UVic professor emeritus and prominent anthropologist passes away peacefully at age 81
Dr. Leland H. Donald, professor emeritus at the University of Victoria and prominent anthropologist, passed away peacefully on April 10, 2024 at age 81.
Dr. Donald worked in the Department of Anthropology from 1969 until his retirement in 2008, and during this time, he also served as department chair and Acting Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. While at UVic, his research interests included ethnology, social organization, and ethnohistory, with a particular research focus on Indigenous communities and slavery in the Pacific Northwest.
Dr. Donald was born in Rome, Georgia on October 8, 1942, and later received his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Oregon, where he focused on sub-Saharan Africa. He undertook dissertation fieldwork in Sierra Leone to research the Yalunka people.
In graduate school, Dr. Donald took a series of graduate seminars taught by American anthropologist David F. Aberle on the cultural ecology of the Northwest Coast. At UVic, Donald began to develop a deeper interest in the Northwest Coast. In 1975, Dr. Donald began researching Northwest Coast slavery alongside colleague Donald Mitchell; they observed that the use of slaves and slave labor was downplayed by many Northwest Coast ethnographers. This led them to initiate what they termed the Northwest Coast Intergroup Relations Project.
Throughout his career, Dr. Donald published numerous scholarly articles and was the renowned author of Aboriginal Slavery on the Northwest Coast of North America, which critics say made a significant impact in understanding and studying Indigenous groups and cultures on the Northwest Coast.
His book explores a variety of topics, including, but not limited to, who owned slaves and how they were procured; the nature, use, and value of slave labor; and relations between masters and slaves. In his book, Dr. Donald argues that “slavery is one of the key culture traits that must be fully understood if the Northwest Coast culture area is to be properly appreciated.” Dr. Donald made important contributions to the field of anthropology by expanding the research available on Indigenous cultures on the Northwest Coast.
Predeceased by his wife, Beth Stevenson, Dr. Donald is survived by his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He is also fondly remembered by colleagues and the many students he taught through the decades.
Per the family’s request, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the British Columbia and Alberta Guide Dog Services in Dr. Donald’s memory.
