John E. Nance papers

John Edwards Nance (1935-2010) was a writer, journalist, and photographer, most famous for his work on the Tasaday people of the Philippines.

After graduating from the University of Oregon in 1957, Nance became a journalist with the Associated Press, reporting from Vietnam (1965-1967) and elsewhere, including as the AP Bureau Chief for Manila (1968-1972).

In 1971, he was among the few journalists and anthropologists allowed to meet the newly discovered Tasaday people. The Tasaday became the subject of much of the rest of his life's work. He wrote books about them, including The Gentle Tasaday (1975), Lobo of the Tasaday (1982) and Discovery of the Tasaday : a photo novel (1981). He also edited a volume of essays on the Tasaday, entitled Further Studies on the Tasaday.

When a controversy emerged in the late 1980's, alleging that the Tasaday people were a hoax propagated by Philippine politicians, Nance became an ardent defender of the Tasaday, arguing for their legitimacy as an autonomous group.

Nance also published books including The land and people of the Philippines (1977) and The mud-pie dilemma: a Master Potter's Struggle to Make Art and Ends Meet (1978).