Paper short abstract

This paper shares the life story of Florence Shotridge (1882-1917), or Kaatxwaaxsnéi, who is the first recorded Indigenous American woman to formally lead an anthropological expedition which she co-led with her husband, Louis Shotridge, on behalf of the Penn Museum.

Paper long abstract

This paper shares the biography of Florence Shotridge (1882-1917), or Kaatxwaaxsnéi, a Tlingit woman, educator, and ethnographer. She is the first known Indigenous American woman to formally lead an anthropological expedition, alongside her husband, Louis Shotridge. Louis is a well-known Tlingit ethnographer and collector, but much of his work in his early career was done in collaboration with Florence—yet her contributions are often not mentioned in these early years of his work. In this paper I will discuss Florence's early life, Chilkat weaving skills, the expositions and musical performances she participated in with Louis across the U.S., career at the Penn Museum, and untimely death at the age of 35. I piece together her life history using her two published articles, the two Tina’a Chilkat blankets she wove, archival photographs, newspaper interviews, the museum objects she collected on her expedition for the Penn Museum, and interviews with two contemporary Tlingit women and storytellers today -- Donna Beaver and Lily Hope. I argue that Louis' career in the field of anthropology would not have been possible without Florence's Chilkat weaving and English-speaking skills, which forged early connections with key figures who propelled the couples' career. This paper seeks to fill in the historical gaps on Florence’s life history, highlight her contributions to her husband’s career, and discuss her own contributions to the field of anthropology.