Elsie Clews Parsons
The locomotive was a Nasmyth & Wilson Class 25. Its wheel arrangement was 2-2-0; that is, it had two leading front axles, two driving axles, and no rear axles. It was actually a tender locomotive, meaning it carried both coal and water on the same chassis, and therefore didn't have a separate tender car towed by larger locomotives. It began to slip on the wet tracks with a squeal of iron on iron; a thick cloud of black smoke filled the platforms of Palma Central Station. The walls and floor were covered in fine soot that got into the nose.
It was eight o'clock on a cold and rainy morning when the train driver of the San Lorenzo He sounded that shrill, characteristic whistle of the station exit. In the first-class carriage was a woman of about fifty, who attracted considerable attention from the other humble travelers. Her wide-brimmed green hat and exotic fur coat left no one indifferent. The mysterious passenger was slender, with fine, white skin, and spoke Spanish with a strong American accent. Indeed, that February of 1928 was very cold in Mallorca, but the possibility of finding clues or materials that would aid his research into the customs, rituals, and possible influences received by the native tribes of New Mexico and other territories that had been part of the United Mexican States kept his interest alive in Mallorca. The final push came while he was in Barcelona when he learned that in Artà there was a folklore magazine, the first in the Catalan language, published by a teacher and folklorist named Andreu Ferrer i Ginard. It was Grandparents' Treasure (1922-1928), a prestigious journal whose objective was to collect and preserve the folklore of Mallorca. His stay in the towns of Petra and San Lorenzo aimed to explore the possible connections between the Mallorcan culture that the friars—led by Junípero Serra—brought to New Mexico and the customs of the native peoples evangelized by the missionaries. The following year, his anthropological work entitled The social organization of the Tewa of New Mexico. Had the customs introduced by Franciscan missionaries to New Mexico over the centuries influenced Indigenous culture? Elsie was searching for her roots, as Valriu and Ramis suggest.
I had personally wanted to write about Elsie Worthington Clews Parsons for some time. I realized this the day Caterina Valriu mentioned it to me while I was researching for an article entitled Foreign folklorists in the Balearic Islands (19th and 20th centuries): in search of exoticism? I was fascinated by that woman's 'intuition'. Caterina hasn't been the only folklorist to seek her out; Andreu Ramis, Margalida Coll, and Josep Nicolau have also kept alive the curiosity surrounding this first-rate American anthropologist and folklorist, considered a key figure in the modern study of folklore and the indigenous cultures of North America. And she wasn't just a figure with a significant body of work on indigenous peoples; she was also a progressive voice on gender issues, raising her critical voice against the rigid and patriarchal family models of Western society.
As she gazed out the train window at the first almond blossoms of the Pla de Mallorca, Elsie reflected on how curious and complex people's destinies could be. Since earning her doctorate in sociology from Columbia University, her encounter with and subsequent study of Franz Boas's work, and her tenure as president of the prestigious American Folklore Society, she had never stopped learning and developing her skills, except for the first seven years of her marriage, during which she had and raised her two children. The sign on the platform indicated they were in Manacor; her destination was now closer. What would she find? The first journey had lasted almost three hours, and she had been captivated by the people who shared the train car with her. She felt as if she had the Mediterranean Sea right in front of her, in its purest form.
In studying the personality and work of Parsons, who died in 1941, we find a relentlessly modern woman. A pioneering feminist, eminent anthropologist, and ardent social critic, she challenged Americans to develop flexible and dynamic gender, family, and social arrangements that would adapt to the new century. Parsons brought to anthropology a passionate desire to educate the general public to accept sexual and social plurality and diversity.
The journey to Artà passed relatively quickly. It had been a long and rather uncomfortable trip from the city, but she was used to all sorts of hardships. Her long travels around the world had hardened her in every way. Andreu Ferrer went to the railway station to meet her. He could hardly believe it, that he could have that woman in his house, in his town. It was a brief, discreet visit, without any public fanfare. In fact, the local press didn't even notice. Ferrer informed his magazines: Grandparents' Treasure and Levant. There would also be a short review in 'Our Land'Today, it surprises us—given Parsons' importance and international standing—that his visit went so unnoticed. We are left wondering: Did he find any useful ethnographic materials to aid his research? For now, we will simply remain fascinated by the man himself and savor the glimpse into his extraordinary life story.
Elsie came to Mallorca seeking answers and clues to reconstruct and understand a people who had been eclipsed by a modernity that advanced with the force of engines, coal, and oil. An unstoppable progress. Her story, this story, with the Native Americans feels like my own. Globalization, digitalization, the new AI, the new approaches to life of younger generations resonate deeply with me and those indigenous people of New Mexico. Surely one day, in the future, a new Elsie will come to Mallorca, to understand other things and events, those that we are currently unable to grasp.
