James Verne Dusenberry

Who was James Verne Dusenberry?

James Verne Dusenberry was a Montana educator and advocate for Native Americans.

He was also known as a colleague of Robert M. Pirsig at Montana State, making appearances in Pirsig’s books Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Lila: An Inquiry into Morals. Dusenberry was probably instrumental in introducing Pirsig to Native American philosophy; see also Pirsig's metaphysics of Quality.

He was born in Carl, Iowa, but moved with his family to Montana three years later. He seems to have had an interest in ‘Indians’ from an early age. After working his way through college and dealing with tuberculosis, he landed a job located on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Despite obstacles, he made contact with local Indians and was soon adopted by a Pend d’Oreille chief and given the name “Many Grizzly Bears”.

He taught in the English Department of Montana State College/University from 1947 to 1962, where he initiated the first courses in Native American studies and mentored many Native American students. But his interest in Native Americans diverged more and more from those of his English colleagues. He eventually did a Ph.D. thesis “The Montana Cree: A Study in Religious Persistence”, receiving his degree from the University of Stockholm.