Handbook of Ethnography

This Handbook of Ethnography is designed not only for the trained ethnologist, who can not be expected to retain in his memory more than a fraction of the tribal names included herein, but for the students in allied fields—in anthropology, archaeology, the science of society (sociology), political science, and the like. The need for such a volume was felt by the author when he first began his studies in one of these fields and met constantly with the names of tribes of whose location he was either ignorant or else but partially cognizant. He was forced continually to interrupt his reading in order to pursue a people to its locale by the aid of footnote, library card, atlas, and foreign language. And from this situation was born the idea of compiling a handbook which would enable his successors and students in allied subjects to avoid his difficulties. There are located within the covers of this volume more than 12000 tribes, language groups, nations, clans, and other social divisions. Following the location is a reference to a map at the end of the book, where the geographical homes of the peoples are indicated. The book remains one of the most comprehensive reference works on the subject.