LANGUAGE IN USE

Assignment No: ____

Submitted to: Sir Tayyab

Submitted by:

Name: Syed Hassan shah

Roll no: 19803

Semester: 1st (fall)

F.G. liaquat Ali Degree College for Boys,

Peshawar Road, Rawalpindi

 The case of missing brain
(Now That It’s Found, Where Does It Belong?)

Questions:
1. Why the Smithsonian Museum is called a brainy place?
The Smithsonian Museum is situated in Washington DC. This museum is guardian of more than 300 human
brain which are stored in climate-controlled facility in Maryland. That’s why it is called brainy place where
brain of dead humans are stored.

2. How are brains stored in this Museum?

More than 300 brains are stored in Smithsonian Museum. They are stored in climate controlled place where the
temperature is very low usually on ice. Low temperature or ice is used because cooling help to slow Metabolism
thus minimizes cell deaths. Also prevents brain from decomposing.

3. Why did Ishi go out of the wilderness? What happen to him afterwards?
Ishi a Native American, stumbled out of the Californian wilderness in 1911. He leave his place because he was
the last man of his tribe Yahi, and also white settlers had directly influenced to their numbers dwindling from
20,000 to only 1(Ishi). He was befriended by Anthropologists who took him to the University of California San
Francisco campus. Where he spent next five years of his life. He share his language, beliefs, and tribal arts with
Anthropologists.

4. Why did anthropologist take Ishi to the University of California?

Anthropology is the scientific study humans, human behavior and societies in the past and present.
Anthropologist take Ishi to the University of California because he was the last of his tribe Yahi, so they wanted
to study about the Ishi, Yahi tribe their behavior and about society in which they lived once.

5. Why did he died of Tuberculosis?

Ishi a Native American, stumbled out of Californian wilderness. He spent five years at University of California.
He lived in that place where diseases were not known. And when he went to that university he was exposed to
a new society where a number of bacteria and viruses were waiting for Ishi. Therefore he died of tuberculosis
because Ishi was new for that society and his body did not recognize that virus and thus suffered from
tuberculosis and died.

6. Who revealed that Ishi’s brain was not buried?

Ishi died in 1916, and after Eighty-three year in February 1999 according to an article published in the Seattle
Times, two researches announced that they had found a letter stating that Ishi’s brain had been removed during
autopsy rather than buried brain was sent to Smithsonian Museum.

7. What was the belief of Native Americans about the spirit of dead?
Native Americans believe that the spirit of the dead cannot travel to the afterlife until their remains are buried
whole. Ishi’s brain was not buried so that’s why they think that his spirit wandering in this world, so according
to federal law called the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act states that Indians remains
 held by federally funded institutions must be returned to their tribe or tribal descendants. Ishi was the last of
his tribe so his brain was sent to Smithsonian Museum.

Long question:
1. Describe the controversy about Ishi’s brain?
Ishi’s brain is given more importance because he was last of his tribe. He became a nationwide sensation as a
living example of “last wild man in America”. After his death an autopsy was performed against ishi’s wishes
and his brain was removed. But scientists lost track of the brain, and Indian leader refused to bury his body
without it. Ishi’s body was cremated and the pot containing his ashes were stored in cemetery in the city just
south of Sans Francisco.
Afterwards in February 1999, according to an article published in the Seattle Times, two researches announced
that they had found a letter stating that Ishi’s brain had been removed during autopsy rather than buried brain
was sent to Smithsonian Museum. A federal law called the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation
Act states that Indians remains held by federally funded institutions must be returned to their tribe or tribal
descendants. Now eighty three years after his death again ishi’s brain got importance just because of Native
Americans belief. They believe that the spirit of dead person cannot travel to the afterlife until their remains are
buried whole. They think that his spirit was wandering in this world and until his brain would be buried his spirit
would not travel to the afterlife. Ishi was the last of his people, there are no direct descendants to bury his
remains, and therefore another problem is created.
Then to whom ishi’s brain be given. A group of Northern California Indians have proposed that they should be
given the custody of ishi’s brain, which they will bury in the area of California where his people once lived.
Although this suggestion seem like a reasonable solution. But the Smithsonian has launched a search for Ishi’s
descendants, or people more closely related to him than the group of northern California Indians. As a result of
this search, Smithsonian researchers have found nine Americans who claim to have descended from the Yana,
a sub-tribe of the Yahi. But the complicating situation is a contention by some researchers that Ishi was probably
not full Yahi, but was perhaps half Maidu or Wintu.s
So there are three claimant who claimed to have ishi’s brain. It is difficult to decide to whom ishi’s brain be
given.