Final answer:
Franz Boas developed a comprehensive fieldwork strategy for collecting data on Native American societies, emphasizing hands-on ethnography and rejecting ethnocentric theories of cultural development.
Step-by-step explanation:
The fieldwork strategy developed by Franz Boas to collect cultural, material, linguistic, and biological information among Native Americans amidst the westward expansion of European settlers is regarded as a fundamental approach in the discipline of anthropology. Boas, a respected anthropologist, emphasized the importance of obtaining firsthand ethnographic data. His approach included living among the Native peoples, such as the Kwakiutl of Vancouver Island, and documenting their cultures comprehensively. Boas's fieldwork strategy was based on a holistic integration of the four fields of anthropology, ensuring the recording of detailed observations and the pursuit of an insider's perspective on Native cultures.
Despite the pressures faced by Native American populations during the 19th and 20th centuries, Boas highlighted the dynamic nature of cultures in contrast to the racist theories of the time, thus advocating for the unique historical trajectory of each culture. His methods influenced the broader practice of fieldwork within anthropology, where researchers participate and observe within the society they study, often for extended periods.