I went to college at a school that's archaeology dept specialized in Native American history. There are quite a few dig sites around this area where they work and I was able to take classes discussing Native American anthropology/archaeology. Ishi was a favorite topic of one of my professors. I can't imagine how sad and lonely Ishi must have been to be the last of his tribe. My professor focused on the issue of him being exploited and was big about being an ethical researcher. I like how you point out that the researchers did help him in many ways and saved him from possibly worse fates. They might not have protected him from disease but at least he enjoyed them and was probably happier with the researchers than his other limited options.