Lina Brock was an anthropologist whose research focused on the Tuareg people of Niger. This collection consists of field notes, journals, genealogies, marriage statistics, censuses, maps, writings, audio recordings, photographs, and other material relating to her work.
Scope and Contents:
The Lina Brock papers consist of materials relating to Lina Brock's work with the Taureg in northwest Africa. The collection includes field notebooks, journals, genealogies and kinship notes, censuses, marriage statistics, writings, maps, cassette tapes, 35mm slides, and other material.
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 As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today.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 National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into six series: (1) Research, 1959-1989; (2) Writing, 1975-1990; (3) Sound recordings, 1986-1988; (4) Photographs, 1974-1976; (5) Maps, undated; and (6) Personal, undated.
Biographical Note:
Lina Lee Brock (1945-1991) was an anthropologist whose research focused on the Tuareg people of Niger. She earned her BA in Philosophy from Reed College (1967) and her MA (1974) and PhD (1983) in Anthropology from Columbia University. She was a professor of Anthropology at Sarah Lawrence College from 1981 until her death.
From 1973-1976 she conducted field research in Niger on the effects of economic change and the drought of 1968-1974 on patron-client relationships in Tuareg society. Her field work included historical research in local and national archives, as well as study of oral tradition, social structure, deomographics, and economic activities. In the late 1980's she returned to Niger to conduct additional research on Tuareg literature, oral history, and the Tamajeq language.
Brock died of pancreatic cancer in 1991.
Provenance:
Received from Louise Lennihan in 2016.
Restrictions:
The Lina Brock papers are open for research. Access to archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Access to the Lina Brock papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Citation:
Lina Brock papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
A. Harvey Schreter (1916-2008) was a world traveler and collector of pre-Columbian, African, and Pacific art. The collection contains materials related to trips taken by Harvey and his wife Phyllis between 1960 and 2000, slide lectures based on these trips,and personal and professional papers.
Scope and Contents:
The A. Harvey Schreter papers consist of correspondence, lecture notes, promotional materials, clippings, photographs (color 35mm slides and prints), scrapbooks, and audio and video recordings documenting his world travels, lecture series, and personal and professional life. The bulk of the collection contains material related to trips taken by Harvey and his wife Phyllis to North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania between 1960 and 2000. These trips becasme the basis for lectures delivered by the Schreters monthly from the 1980s through the early 2000s. Also included are personal and biographical papers of Harvey Schreter, his wife Phyllis, their children and extended family; materials related to Harvey's membership in the Explorers Club; materials related to the Schreter Neckwear Company; and materials related to the "Schreter System," an exercise program for the pelvic floor muscles.
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 National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into two series: (1) World travels, lectures, and related documentation and (2) Personal and professional papers.
Biographical Note:
A. Harvey Schreter (1916-2008) was the President of Schreter Neckware, a necktie manufacturer, as well as a world traveler and collector of pre-Columbian, African and Pacific art. Schreter became a member of the Explorers Club in 1982, frequently lecturing to the Washington Chapter about his travels with his wife, Phyllis Schreter.
Related Materials:
The Baltimore Museum of Industry holds the records of the Schreter Neckwear Company.
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Moving Image Archive Repository holds the A. Harvey Schreter Home Movies collection.
Separated Materials:
Video recordings in this collection have been transferred to the Human Studies Film Archives.
Provenance:
Received from Harvey Schreter in 1985 and Carol Schreter in 2016.
Restrictions:
Access to the A. Harvey Schreter papers requires an appointment.
The Betty and John Messenger papers mainly document the work of Betty and John Messenger with the Anang, Ibibo, and Efik peoples of Nigeria. Most of this fieldwork is focused on religion, art, language, and folklore. The Messengers were active in Southern Nigeria during the late 1940s to early 1950s and went on to publish extensively on the cultures they researched there. This collection consists of fieldnotes, correspondence, maps, records, an audio recording, negatives, prints, and 35 mm slides pertaining to their fieldwork in Nigeria.
Scope and Contents:
The Betty and John Messenger papers concern the Messengers' fieldwork and research with the Anang, Ibibo, and Efik peoples of Nigeria. The couple's early work in Nigeria is documented in this collection through fieldnotes, correspondence, manuscripts, site maps, vocabulary indexes, travel account books, prints, negatives, an audio recording, and 35 mm slides. There is an accompanying notebook which identifies negatives and slides in the collection.
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 National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Biographical / Historical:
John Messenger (1920-2010) was an anthropologist who was active from the mid to late 20th century, best known for his research among the Anang, Ibibio, and Efik peoples of Nigeria, and the Anglo Irish on sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. John met his wife, Betty, while at Lawrence University where he received his B.S. in Geology. The two began their career of joint fieldwork with the Anang in Nigeria, where John conducted dissertation research focused on religion, art, folklore, and proverbs. John received his PhD in Anthropology and African Studies in 1957 from Northwestern University. He went on to teach at multiple institutions including Michigan State, Carleton College, Indiana University, Queen's University of Belfast, Notre Dame, and Ohio State University where he retired as professor emeritus. In addition to his work in Nigeria and Ireland, John conducted research in Monserrat and New Zealand. John Messenger was also heavily involved with the Central States Anthropological Society, serving as president in 1981.
Betty Messenger (1924-2020) was a Folklorist most known for her work on industrial folklore in Northern Ireland. She received her undergraduate degree from Lawrence University, following which she and John conducted fieldwork in Nigeria. Betty went on to receive her PhD in Folklore from Indiana University and taught English composition at Ohio State University. She was also an active member of the Central States Anthropological Society and held multiple positions in the organization.
Related Materials:
Artifacts donated by Betty and John Messenger, inclduing masks, carved figures, drums, and other ethnographic material from the Anang, Ibibio, and Efik peoples of Nigeria are held in the National Museum of Natural History's Anthropology collections in accession 2072478.
Provenance:
Transferred to the National Anthropological Archives from Anthropology Collections in 2015.
Restrictions:
Access to the Betty and John Messenger papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Manuscripts
Photographs
Maps
Sound recordings
Citation:
Betty and John Messenger papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Collection consists of video recordings of Bamana puppet masquerade performances taped in Markala, Segou Region of Mali and the village of Kirango, Mali.
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.
Provenance:
Received from Mary Jo Arnoldi in 2007 and 2011.
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.
Full video record documents performances of a variety of dance societies from the Kingdom of Bafut and the neighboring kingdom of Babanki (Kedjum Keku) in the northwest province of Cameroon. A prominent feature of Bafut political life, ownership of specific dances by sub-chiefs and important nobles is a constituting element of their political authority. The dances documented in this collection include various parts of the Bafut annual ritual cycle, command performances, and mortuary celebrations. Also included is documentation over a three-year period (1981-1983) of the Abin Lela Dance of the Flutes, the climactic moment of the annual ritual cycle. This annual dance in Bafut marks the death and rebirth of the year and serves as an essential act of Bafut constitutional politics. Dance footage is accompanied by selective recording of oral testimony.
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.
Local Numbers:
HSFA 1988.8.1
Provenance:
This collection was deposited by Dr. Ronald Engard 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.
"Studies in Nigerian Dance, no. 1 and 2" made ca. 1966 by Francis Speed. Collection includes associated texts.
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.
Provenance:
Received from Gordon Gibson in 1982.
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.
