This profile aggregates publicly documented information and makes no unsubstantiated claims about motive or character.
In a major 1894 report, the Bureau of American Ethnology officially rejected the 'lost race of Mound Builders' theory and attributed North American mounds, including pyramidal structures like Monks Mound, to the ancestors of contemporary Native Americans.
Overview
The Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE) was established on March 3, 1879, by an act of Congress as part of the Smithsonian Institution. Its creation was largely driven by John Wesley Powell, known for his explorations of the Colorado River and Grand Canyon. The Bureau's initial mandate was to conduct anthropological research among North American Indians during a period of rapid cultural change, later expanding its geographical scope to include Hawaii, the Philippines, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
Under Powell's direction, the BAE organized early anthropological field expeditions to observe and document the customs of Native North Americans, publishing findings in official reports and bulletins. Notable directors included William Henry Holmes, James S. Stirling, Frank H.H. Roberts, Jr., and Henry B. Collins. In 1965, the BAE was administratively merged with the Smithsonian Institution's Department of Anthropology, forming the Office of Anthropology within the United States National Museum (now the Department of Anthropology within the National Museum of Natural History).
Key Programs & Events
Last Bulletin Published
The last Bulletin of the Bureau of American Ethnology was published.
First Bulletin Published
The first Bulletin of the Bureau of American Ethnology was published.
Bureau of American Ethnology Established
The Bureau of American Ethnology was established by an act of the United States Congress within the Smithsonian Institution.
Departments & Divisions
Established as an independent subunit of the BAE to promote ethnological research throughout the American Republics.