parker was also pretty well-known in anthropology because he worked with lewis henry morgan in 1851. he was his lead informant. there are some question as to how much of that book parker actually wrote himself. there is belief parker wrote quite a bit. parker was one of the primary architects of the policy the federal government would look to for indian affairs. this is analogous in some ways to reconstruction. i want to give you a little more background on parker but go ahead. >> was there more than one commissioner? was he part of a group? mr. genetin-pilawa: there was one commissioner, the head of the office of indian affairs. he was that person from 1869 to 1871. we will speak about why it was such a short tenure. >> did this become the bia? mr. genetin-pilawa: yes. it was referred to as the office of indian affairs before the 20th century. same agency. parker was born in new york state in 1828, belonged to the wolf clan. as a youth, he studied at several non-native academies in new york. he studied at a baptist missions goal. /mission school. he began to serve as an interpreter

he helped lewis henry morgan and the creation of his book, which is looked at at the beginnings of american anthropology. that same year, the seneca raised him to the position in distilling upon him the enstomary name that meant op door. he studied for the bar. he was denied access because he was not a citizen. it would not be until 1924 that citizenship would be universally the stowed upon native people. parker found success and adulation as a civil engineer. he worked for the treasury department. he worked on canals. then he spent some time in detroit and illinois where he named ulysseserk s. grant. he fought in the civil war alongside grant throughout the maddox and when the war ended, the general after being elected president appointed parker commissioner of indian affairs. when parker began his career in the federal government, he did so with decades of experience with working with indian communities. he worked for his own tribal community others to express in and spent time in albany working with state legislators, advocating for the seneca. he spent time in washington working with le