Ishi’s reburial also raised the question of who gets to tell the final story.

Earlier biographers often centered the anthropologists.

Modern retellings increasingly center Native California and the violence that produced the encounter.

Native writers and tribal representatives have challenged the romantic image of Ishi as a helpless relic.

Museums have rewritten exhibits.

Universities have reexamined collections.

The shift does not mean every older source becomes useless.

It means older sources have to be read historically.

Saxton Pope’s writings may contain valuable observations and paternalistic assumptions at the same time.

Kroeber’s notes may preserve linguistic knowledge and reflect the scientific hierarchy of his era.