‘Ishi’s Brain’ lecture at University of Maine

ORONO – The intriguing story of Ishi, the last Yahi Indian who was a living exhibit in a California museum for several years before he died in 1916, is the subject of a lecture at 3 p.m. Monday, April 18, in the Bodwell Lounge at the Maine Center for the Arts at the University of Maine.

In a talk titled “Ishi’s Brain: History, Culture, and the Politics of Memory,” Duke University anthropology professor, scholar and author Orin Starn will discuss his role in working with native communities in California to track down Ishi’s preserved brain. Ishi’s story has been the subject of a number of books and documentaries, but until recently, no one knew what happened to his remains after he died.

The story of Ishi is one that will resonate with students of anthropology, Native American studies, history and museum studies, as well as with members of Maine’s native communities.

The lecture is sponsored by the UMaine Department of Anthropology and the Native American Studies Program. The lecture is free. Refreshments will be served.

Starn is the author of several books, including “Ishi’s Brain: In Search of America’s Last ‘Wild’ Indian,” “Nightwatch: The Politics of Protest in the Andes” and “The Peru Reader: History, Culture, and Politics.”