This project marked Lewis Henry Morgan’s (1818—1881) bicentennial by revisiting his various legacies, recovering and publicizing them while at the same time critically reevaluating them.  We sponsored a set of related activities throughout the calendar year 2018, culminating in the autumn with three complementary public exhibits hosted by Rush Rhees Library, the Rochester Museum & Science Center, and the Rochester Public Library/Office of the City Historian.

Activities during the year included:

Offering a dedicated course (ANT 285/485 offered in fall 2017, spring 2018, and fall 2018 cross-listed with History).

Organizing a speaker and film series with venues on and off campus.

Developing related programming at local cultural institutions like the Rochester Public Library and Rochester Museum and Science Center.

Building this website and digital exhibit to document the project and furnish a durable resource for the project’s community partners as well as the University community.

Miss Elsie Elm (Oneida) sings the funeral dirge in her native Oneida language at the Lewis Henry Morgan tomb on Nov. 14 1920. Stone, Mr. Albert R., courtesy of Rochester Museum & Science Center.

The University of Rochester sits on land of the Onöndowa’ga:’ (Seneca) Nation ceded in 1788 according to the unjust and unredressed terms of the Phelps-Gorham Purchase.  We acknowledge the sovereignty of the Onöndowa’ga:’ people and their continuing connections to this land.