H. Lyn Miles

H. Lyn Miles (born August 5, 1944) is an American bio-cultural anthropologist and animal rights advocate. Miles conducted a 1970s experiment in which a baby orangutan named Chantek was videotaped during sign language acquisition. She was teaching sign language providing a full human experience in the immersive-participant-observation way, the same way human babies are taught during infancy.

Life Miles was raised by her younger brother and has two other non-biological brothers. She is a strong supporter of orangutan conservation.

Media coverage Miles and her work has been the subject of several documentaries. 2014 The Ape Who Went to College, My Wild Affair, Animal Planet 2000 They Call Him Chantek, New York Festivals Finalist, Animal Planet Signs of the Apes, Songs of the Whales, PBS NOVA

Selected publications Parker, S. T., Mitchell, R. W., & Miles, H. L. (Eds.). (1999). The mentality of gorillas and orangutans. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Miles, H. L. (1997). Anthropomorphism, apes and language. In R. W. Mitchell, N. S. Thompson, & H. L. Miles (Eds.), Anthropomorphism, anecdotes, and animals, pp. 383–404. Albany, NY: State University of New York. Miles, H. L. (1994). ME CHANTEK: The development of self-awareness in a signing orangutan. In S. Parker, R. Mitchell, & M. Boccia (Eds.), Self-awareness in monkeys and apes: Developmental Perspectives (pp. 254–272). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Miles, H. L. (1986). How can I tell a lie? Apes, language and the problem of deception. In R. W. Mitchell, & N. S. Thompson (Eds.), Deception: Perspectives on human and nonhuman deceit (pp. 245–266). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.