12 Film reels (6 hours, color silent; 4,145 feet, S8 mm)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Film reels
Silent films
Place:
Middle East
Iran
Date:
1974-1978
Scope and Contents:
Full film record of life among Turanian pastoralists in northeastern Iran. Documentation focuses on scenes revealing the gendered division of labor: herding and milking of goats by men, processing milk into kashk (tart) by women, and men engaged in the collection of firewood. Other domestic and agricultural activities shown are plowing and irrigation of fields, harvesting and drying of barley, animal slaughter, spinning goat hair, making grape molasses, and drying tobacco. Footage also includes ceremonial activities associated with Persian new year and pilgrimages to Islamic shrines.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or Anthropology Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Biographical / Historical:
Filmmaker and anthropologist Mary Martin Conducted fieldwork in northeastern Iran in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania Turan Program from 1974 through 1978. She is currently Coordinator of the Middle East Center, University of Pennsylvania.
Local Numbers:
HSFA 1988.14.1
Provenance:
Received from Mary Martin in 1988.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Please contact the archives for information on availability of access copies of audiovisual recordings. Original audiovisual material in the Human Studies Film Archives may not be played.
