Book Description

In 1933 and 1934, Elizabeth Jacobs, advised by her husband, the noted anthropologist Melville Jacobs, conducted fieldwork on the Nehalem Tillamook culture of northwestern Oregon. Working with her extraordinarily able Nehalem Tillamook consultant Clara Pearson, Jacobs recorded extensive ethnographic and folkloric materials that far surpass in quality and quantity the Tillamook research of previous investigators. Jacobs' collaboration with Pearson eventually resulted in the publication of "Nehalem Tillamook Tales, an exceptional collection of myths and tales recorded in English. But the companion ethnography was never finished. "The Nehalem Tillamook grew from that unfinished manuscript. First, in consultation with Elizabeth Jacobs, the manuscript was expanded and extensively edited by William Seaburg. After Elizabeth Jacobs' death in 1983, Seaburg added careful annotations and a detailed historical introduction. The result is a remarkable book that fills an important gap in what was previously known about Northwest Coast native cultures. This is the first book-length ethnography of any Western Oregon native group, and it will be invaluable for drawing comparisons with other Northwest Coast native cultures, especially in the areas of female roles, world view, and social expressions of supernaturalism.