John Alden Mason (January 14, 1885 – November 7, 1967) was anAmerican archaeologicalanthropologist andlinguist.
John Alden Mason | |
|---|---|
 John Alden Mason | |
| Born | January 14, 1885 Orland, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | November 7, 1967 (aged 82) Bryn Mawr Hospital,Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Linguist and anthropologist |
| Academic work | |
| Main interests | Indigenous languages of the Americas |
Mason was born inOrland, Indiana, but grew up inPhiladelphia'sGermantown. He received his undergraduate degree from theUniversity of Pennsylvania in 1907 and a doctorate from theUniversity of California, Berkeley in 1911. His dissertation was anethnographic study of theSalinanAmerindian ethnic group ofCalifornia. He also authored a number of linguistic studies, including a study ofPiman languages. His later ethnographic works included studies of theTepehuan.
The first series ofJuan Bobo stories published in the U.S. occurred in 1921. They appeared in theJournal of American Folklore under the titlePorto Rican Folklore, and were collected by Mason from Puerto Rican school children.[1] The story collection consisted of 56 "Picaresque Tales" aboutJuan Bobo, and included such exotic titles asJuan Bobo Heats up his Grandmother,Juan Bobo Delivers a Letter to the Devil,Juan Bobo Throws his Brother Down a Well, andJuan Bobo refuses to Marry the Princess.[1] Many of the stories he collected have been edited and published in a 2021 book.[2]
In 1922, Captain Marshall Field provided funds for an archaeological survey of Colombia. Assistant Curator Mason led the expedition that lasted until August 1923. The Field Museum of Natural History houses a collection of correspondence, largely in the form of letters between Mason and the Curator of Anthropology, Berthold Laufer.[3]
He is also well known forhis comprehensive classification of thelanguages of South America.[4]
Mason was curator of theUniversity Museum at theUniversity of Pennsylvania from 1926 until his retirement in 1958. His papers are housed at theAmerican Philosophical Society inPhiladelphia.[citation needed]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abJournal of American Folklore, Vol.34, pp. 143-208; by J. Alden Mason & Aurelio M. Espinosa, ed.; 1921 Retrieved 2013-05-31.
- ^Rafael Ocasio.Folk Stories from the Hills of Puerto Rico. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2021. 262 pages.ISBN 978-1-9788-2298-6
- ^Mason, John Alden, 1885-1967."Captain Marshall Field Expedition to Colombia, 1922-1923". Field Museum of Natural History.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^Mason, J. Alden. 1950. The languages of South America. In: Julian Steward (ed.),Handbook of South American Indians, Volume 6, 157–317. (Smithsonian Institution,Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 143.) Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.
Sources
edit- John Alden Mason Papers at theAmerican Philosophical Society
- Project Muse
- "Descendants of Capt. Hugh Mason in America", by Edna W. Mason, 1937
- "Who Was Who in America", Vol. 10