Henry F. Dobyns | |
|---|---|
| Born | Henry Farmer Dobyns, Jr. July 3, 1925 Tucson, Arizona, US |
| Died | June 21, 2009 (aged 83) |
| Education | PhD in anthropology (1960), Cornell University |
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Occupation(s) | Anthropology, Ethnohistory and Demography |
| Employer(s) | University of Kentucky; University of Oklahoma |
| Title | Chairman of the Department of Anthropology; Vice-president for Academic Affairs |
| Spouse(s) | Zipporah Pottenger; Cara Richards; Mary Faith Patterson |
Henry Farmer Dobyns, Jr. (July 3, 1925 – June 21, 2009) was an anthropologist, author and researcher specializing in the ethnohistory and demography of native peoples in the American hemisphere.[1] He is best known for his groundbreaking demographic research on the size of indigenous American populations before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492.[2][3] In 1966, Dobyns postulated a much larger pre-Columbian indigenous (Indian) population of the Americas, especially North America, than previous scholars. Dobyns believed that the Indian population of the United States and Canada was 9.8 to 12.2 million people in 1500 and was reduced by 90 percent in the 16th century by continent-wide epidemics of disease introduced by European explorers and settlers. His views were controversial but have been partially accepted by most anthropologists.