From 1903 to 1907, Barrett did fieldwork research in
Pomo,
Miwok,
Maidu,
Yokuts,
Yuki, and
Wintun communities. Barrett's system of naming the languages of the
Pomoan group included seven names based on geographical terms:
Northern Pomo,
Northeastern Pomo,
Southern Pomo,
Eastern Pomo,
Central Pomo,
Southeastern Pomo, and Southwest Pomo (now more commonly referred to as
Kashaya). This nomenclature has been criticized for suggesting that the various Pomoan languages are dialects of a single language, when they are in fact mutually unintelligible and therefore distinct languages. Following this research, from 1908 to 1909, Barrett worked as an ethnologist on the George G. Heye Expedition, conducting linguistic research with
Chachi peoples. Barrett became a Curator of Anthropology at the
Milwaukee Public Museum in
Milwaukee from 1909 to 1920. He then held the position of director at this institution until 1940. While working at the Milwaukee Public Museum, Barrett was sent on collecting trips. One of the first of these trips was to Northern Wisconsin where he collected materials from
Ojibwe and
Menominee communities. In 1911, Barrett collected materials for the museum from
Hopi and, from 1914 to 1915, Barrett conducted a collecting trip in Alert Bay with
Kwakwaka'wakw communities. In 1915, he conducted another collecting trip within
Paiute and
Washoe communities. In 1921, he traveled to Browning, Montana and collected materials for the Milwaukee Public Museum from
Niitsitapi communities. From 1953 to 1957, Barrett conducted ethnographic research with
Hupa,
Yurok, and
Karuk peoples. This research was done in connection with
Alfred Kroeber. The final major work of his life was to produce a series of films about the peoples of
Northern California such as the
Pomo, particularly the Kashaya. == Works ==