Slobodin, Richard, 1915-2005

Dates

• Existence: 1915 - 2005

Biography

Richard Slobodin was born in New York City in 1915. He received his BA and MS degrees from City College of New York. In 1938, he had the opportunity to join friends on a canoeing adventure through Alaska. In May 1939, after spending the winter around Fort McPherson, Slobodin and his friends traveled by dog sled and later by canoe over the mountains into Alaska. After this adventure, Dick enrolled in anthropology classes at Columbia University, but in 1942, the war brought the first of two interruptions in his anthropological career. After serving briefly in the US Army, he entered the Naval Flight Program. In August 1946, Dick returned to the Mackenzie specifically to study the social organization of the Peel River Kutchin (now rendered Gwich’in). This research was to form the basis of his doctoral dissertation, but its completion would be delayed for more than a decade. Meanwhile, he began his university career with appointments at the University of Southern California (1947 – 49) and Los Angeles State College (1950 – 51). In 1959, he received his Ph.D.. After a period as research assistant (Cornell University and Washington DC), Slobodin taught at Smith College before seeking employment in Canada with the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. In 1964, he joined McMaster University where he developed the anthropology department. He published "Band Organization of the Peek River Kutchin" in 1962, and "Metis of the Mackenzie Delta" in 1973. Slobodin continued to be active in his field until his retirement in 1981. He died in 2005.

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