Lucullus Virgil McWhorter (January 29, 1860 – October 10, 1944) was an American farmer and frontiersman who documented the historical Native American tribes in West Virginia and the modern-day Plateau Native Americans in Washington state. After living in West Virginia and Ohio, in 1903 he moved to the frontier of Yakima, Washington, in the eastern part of the state. He became a rancher and activist, learning much from his Yakama Nation neighbors and becoming an activist for them. In 1914 he was adopted as an honorary member of the Yakama, after helping over several years to defeat a federal bill that would have required them to give up much of their land in order to get any irrigation rights. They named him Hemene Ka-Wan,, meaning Old Wolf.
His published studies were anthropological, documenting the culture and history of the tribes. He became politically active as he represented the Plateau Native Americans against mistreatment by the United States federal government. He published accounts to report this mistreatment known to the public. He was considered an amateur in his day, but today his anthropology studies are deemed important enough to have a permanent home in Washington State University's special collections department. Current scholars describe his work as "significant" in his field, and helping to preserve the cultural heritage of the Native American tribes of the Columbia Basin. His papers are an "essential and valued resource", and the collection of his papers is "widely and intensively used." After more than 60 years, the work he did remains "extremely valuable for outreach and teaching purpose."
A reviewer of the new biography, Voice of the Old Wolf: Lucullus Virgil McWhorter and the Nez Perce Native Americans, in the Universe Magazine, Spring 1997, quoted the author, Alanna Kathleen Brown, as saying that McWhorter was an "amazingly interesting, courageous, dedicated, and insightful man." Of his accomplishments, she said: "McWhorter dedicated his energies to comprehending the cultures of the Native American tribes who surrounded him, and he committed himself to recounting the legends and epic personal stories of those he saw passing. McWhorter also continually argued for fair treatment and decency towards Native Americans whenever he could be an advocate."
Biography
Early life
Lucullus V. McWhorter was born on January 29, 1860, as one of twelve children to Reverend John Minion McWhorter and Rosetta (née Marple) McWhorter in Harrison County, Virginia (an area later admitted into the union as a part of the state of West Virginia). From his childhood on, Lucullus rejected a formal education and adapted his own methods of learning through his love for nature and the outdoors. He explored historical and Native American sites and began to read widely in history and the emerging field of archeology. As a teenager, he started working in his father's beef cattle business, and had this as a part of his life in his following decades.
He married Adelia A. Swisher on March 17, 1883, and together they had three children: Ovid Tullius (born 1884), Iris Oresta (born 1886), and Virgil Oneco (born 1888). His wife Adelia died in the winter of 1893.
The widower married again in 1895. In 1897, the family moved west, from Upshur County, West Virginia, to Darke County, Ohio. Here, McWhorter continued his work as a farmer and rancher; he also continued his deep study of Native American tribes. He combined wide reading and research with engaging the Native American peoples and learning about their cultures. His studies of Native American tribes of West Virginia were significant to documenting their histories; he founded the journal, The American Archaeologist, with A. C. Gruhlke and J. R. Nissley to further his research. But McWhorter had his sights set on the American West.