Jonathan E. Reyman

Jonathan E. Reyman, Ph.D.

Jonathan E. Reyman was born in Greenwich, CT. received his B.A. from Indiana University, and his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He is an archaeologist, cultural anthropologist, applied anthropologist, ethnohistorian, and an award winning researcher and classroom teacher. He was Professor of Anthropology at Illinois State University, Visiting Professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois, and then Curator of Anthropology at the Illinois State Museum.

Dr. Reyman worked with the Chachi Indians in Esmeraldas Province within the Ecuadorian rainforest, did archaeological fieldwork in Mexico and the Eastern and Midwestern United States, but most of his fieldwork was in the American Southwest at Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, and other locales, and ethnographic fieldwork with the Pueblo peoples.

In 1982, he founded The Feather Distribution Project to provide wild turkey, macaw, and parrot feathers to the Pueblo Indians for use in traditional religious ceremonies. From1982-2015, the project provided more than 14.5 million feathers to all 32 Pueblo villages, free-of-charge.

Reyman is the recipient of seven NSF grants plus numerous others. He has published 10 books and about 175 professional papers. He presented more than 65 papers at professional meetings and more than 800 public presentations to groups as large as 3,500. He has been on-camera for an episoce of "In Search of ..." and was a consult for episodes of "Cosmos" and "Odyssey." His biography was included in "Who's Who in America" (2000-2016).

Reyman resides in Springfield, IL with his wife, Laura, two rescue dogs, and a rescue macaw. They are Civil War re-enactors and enjoy travel.