Abstract

NINO VARGAS, Juan Camilo. Travel and Ethnography. Notes on the life of the explorer Joseph de Brettes and his ethnographic works among the indigenous people of North Colombia. 1861-1934. Hist. Caribe [online]. 2015, vol.10, n.27, pp.141-176. ISSN 0122-8803.  https://doi.org/10.15648/hc.27.2015.5.

Many European travelers visited the present territory of Colombia during the nineteenth century, but few of them undertook ethnographic work among the natives groups in such a serious and comprehensive manner as the French explorer Joseph de Brettes did. The present article provides an overview of the life and works of this largely unknown figure. In particular, it focuses on the expeditions he conducted in north Colombia, as well as on his writings devoted to the understanding of the way of life of its indigenous inhabitants. This account also serves to introduce a transcription of an interview that he gave in 1902 about his experience as traveler and explorer in South America.

Keywords : Joseph de Brettes; travel writing; history of anthropology; indigenous people of north Colombia.

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