Another as a “primitive” hunter.

Another as a friendly museum employee.

None was the whole person.

This matters because later readers often encounter Ishi through the photographs before they encounter the history.

A face can create the impression that we know someone.

We do not.

The archive around Ishi is unusually large because so many people wanted to document him.

Yet some of the most basic facts about his private life remain uncertain.

His personal name is unknown.

His exact birth year is unknown.