HAEKEL, Joseph. Vienna 17.6.1907 — Vienna 2.11.1973. Austrian Ethnologist. Son of a court official. From 1931 studied ethnology at Vienna. Ph.D. 1935 Vienna, then Assistant of Koppers. PD 1941 Vienna, soon to army. Ao. Professor from 1950. After war continued Amerindian studies, but in the late 1950s turned to South Asia. From 1957 ord. Professor and Koppers’ successor as Director of Institut für Völkerkunde in Vienna. In 1960-61, 1963-64 and 1967 fieldwork among Bhilala in Central India, but could not finish the planned monograph.

Publications: Both dissertations, 1935 & 1941, and many articles on North (later also South) American Indians – listed with comments by A. Slawik.

– “Totenrituale und Ahnenkult bei den Rathwa Koli in Gujerat (West-Zentralindien)”, Anthropos 63-64, 1968-69, 753-792 (Bhilala tribe).

Sources: Bihl 171; *C.F. Feest, Z. f. Ethnologie 102, 1977, 165-169; A. Slawik in www.iai.spk-berlin.de/fileadmin/dokumentenbibliothek/Indiana/Indiana_4/IND_04_Haekel.pdf (short life, photo and commented list of his Amerindian publications; www.wien.gv.at/wiki/index.php/Josef_Haekel.