Buell Quain
Buell Halvor Quain (May 31, 1912 – August 2, 1939) was an American ethnologist who, after graduating from University of Wisconsin–Madison and studying as a graduate student at Columbia University, worked with native peoples in Fiji and Brazil.[1][2] He published a total of four books, three of them posthumously.
Buell Quain | |
|---|---|
| Born | Buell Halvor Quain May 31, 1912 |
| Died | August 2, 1939 (aged 27) |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin - Madison Columbia University |
| Occupation | Ethnologist |
In 1938, Quain travelled to Brazil to work with the Kraho people of the Brazilian rainforest, where he also spent time in the Trumai village.[3]
Death
On August 2, 1939, at the age of 27, Buell Quain committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in the Brazilian rainforest. The reason for the suicide is somewhat unclear - some reports suggested that he had written about having caught an incurable disease, but other reasons were mooted.[4]
Other
The mystery surrounding his death by suicide was the subject of Brazilian author Bernardo Carvalho's 2002 novel Nove Noites.
Bibliography
- The Iroquois - 1937
- The Flight of the Chiefs - 1942
- The Trumai Indians of Central Brazil - 1955 (with Robert Francis Murphy)
- Fijian Village - 1970
References
- Cyril Belshaw (2002-03-27). "The Effects of Limited Anthropological Theory on Problems of Fijian Administration". Anthropologising.ca. Archived from the original on 2008-05-04. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- Elma Lia Nascimento (2003-01-19). "White Chief's Gone". Brazzil.com. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- Quain, Buell; Murphy, Robert F. (1955). The Trumai Indians of Central Brazil (PDF). Locust Valley, N.Y.: J. J. Augustin.
- ERIKSMOEN, CURT. "Promising anthropologist from Bismarck died young". Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved 2017-06-05.