connection to the Pacific and its waterways. Despite the powerful draw of the West, Kroeber’s formative years were shaped in New York, amidst the waterways surrounding Manhattan. He grew up in a close-knit family, with friendships that spanned his life despite geographic separation. This early foundation influenced his work and perspective, anchoring him in both his professional discipline and personal relationships. His early life on the East Coast contrasts with his later dedication to California’s Indigenous cultures, highlighting the unique, dual influence of these landscapes on his approach to anthropology and his lifelong commitment to understanding and documenting the rich cultural heritage of Native American communities. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1970.

The Handbook of the Indians of California, written by Alfred Kroeber between 1916 and 1917, is the defining work by which he is widely recognized. Known beyond academic circles, the Handbook remains a primary reference for many on California's Indigenous cultures. Kroeber embraced this association with his work, considering it the “first fruits” of his career and a testament to his early fieldwork. His later explorations into broader theoretical concepts were deeply rooted in these experiences with the living cultures of Native Americans, which began on his early field trips to Wyoming and Oklahoma, and ultimately California, where he made his lifelong home. Kroeber's westward journey marked a turning point, setting him apart from his East Coast roots. Arriving in California in 1900, he immersed himself in fieldwork, traversing the state to study Native American communities in rural areas. Known as the serious young anthropologist with his black beard and pockets full of tools and treats, he quickly became a respected figure among the Indigenous tribes he worked with, particularly the Yurok of northern California’s Klamath River and the Mohave of the Colorado River. His interest lay in California's landscapes—the rivers, bays, and coastline—which paralleled the natural surroundings of the Indigenous cultures he studied, reflecting his deep connection to the Pacific and its waterways. Despite the powerful draw of the West, Kroeber’s formative years were shaped in New York, amidst the waterways surrounding Manhattan. He grew up in a close-knit family, with friendships that spanned his life despite geographic separation. This early foundation influenced his work and perspective, anchoring him in both his professional discipline and personal relationships. His early life on the East Coast contrasts with his later dedication to California’s Indigenous cultures, highlighting the unique, dual influence of these landscapes on his approach to anthropology and his lifelong commitment to understanding and documenting the rich cultural heritage of Native American communities. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1970.

En el paso del siglo XIX al XX, en las montañas del norte de California, tuvo lugar uno de los sucesos más dramáticos de la historia de Estados Unidos. Escondido en los bosques, un pequeño grupo de indios de la tribu Yahi logró escapar al destino del resto de su pueblo, la muerte violenta a manos de los buscadores de oro y los pioneros. Poco a poco, todos los miembros de este pequeño grupo fueron muriendo, hasta quedar un único superviviente, Ishi. Este libro cuenta la historia, terrible y heroica, de este hombre que, viviendo literalmente en la Edad de Piedra, se dio de bruces en 1911 con la California del siglo XX.Cuando encontraron a Ishi, Alfred Kroeber, el marido de Theodora Kroeber, era el director del Departamento de Antropología y Etnología de la Universidad de California. Entre ambos, Alfred e Ishi, nació una profunda amistad. Fue así como Theodora y su familia compartieron con Ishi los últimos años de su vida. La autora se comprometió a escribir este relato para acercarnos a la figura de Ishi, su vida en soledad, la destrucción de su pueblo y las circunstancias de su propia muerte. Publicado por primera vez en 1961, obtuvo un éxito inmediato. Convertido en el libro más leído sobre un nativo americano, hoy en día Ishi es considerado un clásico.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1980.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1980.

Over one million copies sold. The life story of Ishi, the Yahi Indian, lone survivor of a doomed tribe, is unique in the annals of North American anthropology. For more than forty years, Theodora Kroeber's biography has been sharing this tragic and absorbing drama with readers all over the world. Ishi stumbled into the twentieth century on the morning of August 29, 1911, when, desperate with hunger and with terror of the white murderers of his family, he was found in the corral of a slaughter house near Oroville, California. Finally identified as an Indian by an anthropologist, Ishi was brought to San Francisco by Professor T. T. Waterman and lived there the rest of his life under the care and protection of Alfred Kroeber and the staff of the University of California's Museum of Anthropology.

Nine tales, selected and retold here by anthropologist and author Theodora Kroeber for the adult general-interest reader. The new foreword by her son, Karl Kroeber, provides context about the author's methods and describes his own personal connection to the stories themselves.