James Deans

James Deans (1827-1905) was a Scottish ethnologist, guide and collector of Victoria, BC, who published several works on the folklore and culture of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Deans joined James Richardson's[1] expedition to survey Queen Charlotte Islands in 1878, and he was employed by others as a local guide; his collection of ethnographic materials was criticised by some contemporaries for its insensitivity. He presented an exhibition on the Haida people at the World's Columbian Exposition, showing a model village based on materials he had obtained. Amongst his works is a paper presented at "The Chicago Folk-Lore Congress of 1893", "The Superstitions, Customs, and Burial Rites of the Tribes of North-Western America".