Northcote W. Thomas
Northcote Whitridge Thomas (1868-1936) was a British anthropologist and psychical researcher.
Career
In 1906, Thomas was the first anthropologist from the British Government to work in Nigeria and Sierra Leone.[1] He studied the Edo and Igbo people's and collected a number of objects from his fieldwork. His collection is now stored at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge.[2]
In Nigeria, Thomas was described as an eccentric and undiplomatic individual. His superiors transferred him to Sierra Leone in 1913, after two years he was sent home.[3] He was once described by a colonial servant as "a recognized maniac in many ways. He wore sandals, even in this country, lived on vegetables and was generally a rum person."[4]
Psychical research
Whitridge took interest in experiments conducted by the Society for Psychical Research. He authored works on crystal gazing and telepathy.[5]
Selected Publications
- Crystal Gazing (1905)
- Thought-Transference (1905)
- Natives of Australia (1906)
- Kindship Organizations and Group Marriage in Australia (1906)
- Anthropological Report on the Edo-Speaking Peoples of Nigeria (1910)
- Anthropological Report on the Ibo-Speaking Peoples of Nigeria (1913-1914)
- Specimens of Languages from Sierra Leone (1916)
References
- ^ Blench, R. M. (1995). The Work of N.W. Thomas as Government Anthropologist in Nigeria. The Nigerian Field 60: 20-28.
- ^ "Northcote W. Thomas and his collection". Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
- ^ Kuklick, H. (1991). The Savage Within: The Social History of British Anthropology, 1885-1945. Cambridge University Press. pp. 199-201
- ^ Linstrum, Erik. (2016). Ruling Minds: Psychology in the British Empire. Harvard University Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-674-08866-5
- ^ J, T. H. (1905). Reviewed Works: Thought Transference by Northcote W. Thomas; Crystal Gazing by Northcote W. Thomas. Man 5: 172-173.