Fletcher, Alice Cunningham

Fletcher, Alice Cunningham (1838–1923) ethnologist, humanitarian; born in Havana, Cuba. Beginning with an interest in the archaeology of American Indians, from 1876 on she became active in working for better treatment of the living Indians of the West. This led to her becoming the first and best informed student of American Indian music. Her major scholarly work was The Omaha Tribe (1911) but her most popular work was Indian Story and Song from North America (1900). One of the more remarkable women of her era, she combined energetic activism with scholarly pursuits.