O'Neale, Lila M. (1886–1948)
O'Neale, Lila M. (1886–1948)
American anthropologist. Name variations: Lila Morris O'Neale; (nickname) Pat O'Neale. Born Lila Morris O'Neale, Nov 2, 1886, in Buxton, ND; died 1948; dau. of Carrie Margery Higgins O'Neale (English teacher) and George Lester O'Neale; attended Leland Stanford Junior University in Palo Alto and State Normal School at San José; Stanford University, AB, 1910; Columbia University Teachers College, BS in household arts; University of California, Berkeley, AM, 1927, PhD, 1930.
Considered the leading expert on prehistoric textiles of Indian Americans during her lifetime, 1st collaborated with Alfred Kroeber at University of California, Berkeley; with Kroeber, began research on pre-Columbian textiles with Textile Periods in Ancient Peru: 1 (1930); performed fieldwork among basket weavers in northern CA; published dissertation Yurok-Karok Basket Weavers (1932); performed fieldwork in Guatemala (1936) and published Textiles of Highland Guatemala (1945); served as chair of Decorative Art Department at Berkeley; served as acting curator, and as assistant curator with special responsibilities for textiles, at Museum of Anthropology; had 38-year teaching career.