Elisabeth Tooker

{{Short description|American anthropologist (1927–2005)}} {{use American English|date=March 2026}} {{use mdy|date=March 2026}} {{Infobox academic | honorific_prefix =  | name = | honorific_suffix = | image = Elisabeth_Tooker.png | image_size = | alt = An elderly woman with short hair smiling | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name =  | birth_date = {{birth date|1927|8|2}} | birth_place = Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2005|1|13|1927|8|2}} | death_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | death_cause = | other_names = | occupation = | period = | known_for = | title = | boards =  | spouse = | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | awards =  | website = | education = | alma_mater = Radcliffe College | thesis_title = Ritual, Power and the Supernatural: A Comparative Study of Indian Religions in Southwestern United States | thesis_url = | thesis_year = 1958 | school_tradition = | doctoral_advisor = | academic_advisors = | influences =  | era = | discipline =  | sub_discipline =  | workplaces = {{hlist|Harvard University|University at Buffalo|Mount Holyoke College|Temple University}} | doctoral_students =  | notable_students = | main_interests = | notable_works = | notable_ideas = | influenced =  | signature = | signature_alt = | signature_size = | footnotes = }} '''Elisabeth Jane Tooker''' (August 2, 1927{{snd}}January 13, 2005) was an American anthropologist and a leading historian on the Iroquois nations in Northeastern United States.

==Family== Elisabeth Jane Tooker was born on August 2, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York, to Amy ({{nee|Luce}}), a social worker and teacher, and Clyde Tooker, a lawyer.<ref name="graymont2005" />

==Education and career== Tooker served as a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University from 1956 to 1957. In 1957, she served as an instructor at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

She received a bachelor's and doctorate from Radcliffe College in 1949 and 1958, respectively, and a master's from the University of Arizona in 1953.<ref name="conauth" /> Her PhD dissertation was titled ''Ritual, Power and the Supernatural: A Comparative Study of Indian Religions in Southwestern United States''.<ref name="graymont2005">{{Cite journal|last=Graymont|first=Barbara|date=December 2005|title=Elisabeth Jane Tooker (1927-2005)|journal=American Anthropologist|language=en|volume=107|issue=4|pages=757–759|doi=10.1525/aa.2005.107.4.757}}</ref>

Before completing her degree at Radcliffe, Tooker was employed as a Teaching Fellow at Harvard from 1956 to 1957, and in 1957, she accepted a position as instructor at the State University of New York at Buffalo.<ref name=aps2023>Elisabeth Tooker Papers: American Philosophical Society Library</ref>

Tooker taught history at the University at Buffalo, Mount Holyoke College, and Temple University, where she spent most of her career.<ref name="conauth">{{Cite book|title=Contemporary Authors|title-link=Contemporary Authors|publisher=Gale|year=1975|isbn=0-8103-0024-9|volume=49-52|pages=549–550|oclc=650348527}}</ref>

Tooker was Professor Emerita of Anthropology, Temple University, Philadelphia, where she spent the remainder her career. While at temple she was promoted to associate professor in 1967 and Professor in 1977.<ref name=aps2023/>

Tooker's research focused on the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). She did field research with Seneca people in Tonawanda, New York, and published on topics including Iroquois religion.<ref name="graymont2005" />

Tooker belonged to a number of professional anthropological organizations, which include the American Ethnological Society, where she served as editor of American Ethnologist, 1978–1982; the American Society for Ethnohistory. From 1981 to 1982 she was President of the Conference on Iroquois Research From 1966 to 1968 she served at the Northeastern Anthropological Association as Secretary, In 1967 Vice President of the Philadelphia Anthropological Society and President in 1967. Her extensive involvement in anthropology has earned recognition as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She was also an alumna member of Phi Beta Kappa at Radcliffe College, 1974. She was awarded of the Cornplanter Medal for Iroquois Research in 1986.<ref name=aps2023/>

Tooker died at the age of 77 on January 13, 2005, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.<ref name="graymont2005" />

== Selected works ==

* ''An Ethnography of the Huron Indians, 1615–1649'' (1964)<ref>Reviews of ''An Ethnography of the Huron Indians, 1615–1649'': * {{Cite journal |last=Trigger |first=Bruce G.|year=1965 |title=none |journal=American Anthropologist|volume=67 |issue=3 |pages=807–808 |doi=10.1525/aa.1965.67.3.02a00340 |jstor=668546 |ref=trigger1965|doi-access=free }} * {{Cite journal |last=Frigout |first=Arlette |year=1966 |title=none |journal=L'Homme |volume=6 |issue=2|pages=132–133 |jstor=25131243 |language=fr |ref=frigout}}</ref> * ''The Iroquois Ceremonial of Midwinter'' (1970)<ref>Reviews of ''The Iroquois Ceremonial of Midwinter'': * {{Cite journal |last=Shimony |first=Annemarie |year=1972 |title=none |journal=American Anthropologist |volume=74 |issue=4 |pages=920–921 |doi=10.1525/aa.1972.74.4.02a00730 |jstor=672443}} * {{Cite journal |last=Graymont |first=Barbara |year=1971 |title=none |journal=New York History |volume=52 |issue=2 |pages=226–227 |jstor=23164924 |ref=graymont1971}}</ref> * {{cite journal |author-link= |title=Northern Iroquoian Sociopolitical Organization |journal=American Anthropologist |series=New Series |pages=90–97 |volume=72 |issue=1 |date=February 1970 |jstor=670758 |doi= 10.1525/aa.1970.72.1.02a00110|ref=tooker1970 |last1=Tooker |first1=Elisabeth |doi-access=free }} * ''The Indians of the Northeast: A Critical Bibliography'' (1978)<ref>Reviews of ''The Indians of the Northeast'': * {{Cite journal |last=Hodge |first=William H. |date=May 1979 |title=none |journal=American Indian Quarterly |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=179|doi=10.2307/1183766 |jstor=1183766}} * {{Cite journal |last=Edmunds |first=R. David |year=1980 |title=none |journal=Indiana Magazine of History |volume=76 |issue=2 |pages=132–134 |jstor=27790436}}</ref> * ''Native North American Spirituality of the Eastern Woodlands: Sacred Myths, Dreams, Visions, Speeches, Healing Formulas, Rituals and Ceremonials'' (1979)<ref>Reviews of ''Native North American Spirituality of the Eastern Woodlands'': * {{Cite journal |last=Grim |first=John A. |year=1986|title=none |journal=American Indian Quarterly|volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=234 |doi=10.2307/1184126 |jstor=1184126}} * {{Cite journal |last=Hultkrantz |first=Ake|year=1983 |title=none|journal=Ethnohistory |volume=30 |issue=1|pages=39 |doi=10.2307/481504 |jstor=481504}}</ref> * {{cite book |title=Ethnographie des Hurons, 1615-1649 |year=1987 |publisher=Montréal : Recherches amérindiennes au Québec |isbn=9782920366060 |url=https://archive.org/details/ethnographiedesh0000took |ref=tooker1987}} * {{cite journal |date=1988 |title=The United States Constitution and the Iroquois League |url=https://doi.org/10.2307/482139 |journal=Ethnohistory |volume=35 |issue=4 |pages=305–336 |doi=10.2307/482139 |jstor=482139 |ref=tooker1988 |last1= |first1=|url-access=subscription }} * ''Lewis H. Morgan on Iroquois Material Culture'' (1994)<ref>Reviews of ''Lewis H. Morgan on Iroquois Material Culture'': * {{Cite journal |last=Starna |first=William A. |year=1996 |title=none|journal=American Indian Quarterly |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=137 |doi=10.2307/1184954 |jstor=1184954}} * {{Cite journal|last=Dennis|first=Matthew|date=December 1995 |title=none|journal=The Journal of American History |volume=82 |issue=3 |pages=1172 |doi=10.2307/2945129 |jstor=2945129 }} * {{Cite journal |last=Hayes III |first=Charles F.|year=1996 |title=none |journal=Ethnohistory |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=185|doi=10.2307/483354|jstor=483354}}</ref> * {{cite book |title=Hewitt, John Napoleon Brinton (1859–1937), ethnologist and linguist |publisher=Oxford University Press |volume=1 |date=1999 |doi=10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.2001490 |url=http://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-2001490 |url-access=subscription}}

==See also== *Dean Snow – American archeologist and American historian of the Iroquois Indian nations *William A. Starna – American archeologist and historian of the Mohawk and Iroquois Nations

== References == {{Reflist}}

==Sources== *{{cite web |first= |last= |title=Elisabeth Tooker Papers |publisher=American Philosophical Society Library |year= |accessdate=June 24, 2023 |url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/collections/view?docId=ead/Mss.Ms.Coll.84-ead.xml |ref=aps}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tooker, Elisabeth}} Category:1927 births Category:2005 deaths Category:Radcliffe College alumni Category:American women anthropologists Category:Mount Holyoke College faculty Category:Temple University faculty Category:University at Buffalo faculty Category:University of Arizona alumni