Paul Rivet

A large ethnologist

From this point of view, Paul Rivet founded a large museum Anthropologique, the Musée of the Man, with Paris. Doctor of formation, Rivet took part in an scientific exhibition, the Second Mission French Géodésique, which arrived in Ecuador in 1901. At the end of this mission, it remained in South America during 6 years, observing the inhabitants of the inter-Andean valleys. At its return to Paris, Rivet, engaged as assistant with the national Natural history museum of natural history, put order in its South American observations.

Its notes were published jointly in those of Rene Vernaus, then director of the Museum, in two parts, between 1912 and 1922, under old the Ethnographie title of Ecuador. In 1926, Rivet contributed to the establishment of the Institut of ethnology in Paris, where he played a role-key in the training of many ethnologists. In 1928, it succeeded Rene Vernaus.

In its theory, Rivet not only affirms that the Asia is the cradle of the American man, but also that migrations occurred from Australia 6000 years before, and since Mélanésie a little later. Its work, the Origins of the American Man , published in 1943, contains linguistic and anthropological arguments which tend to prove its thesis of the migration. In 1942, Rivet went in Colombia and founded there the Institute and Museum of Anthropology. Of return to Paris in 1945, it joined again with the Museum and teaching, while continuing its investigations on South America. Its work Linguistique S brought new elements on the languages Aymara and Quechua. Rivet preserved emotional fasteners in South America, in Ecuador, because of its marriage with Mercedes Andrade, Cuenca, with which he lived until his death.

A committed citizen

Socialist, Paul Rivet took also responsabilities for citizen:

He was founder and president of the Comité of vigilance of the intellectuals antifascists on March 5th, 1934.
It was elected to advise of Paris like one applicant of the left on May 12th, 1935.
Raised of its functions by the Vichy government to the autumn 1940, it belongs to the group of resistance known under the name of " network of the Museum of the man ". Under the threat of an arrest by the Germans, it is exiled in South America.
It is elected appointed socialist with the Release. He resigns of SFIO in 1948 and joined the Union progressist.
He was also member of the French Ligue for the defense of the human rights and the citizen.

External bonds

'' Paul Rivet (1876-1958), the scientist and the policy '' Extrait from the doctoral thesis of social anthropology and ethnology of Christine Laurière

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