This collection of films produced and acquired by the Museum of the American Indian (MAI) contains materials created by and for the MAI as ethnographic studies and as documentation of its own activities (including archaeological expeditions and cultural exchanges) between 1917 and 1938. Tribes represented include: Arikara, Crow, Navajo, Pilaga, Pueblo, Shoshone, and Zuni. Also included is footage of Hidatsa representatives and Zuni translators in Washington, D.C. and at the MAI; footage of MAI founder and director George Gustav Heye; and footage of the Hawikku (Hawikuh) and Kechipauan archaeological sites, Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico. The collection consists mainly of successive 16mm and 35mm negative film duplicates and prints of now-destroyed original 35mm nitrate negatives. Series 4 gathers paper records directly pertaining to the collection. Preservation copies of the films exist on 35mm polyester film and Digital Betacam video tape. Access copies are available on DVDs.
The first series in this collection includes film, video, and DVD duplicates of ethnographic films funded, overseen, and filmed by agents of the MAI throughout the Western and Southwestern United States. The second series includes ethnographic films acquired rather than produced by the MAI of the Navajo and Pilaga. The third series consists of film produced by the MAI documenting its own activities, including an excavation at Hawikuh and Kechipauan, New Mexico; footage of MAI founder and director George Gustav Heye; and footage of Native visitors to the MAI and to Washington, D.C.
Arrangement note:
This collection is arranged into four series and chronologically within each series. Included are Series 1: Films Produced by the Museum of the American Indian, 1923-1927; Series 2: Films Acquired by the Museum of the American Indian, 1923-1924; Series 3: Documentation of Museum of the American Indian Activities, 1917-1938; and Series 4: Paper Records of the Ethnographic Film Collection. Titles within subseries are generally arranged alphabetically, with unrestricted titles listed before those restricted due to culturally sensitive content.
Within the collection, each unit of motion picture film (reel, videotape, or DVD) is assigned an identifying number. In this system, the final four appended numbers correspond to a title and a format. The full identifying number will appear as such: NMAI.AC.001.001.XX.YY, where XX corresponds to a numbered title and YY indicates the format of the print, as follows:
01: 35mm print (1917–1938, circa the original film dates)
02: 16mm dupe neg (made circa 1961 from XX.01 35mm)
03: 16mm print (from XX.02 for release, circa 1961)
04: 16mm print (from XX.02 for file/work or research, circa 1961)
05: 35mm dupe neg (preservation copy, made 2012–2014 from XX.01 and XX.02)
06: 35mm answer print (made 2012-2014 from XX.05)
07: Digital Betacam (preservation copy, made 2012-2014 from XX.06)
08, 09, 10 (if applicable): DVD (access copy, made 2012-2014 from XX.06)
11 and up: other copies and prints (see title-level notes for explanations)
Thus, for instance, the item with the number NMAI.AC.001.001.02.03 is the 16mm release print copy of the title "Deerskin Tanning and Wrapping the Leggings."
The content of each print or negative corresponding to the same title (XX) may be identical or similar. The content of the 1917-1938-era 35mm prints and the 1960s-era 16mm films differ. As the 35mm prints had deteriorated, damaged footage was removed prior to producing the 16mm negatives. After the 16mm negatives were produced, nitrate intertitles and additional damaged footage were also removed from the 35mm prints. The 2012-2014-era 35mm films were made by combining the existing 35mm prints with footage from the 16mm negatives in order to restore the most complete existing content to its highest possible quality. The Digital Betacam and DVD copies reproduce this restored footage.
This preservation and restoration effort was made possible by funding from the National Film Preservation Foundation, Save America's Treasures, and the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, as well as support from the National Museum of the American Indian.
Historical Note:
The Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation was founded by George Gustav Heye in 1908 as a repository for his extensive collection of American Indian artifacts. Through the MAI, Heye funded extensive archaeological and anthropological fieldwork throughout the Americas. This collection represents a series of ethnographic films made in the course of MAI expeditions throughout the Western and Southwestern United States, as well as similar films purchased by the museum. The films record a variety of American Indian traditions, including crafts, foodways, games, and ceremonies, and were spurred by the era's perception of Native communities as "fast-disappearing" and vulnerable to dramatic change. The activities recorded range from quotidian to highly culturally sensitive, as followed Heye's all-encompassing collecting strategy.
The MAI's motion picture expeditions took place between 1923 and 1927 and were carried out by a number of agents of the museum, usually in the course of gathering artifacts. Many of these agents were anthropologists accompanied by professional photographers, but other footage is amateur. The MAI treated the series in full as technical educational material, noting in their 1962 motion picture film catalog that "they are not suitable for general entertainment."
The moving image collection of the MAI included these self-produced films as well as similar films purchased by the museum and film shot in the course of the museum's activities, including documentation of archaeological digs, staff, and Native visitors. In 1961-1962, recognizing the educational potential of its collection, the MAI received a grant from the National Science Foundation to transfer the original deteriorating nitrate prints to safety film, discarding film and editing prints in the process. In 2012-2014, the National Museum of the American Indian completed a transfer of the titles to Digital Betacam and DVD formats, combining footage from both original and 1961-1962-era prints to salvage as much content as possible. This work was completed with funding from the National Film Preservation Foundation, Save America's Treasures, and the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund.
Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday–Thursday, 9:30 am–4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Ceremonial images are restricted due to cultural sensitivity. Consult the archivist for further information.
Rights:
Permission to publish or broadcast materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiarchives@si.edu.
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Museum of the American Indian Ethnographic Film Collection, Call Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Series 3: Documentation of Museum of the American Indian Activities includes film produced by the MAI documenting its own projects, staff, and visitors. Footage includes: an excavation at Hawikuh and Kechipauan, New Mexico, 1917-1923; incidental footage of MAI founder and director George Gustav Heye and his wife Thea, 1917-1928; brief shots of interpreters Waihusiwa and Lorenzo Chaves (both Zuni), 1923; and a record of the Water Buster Bundle Exchange, 1938, depicting Foolish Bear and Drags Wolf (both Hidatsa) at the White House and the MAI accompanied by interpreter Arthur Mandan and George Heye. Subseries 2 compiles extra titles for MAI films, attached to prints as necessary. Footage in this series is unattributed.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday–Thursday, 9:30 am–4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Ceremonial images are restricted due to cultural sensitivity. Consult the archivist for further information.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish or broadcast materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiarchives@si.edu.
Collection Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Museum of the American Indian Ethnographic Film Collection, Call Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Collection Rights:
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish or broadcast materials from the collection must be requested from the National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiarchives@si.edu.
Collection Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation Records, Box and Folder Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Photographs of the Hidatsa Delegation at the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation in New York, City and visiting the White House in Washington, D.C. for the repatriation of a Water Buster Bundle in 1938. Hidatsa Delegation members included elders Drags Wolf and Foolish Bear.
Scope and Contents:
The Hidatsa Delegation photographs in Washington, DC and New York City include photographic prints and negatives made in January 1938. The photographs in Washington, DC, shot on January 13, were made by photographers from the Bureau of Indian affairs. These include images of Minitari (Hidatsa) elders Foolish bear and Drags Wolf with their interpreter Arthur Mandan and Bureau staff members John Herrick, F.W. LaRoche in the BIA offices; Studio portraits of Foolish Bear and Drags Wolf in traditional dress; as well as images of the delegation visiting with President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House. Photographs in New York City were shot by either David Sinclair or Kenneth C. Miller before and during the repatriation ceremony at the Museum of the American Indian on January 14, 1938. In addition to the delegation members several MAI staff and board members were photographed including George Heye, Edwin K. Burnett, Thomas Roberts, Louis Bishop, and George Heye's wife at the time, Jessica Standing Heye, among others. Photographs which display the contents of the bundle have been restricted due to cultural sensitivity. For the photographs made by Miller, who was on staff at the time, we have both the negatives (possibly original) and the photographic prints.
During the 1930s, a terrible drought parched the Plains. In North Dakota, members of the Hidatsa Water Buster Clan asked George Gustav Heye, director of the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation to return a medicine bundle important in ceremonies to bring rain. Heye was initially reluctant to part with the bundle, which he acquired in 1927, twenty years after the son of the clan's bundle-custodian sold it to a Presbyterian missionary. When the press and government officials showed interest in the clan's request, Heye changed his mind.
In 1938, two Hidatsa elders, Drags Wolf and Foolish Bear, traveled east to collect the medicine bundle. Their first stop was Washington, D.C., where they met President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The next day, the Hidatsa attended a ceremony in New York, where they gave Heye a powder horn and war club in exchange for the medicine bundle.
In 1977, twenty years after Heye's death, museum curators came upon a wooden box, stored in a stairwell. Inside were items that belonged with the medicine bundle. It is unclear if the contents had become separated from the bundle or were deliberately set aside. The items were later returned to the Hidatsa.
Photographs shot at the Museum in New York City were wither donated by David Sinclair in 1938 or created by Kenneth C. Miller, a museum staff member at the time. The photographs shot in Washington, DC, were donated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1938.
Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Thursday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu). Some photographs are restricted due to cultural sensitivity.
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited users to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not changed, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian.
Topic:
Repatriation of American Indian material Search this
Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Hidatsa Delegation photographs in Washington, DC and New York City, Item Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
The Festival program, Forest Service, Culture, and Community, presented occupational traditions from the USDA Forest Service, an organization celebrating its centennial in 2005, as well as other forest-dependent traditions from the cultural communities it serves. Approximately a hundred participants on the National Mall shared their skills, experiences, and traditions with members of the public; they included tree pathologists, wildlife biologists, landscape architects, historic horticulturalists, botanists, bird banders, archaeologists, environmental engineers, firefighters, smokejumpers, recreation specialists, backcountry rangers, woodcarvers, basket makers, quilters, instrument makers, musicians, poets, storytellers, and camp cooks.
As the Forest Service began its second century, it already had a long tradition of caring for the land, serving the public, and meeting the challenges of conservation. For instance, the Forest Service has an ongoing mission to educate teachers and children, connecting people to the land through conservation education. Such education increases public awareness and understanding of the interrelationships in natural systems. Natural resource professionals teach in classrooms or lead field trips. Similarly, Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl have become national symbols in fire-prevention and conservation campaigns.
As the Festival program vividly demonstrated, the men and women who work in our forests and rangelands have very special connections to the land and its natural resources. They understand the science, the history, the technology, the art, and the traditions of forest service, culture, and community. They also recognize the values inherent in the work they do. Following the example set by Forest Service founder Gifford Pinchot a hundred years before, these men and women are still seeking to provide "the greatest good of the greatest number in the long run."
James Deutsch was Program Curator; Dorey Butter was Program Coordinator, and Tasha Coleman was Research Coordinator. At the USDA Forest Service, the Coordination Team included Linda Feldman, New Century of Service Program Manager; Christine Murray, Festival Program Manager; and Karen Fiore, Research and Oral Histories, Festival Co-Coordinator.
The program was made possible through a partnership with the USDA Forest Service and was produced in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts. Major support came from the National Forest Foundation, Honda, and Whole Foods Market, with additional contributions from IBM and The American Chestnut Foundation.
Fieldworkers and interviewers:
Arlena Aragon-Husband, Patricia Asteinza, Christina Barr, Sarah Barsness, Bob Beckley, Cheryl Burgess, Kevin Davis, Bonnie Dearing, Sherri Richardson Dodge, Jill Evans, Maryo Ewell, Kathleen Figgen, Karen Fiore, Sandi Forney, Don Gedney (1918-2005), Andrew Grace, Andrea Graham, Elizabeth Harvey, Teresa Haugh, David Hunt, Don Jensen, Elizabeth Harvey Johnson, Barbara Kenady-Fish, Carrie N. Kline, Connie R. Lee, Terry Livingston, Chris Losi, Jens Lund, Kari Lusk, Michelle Mcanally, Ken McCall, James L. McConnell, June McMillen, Darcy Minter, Sheila Poole, Ben Quick, Mike Ryan, John Schelhas, Cathie Schmidlin, Steve Segin, Ronna Lee Sharpe, George Sibley, Brooke Smith, Stephen Swimmer, Elaine Thatcher, Lee Webb, Janet Werren, Georgia Wier, Carol Winkler, Susan Wright, Pat York
Presenters:
Nancy Groce,
Marjorie Hunt,
Carrie Kline,
Jens Lund,
Bob McCarl,
Peter Seitel
Participants:
Susan B. Adams, 1964-, Protecting Forests and Wildlife Habitats participant, Oxford, Mississippi
Kevin Mills, Water, Woods, and Mountains participant
Chuck Milner, 1960-, Sounds of the Forest participant, Cheyenne, Oklahoma
Heather Murphy, 1953-, Protecting Forests and Wildlife Habitats participant, Leavenworth, Washington
Lezlie Murray, 1954-, Call of the Wild participant, Girdwood, Alaska
Hank Nelson, 1933-, Community Stage participant, Wasilla, Alaska
Lavinia B. Nelson, 1921-, Arts & Crafts participant, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
Mark Pearlstein, Water, Woods, and Mountains participant
Kelly Pearson, Call of the Wild participant, Jonesboro, Illinois
Leona Pooyouma, 1946-, Arts & Crafts participant, Flagstaff, Arizona
Marvin Pooyouma, 1948-, Arts & Crafts participant, Flagstaff, Arizona
Steve Reed, 1967-, Smokejumper Base participant, Victor, Montana
Rodney Richard, Sr., 1929-, Arts & Crafts participant, Rangeley, Maine
Riders in the Dirt, Sounds of the Forest -- Riders in the Dirt, Sounds of the ForestAnne Alford, 1967-, lead singer, bassistJo Booser, 1950-, fiddle, musical saws, flutesJudy Haigler, 1952-, rhythm guitarGayle Hunt, 1954-, guitar, banjo, mandolin
Michael Ritter, Sustainable Resource House participant, Madison, Wisconsin
William Rosanelli, 1949-, Forest Service History participant, Montague, New Jersey
Michelle Ryan, 1949-, Forest Service History participant, Dillon, Montana
Catherine "Cat" Sampson, 1949-, Law Enforcement participant, Camp Verde, Arizona
Nathan Schiff, 1958-, Tree Doctors participant, Stoneville, Mississippi
Herb Schroeder, 1951-, Forest Landscapes participant, Evanston, Illinois
Dave Shaw, 1955-, Canopy Crane participant, Carson, Washington
The Shawnee Forest New Century Children's Choir, Sounds of the Forest participants, Southern Illinois
Jane E. Smith, 1959-, Tree Doctors participant, Corvallis, Oregon
Stacey Smith, 1960-, Call of the Wild participant, McKenzie Bridge, Oregon
Bill Stafford, 1949-, Camp Foodways participant, Lake Montezuma, Arizona
Jean Szymanski, 1959-, Family Activities participant, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Sidne Teske, 1952-, Arts & Crafts participant, Tuscarora, Nevada
Donna Thatcher, 1939-, Camp Foodways participant, Farmington, New Mexico
Walt Thies, 1942-, Arts & Crafts participant, Corvallis, Oregon
Lee Thornhill, 1965-, Fire Camp participant, Lakeside, Arizona
Trails Unlimited, Interactive Forest participant, Monrovia, California
Teresa Trulock, 1965-, Forest Service History participant, Pinedale, Wyoming
Gail Tunberg, Water, Woods, and Mountains participant, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Francisco Valenzuela, 1957-, Water, Woods, and Mountains participant, Golden, Colorado
Dennis Vroman, 1943-, Protecting Forests and Wildlife Habitats participant, Grants Pass, Oregon
Linda Wadleigh, 1961-, Camp Foodways, Fire Camp, and Tree Doctors participant, Flagstaff, Arizona
Lee Webb, 1943-, Protecting Forests and Wildlife Habitats participant, Grants Pass, Oregon
Neil Weintraub, 1964-, Forest Landscapes participant, Williams, Arizona
Chuck Williams, 1934-, Forest Service History participant, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Don Wilson, Water, Woods, and Mountains participant
Marta Witt, 1955-, Forest Landscapes participant, Wilmington, Illinois
Keith Wolferman, Smokejumper Base participant, Missoula, Montana
Pat York, 1957-, Community Stage and Water, Woods, and Mountains participant, Jonesboro, Illinois
J.P. Zavalla, Smokejumper Base participant, Santa Ynez, California
Pete Zavalla, 1944-, Community Stage participant, Solvang, California
Tony Zavalla, 1970-, Fire Camp participant, Santa Barbara, Californiab
Collection Restrictions:
Access by appointment only. Where a listening copy or viewing copy has been created, this is indicated in the respective inventory; additional materials may be accessible with sufficient advance notice and, in some cases, payment of a processing fee. Older papers are housed at a remote location and may require a minimum of three weeks' advance notice and payment of a retrieval fee. Certain formats such as multi-track audio recordings and EIAJ-1 videoreels (1/2 inch) may not be accessible. Contact the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at 202-633-7322 or rinzlerarchives@si.edu for additional information.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2005 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
