Anthropological Achievements 1929
ANTHROPOLOGY 1929
by CLARK WISSLER, PH.D.
Curator of Anthropology,
American Museum of Natural History
A REVIEW of anthropology reveals an increase in the number of institutions and endowments supporting the study of prehistoric man and the contemporary less civilized races, accompanied by a corresponding gain in the number of investigators. Almost every part of the land surface of the world is under observation. National governments are giving more attention to the preservation of antiquities and to recording the customs and arts of their subject races. The year has not been a period of new discoveries, but has been characterized by steady progress in following the leads offered by those of recent years and the testing of previous observations.
As usual the time of man’s first appearance in America is a major interest, and new evidence has come bearing upon his presence here in late Pleistocene times. There are now four places in the United States where stone implements have been found in apparent Pleistocene association, so we can say that this year marks the advancement of the American Pleistocene man problem to its final stage. Definite conclusions may be expected at any moment. In Europe, Africa, and the Near East the data for the early Stone Age cultures have been enriched.
Respecting the study of existing races mention should be made of progress in the exploration of New Guinea and investigations of the remaining few tribes in Australia and Melanesia living in a near-primitive state.
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