This finding aid is intended as a historical document of the event, July 1-4, 1967 and the participants in this festival. Not all of the individuals listed below were recorded or photographed. The documentation of this festival was minimal so there is not a wealth of material still existing or accessible from this event for study. What exists is listed later in this document. Contains parts of several boxes of paper records. 7 reel to reel audiotapes, photographs.
Scope and Content note:
The collection includes the paper records that resulted from the production of the program. The collection includes audiovisual documentation during the festival itself including audio recordings and photographs. For specific information about the materials in each series, please refer to the series description. For additional information about the 1967 Festival of American Folklife, one should consult the central Smithsonian Institution Archives and the papers of the Division of Performing Arts.
Historical note:
In 1967, the Smithsonian held its first ever Festival of American Folklife. Then Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley was interested in getting the museum out to the people. He assigned the task of creating a festival to James Morris, head of what was then the Smithsonian Division of Performing Arts. Ralph Rinzler was hired as the folklore consultant. Rinzler had been one of the chief talent scouts for the Newport Folk festival and had done extensive fieldwork on American folk traditions. Rinzler had also been involved in the creation of the "festival workshop" concept which incorporates narratives and audience interaction with musical performance. He also felt strongly that craft and food traditions were equally important and also a major part of the folklife of a traditional community.
This four day event set the pattern for what became a yearly event. It featured craft traditions as well as musical performances by some of the well known traditional musicians of the 20th century, many of whom had previously appeared at the Newport Folk Festival.
List of Festival Participants:
Crafts
Louise Jones, Coil basket making, South Carolina
Margaret Coochwytewa, Coil and Yucca leaves, Hopi basket maker, Arizona
Joseph Grismayer, Willow, basket maker, Pennsylvania
Bea Hensley, blacksmith, North Carolina
Homer Miracle, Hand-hewn bowls, carver, Kentucky
Charles Mayac, Ivory carver, Alaska
Leo J. Meyer, scrimshaw carver, Maryland
Edd Presnell, Dulcimer maker, North Carolina
Willard Watson, Toy maker, North Carolina
Dewey Harmon, Whittler, North Carolina
Herman Benton, Scoop maker, New York
Robert Keith, Chair maker, North Carolina
Mrs. Robert Keith, Chair maker, North Carolina
Clifford Lucas, Indian dolls, New Mexico
Hazel Miracle, Apple face, corn shuck dolls, Kentucky
Mildred Cleghorn, Indian cloth dolls, Oklahoma
Alice Merryman, Corn shuck dolls, Arkansas
Lila Marshall, Corn shuck dolls, North Carolina
Ann Mitchell, Corn shuck dolls, Maryland
Maisy Coburn, Apple face and Corncob dolls, Arkansas
Mary Bowers, Seminole patchwork, needlework, Florida
Wade Ward and the Buck Mountain Band, mountain sting band, Virginia
Ed Young and family, African American fife and drum group, Mississippi
Bessie Jones and the Georgia Sea Island Singers, shouts, jubilees, spirituals, and ring games, Georgia
The Moving Star Hall Singers, shouts, jubilees, spirituals, and ring games, South Carolina
Yomo Toro Band, Puerto Rican music, New York
Billie and De De Pierce and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, New Orleans jazz, Louisiana
Jimmie Driftwood, Ozark ballad singer, Arkansas
John Papakee, Mesquakie Indian music, Iowa
Grace Papakee, Mesquakie Indian music, Iowa
Almeda Riddle, Ozark ballad singer, Arkansas
Vinice Lejeune Group, Cajun band, Louisiana
John Jackson, Songster and blues singer, Virginia
Libba Cotten, Country guitarist, North Carolina, Washington, D.C.
The Baca Family Band, Czech-American polka music, Texas
Norman Kennedy, Scots ballad singer, Massachusetts
The McGee Brothers with Sid Harkreader, String band, Tennessee
Glenn Ohrlin, Cowboy singer, Arkansas
Young People's Chorus from the Scripture of Church of Christ, gospel, Virginia
Dance
Blue Ridge Mountain Dancers, cloggers, North Carolina
St. Andrews Society Group, Scottish dancing, Washington, D.C.
Glinka Dancers, Russian dance group, New Jersey
McNeff Dancers, Irish dancing with Ceilidh band, New York
Chinese Lion Group, Washington, D.C.
Jochim Koyuk, King Island Eskimo dancer, Alaska
Mrs. Jochim Koyuk, King Island Eskimo dancer, Alaska
Los Gallegos d'Espana, Galician dance, New York
Henry Paterick, square dance caller, Virginia
Maurice Flowers, square dance caller, Maryland
Shared Stewardship of Collections:
The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.
Related Publications:
The following publications exist in the archive library and can be studied on-site.
Eaton, Allen H., Handicrafts of the Southern Highlands, New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1937
Jones, Bessie and Bess Lomax Hawes, Step it Down: Games, Plays, Songs, and Stories from the Afro-American Heritage, New York: Harper and Row, 1972.
Kirlin, Katherine S., and Thomas M. Kirlin, Smithsonian Folklife Cookbook, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Press, 1991
Kurin, Richard, Reflections of a Culture Broker: A View from the Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Press, 1997
Kurin, Richard, Smithsonian Folklife Festival: Culture Of, By, and For the People, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies, 1998
Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival Documentation Collection, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archive and Collection, Smithsonian Institution.
Smithsonian Institution. Program in African American Culture Search this
Container:
Box 25, Folder 15
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1999 February 3-6
Scope and Contents:
The eighteenth annual national conference in observance of African History
Month was a symposium and community tribute held from Wednesday, February
3, through Saturday, February 6, 1999, in the Carmichael Auditorium, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. The Middle Passage conference was launched by the Program on African American Culture series "African Americans at the Millennium: From Middle Passage to Cyberspace". The conference saluted three pioneering educators: Dr. John Henrik Clarke, Dr. Adelaide M. Cromwell and Dr. Joseph E. Harris.
Participants included:
Ronald Bailey, Ph.D., chair of the Department of African-American Studies, Northeastern University
Michael L. Blakey, Ph.D., professor of anthropology and anatomy and curator of the W. Montague Cobb Human Skeletal Collection, Howard University
Kim D. Butler, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Africana Studies, Rutgers University
Adama J. Conteh, Ph.D., assistant professor of history, Hampton University
Collaborative Public Art Team; Houston Conwill,sculptor; Estella Conwill Majozo, poet; and Joseph DePace, architect
C. Daniel Dawson, photographer and filmmaker
Tom Feelings, renowned artist and illustrator of children's books
Haile Gerima, film producer, director, writer, and editor
Michael A. Gomez, Ph.D., professor of history, University of Georgia; and adjunct faculty, Spelman College
Leslie King Hammond, Ph.D., artist and illustrator and dean of graduate studies, Maryland Institute College of Art
Sylvia Hill, Ph.D, chair of the Department of Urban Affairs, University of the District of Columbia
James Oliver Horton, Ph.D., Benjamin Banneker Professor of American Studies and History, George Washington University
Noel Ignatiev, Ph.D., a visiting assistant professor of history, Bowdoin College
Joseph E. Inikori, Ph.D., a professor of history and associate director, Frederick Douglass Institute for African and African-American Studies, University of Rochester
Aisha Kahil, performing artist and master teacher in voice and dance and member of the a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock
Gilberto Leal, a geologist, labor union and political party leader
Clarence Lusane, Ph.D., political scientist and author
Deborah L. Mack, Ph.D., director of public programs and exhibitions, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati
Lorna McDaniel, Ph.D., historian and founding editor of New Directions: Readings in African Diaspora Music
Alice McGill, storyteller, author and educator
Diana Baird N'Diaye, Ph.D., a folklorist, anthropologist, and program curator, Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies
Sylvia Ojukutu-Macauley, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor of history, Georgetown University
Colin A. Palmer, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of History, New York Graduate School, City University
Carla L. Peterson, Ph.D., professor, Department of English and Comparative Literature, University of Maryland
Bernice Johnson Reagon, Ph.D., curator emerita, National Museum of American History (NMAH); and Distinguished Professor of History, American University
Fath Davis Ruffins, historian at the National Museum of American History
Llewellyn Smith, television producer and playwright
Elisée Soumonni, Ph.D., lecturer, department of history, Université Nationale du Bénin
John Thornton, Ph.D., professor of history, Millersville University
Eleanor W. Traylor, Ph.D., graduate professor of English and chair of the Department of English, Howard University
Sheila S. Walker, Ph.D., Annabel Irion Worsham Centennial Professor in Liberal Arts and director of the Center for African and African American Studies, University of Texas
Margaret Washington, Ph.D., history department, Cornell University
Jacquie Gales Webb, producer, Smithsonian Productions; and radio host
Olabiyi Yai, Ph.D., ambassador from Bénin
African Heritage Dancers and Drummers, a youth intervention program that provides rich portrayals of traditional West African dance, music, crafts, and folklore
Melvin Deal, founder and artistic director of the African Heritage Dancers and Drummers
Olufunmilayo Jomo, master teacher and performance artist of African dance and percussion
Kimberly A. Kelly, Ford Foundation Scholar, master's program, European decorative arts, Parsons/Cooper-Hewitt
Kono Youth Ensemble, founded in 1995 to awaken young people here and abroad to the power and beauty of traditional West African dance and drum
Djimo Kouyate, born in Dianna Senegal, is a diali, an oral historian and musician of Manding traditions
Amshatar Monroe, advocate of indigenous culture and spirituality and founder of Sacred Space
Pam Rogers, director of In Process…, Includes: Michelle Lanchester, Yasmeen Williams, Tammy Adair, Ayo Ngozi, Paula Pree, and Reverend Amitiyah Elayne Hyman
Sacred Space: Where Indigenous Paths Meet, a nonprofit organization committed to providing cultural and educational activities, council of elders: Baba Wande Abimbola, Nana Kwabena Brown, Mounain Eagle Woman (Mama Binta-Bisa Mati), Ione, Baba Kwame Ishangi, and Iya N'Ifa Efunyale (Mother) Taylor
Program number AC408.108.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Access and use of audiovisual materials available in the Archives Center reading room or by requesting copies of audiovisual materials at RightsReproductions@si.edu
Collection Rights:
Copyright restrictions exist. Collection items available for reproduction Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Program in African American Culture Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.