George Hunt
George Hunt was a pivotal figure in the ethnographic study of the Kwakiutl people, contributing significantly to the work of renowned ethnologist Franz Boas. Born in 1854 at Fort Rupert, British Columbia, Hunt had a diverse heritage, with a Scottish father and a mother of Tlingit or Tsimshian descent. He grew up immersed in traditional Indigenous culture and had limited interaction with non-Indigenous people until adulthood. His collaboration with Boas began in 1886 and led to the documentation of extensive ethnographic material, including co-authoring works such as "Kwakiutl Tears" and "Ethnology of the Kwakiutl."
In addition to his scholarly contributions, Hunt served as a guide and interpreter during the Adrian Jacobsen expedition along the North Pacific Coast. He was instrumental in recording the Kwakiutl language and customs, enabling their preservation through a phonetic writing system. As he matured, Hunt also emerged as a political leader within his community, gaining the respect of both scholars and his people. He passed away in 1933 at Fort Rupert, leaving behind a legacy that shaped the understanding of Kwakiutl culture and history.
George Hunt
- Born: c. 1854
- Birthplace: Fort Rupert, British Columbia, Canada
- Died: September 5, 1933
- Place of death: Fort Rupert, British Columbia, Canada
Category: Ethnologist
Tribal affiliation: Kwakiutl
Significance: Hunt, who worked with anthropologist Franz Boas, recorded Kwakiutl traditions and lifeways
As an ethnologist, George Hunt had a major impact on the study of the Kwakiutls. He was a major contributor to the work of Franz Boas, the pioneer ethnologist of the Northwest Coast. During his lifetime, Hunt supplied Boas with more than six thousand pages of ethnographic material. He also appeared as coauthor with Boas on Kwakiutl Tears (1905) and Ethnology of the Kwakiutl (1921).
Born in 1854 at Fort Rupert, British Columbia, Hunt was a son of Robert Hunt, a Scotsman who worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company in British Columbia. Hunt’s mother was Mary Ebbetts, a Tlingit or Tsimshian. Hunt was reared in the traditional Indian manner and had little contact with white immigrants until he was in his twenties. Hunt is famous for acting as a guide and interpreter for the Adrian Jacobsen expedition along the North Pacific Coast between 1881 and 1883.
Hunt first met Franz Boas in 1886, after which he assumed a major role in recording Kwakiutl history and customs in English. Boas taught Hunt to write the native language in a phonetic script which could be precisely translated into English. To support himself while he did scholarly work (which began in earnest about the turn of the century), Hunt worked in canneries and as an expedition guide. As he became an elder, Hunt also became a political leader among his people. He was one of few native informants who maintained the respect of both academicians and his own people. Hunt also worked as a consultant to the American Museum of Natural History. He died at Fort Rupert in 1933.