March Curated Spring Fling Estate Auction
Lot 189:
Typed copy of a letter from Eleanor Oliver to her father describing her and Douglas L. Oliver’s time in Bougainville, dated March 5 and March 21 (presumably of the year 1938). Includes description of Siuai society on Bougainville (Solomon Islands), including a cremation ceremony, damming of a river in order to catch fish, references to language, etc. Her observations were subsequently published in the December 1942 issue of National Geographic Magazine in an article entitled “A Woman’s Experiences Among Stone Age Solomon Islanders”. Douglas L. Oliver was a 1934 Harvard graduate, and also research associate at the Peabody Harvard Museum of Ethnology and Archaeology from 1936-1941. His numerous published works include journal articles, museum papers, and books. Provenance: Louis Pierre Ledoux Collection
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