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This article considers three moments in the history of Camp Fire, the first American multiracial organization for girls: (1) the foundation of the organization in the 1910s through the 1930s by progressive reformers heavily influenced by ethnological scholarship on Native American rituals and symbolism; (2) the transformation of the organization into a coeducational organization in the 1970s; and (3) current efforts in the organization, now known as Camp Fire USA, to bring its activities more in line with contemporary multiculturalism while retaining its "Indian" traditions as the organization's heritage. These three historical moments are explored through a combination of archival research, interviews, and participant-observation. As a case study, the history of Camp Fire offers the opportunity to (1) deepen our knowledge of the American tradition of "playing Indian" and (2) track changes and continuities in the relationship among race, culture, gender, and sexuality in U.S. informal education.

This review article addresses the following question: Given the transformed social, political, and intellectual conditions for ethnographic research among indigenous peoples in North America, what forms has such research come to take at the turn of the twenty-first century? The review considers significant trends and innovations in research sites and topics, research methodologies, theoretical orientations, and forms of representation. It also assesses the distinctive strengths and limitations posed by ethnographic research for scholars engaging with significant dimensions of contemporary indigenous life, including struggles for rights, resources, recognition, and language vitality in both the national and international arenas; the repatriation and sovereignty movements; the development of tribal casinos, tourist complexes, cultural centers, and media outlets; continued social and economic marginalization of many indigenous peoples; and challenges posed by neoliberalism and globalization to tribal governments and economies.

Available Light: Anthropological Reflections on Philosophical Topics. Clifford Geertz. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000. 27 lpp.