In Memory of Anthropologist
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 Born in New Zealand, Dr. Hawthorn was a teacher. He earned a masters degree in mathematics but preferred studying native peoples and earned 2 masters degrees in anthropology, the second in Hawaii'; and his Ph.D. in the US. In 1947, he was recruited to be the first anthropologist at the University of British Columbia where he 'virtually single-handed, built the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, which gained autonomy in 1956 and was led by him until 1968.' In 1949 he began a study of the Doukhobors for the provincial government, released in 1952. His recommendations unfortunately were not followed by the Socred government (Social Credit Party of Canada). Dr. Hawthorn was Chairman of the Doukhobor Research Committee, University of British Columbia, which published the 'Hawthorn Report' (342 pages) in 1952, and in 1955 a book: The Doukhobors of British Columbia (288 pages). The committee recommended a comprehensive programme of action for Canadian Doukhobors which were assessed as separate from the zealous Sons of Freedom. See pages 246-251 (of the book) for a Summary of the Recommendations dealing with allotment of former CCUB Ltd. Lands, education, vital statistics, social welfare and public health, franchise and eligibility for office, criminal law, Sons of Freedom resettlement and administration of Doukhobor affairs. (Excerpts from this section to be added.) In the August 1955 issue (vol.2, no.7) of The Inquirer, I reviewed the book on pages 25 to 27. A short biography is at ABC Bookworld: Hawthorn Harry (H.B.). Obituaries appeared on Legacy (online) and The Vancouver Sun (offline); and The Globe and Mail (offline), archived by Hyfler/Rosner in the Google group alt.obituaries: 'Harry Hawthorn; UBC anthropologist who started world-famous museum'. His Wikipedia page in 2022 is brief: Harry Hawthorn. He was honoured as the founder of the 'Harry Hawthorn Foundation for the Inculcation and Propagation of the Principles and Ethics of Fly-Fishing' (in short: The Harry Hawthorn Foundation) at UBC. His research is kept in the Harry Hawthorn fonds at the University of British Columbia Archives (6.5 metres of text, 243 photographs, and 1 audio reel). The 'Harry Hawthorn fonds ' at UBC include: Doukhobors series. — 1948-1954. 1.16 m of textual records. 143 photographs: b&w; 10 x 13 cm or smaller. Series consists of correspondence, reports, photographs, clippings, pamphlets, and subject index cards pertaining to Hawthorn's study of problems confronting Doukhobors in B.C., undertaken at the request of the Provincial Government. Series contains four subseries:
A Look Back to the Beginning: Seventy Years of MOA in the Making, by Alissa Cherry, Research Manager, and Katie Ferrante, Museum Digital Asset Archivist, MOA - Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, December 18, 2019. The Migration of Colonial Knowledge: The Case of Harry Hawthorn and the “Doukhobor Problem”, (43 min.) video-lecture by Adam Carmichael, CSRS Vandekerkhove Family Trust, Centre for Studies in Religions and Science, Graduate Student Fellow, Department of Political Science, The University of Victoria, British Columbia, 2 Oct. 2013. — Supported by the Anglican Diocese of BC through the John Albert Hall Endowment. Carmichael's 2017 doctoral thesis: Problematic Settlers: Settler-Colonialism and the Political History of the Doukhobors in Canada focuses on Hawthorne's work on Doukhobors and Indigenous Peoples. Entries from the Vancouver Sun Guest Book at Legacy.com August 8, 2006 My sincere condolences to the family in the passing of Harry B. Hawthorn. Dr. Hawthorn was one who showed me the wisdom of using anthropological insights to study the local and wider societies. He inspired me to study anthropology at UBC. That legacy led me to study my ancestors the Doukhobors as well as looking at the applied aspects of development. Upon his recommendation, I was Wenner Gren Fellow at the VIIth International Congress of Anthropological & Ethnological Sciences held in Moscow August 1964. I am indeed grateful to Dr. Hawthorn, a pioneer scholar who saw the value of both theory and practice in understanding and building viable human communities. Koozma J. Tarasoff (Ottawa, ON ) August 5, 2006 My deepest condolences to 'Hank' and all his family, he was a legend in his time and his work played an important role in my own studies of the Canadian Doukhobors. The Hawthorn commission did in fact impact their lives with his recommendation that their form of marriage [by consent] be recognized by the Canadian government. My sympathies, and know that by his honest work he will be remembered! Nina M. Olson (North Vancouver, BC ) |
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