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 As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today.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.
Institut für den Wissenschaftlichen Film (Göttingen, Germany) Search this
Extent:
1 Film reel (5 minutes, black-and-white silent, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1960
Scope and Contents:
Edited film: demonstrates the use of important farming implements as well as the techniques of sowing, weeding, and threshing.
Legacy Keywords: Yemen ; Arabia, Hadhramaut ; Middle East; Hadhrami
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 2006.2.704; E00428
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Institut Für Den Wissenschaftlichen Filmen (IWF) Encyclopaedia Cinematographica film collection, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Institut für den Wissenschaftlichen Film (Göttingen, Germany) Search this
Extent:
1 Film reel (5 minutes, black-and-white silent, 16mm)
Type:
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1960
Scope and Contents:
Edited film: demonstrates the use of important farming implements as well as the techniques of sowing, weeding, and threshing.
Legacy Keywords: Yemen ; Arabia, Hadhramaut ; Middle East; Hadhrami
General:
Local Numbers: HSFA 2006.2.704; E00428
Collection 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.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Institut Für Den Wissenschaftlichen Filmen (IWF) Encyclopaedia Cinematographica film collection, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Adams, Robert McC. (Robert McCormick), 1926-2018, interviewee Search this
Extent:
3 audiotapes (Reference copies).
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Audiotapes
Transcripts
Date:
1984
Introduction:
The Oral History Program is part of the Smithsonian Institution Archives. The purpose of the program is to conduct interviews with current and retired members of the
Smithsonian staff who have made significant contributions, administrative and scholarly, to the Institution. The project's goal is to supplement the published record and manuscript
collections in the Archives, focusing on the history of the Institution and contributions to the increase and diffusion of knowledge made by its scholars.
The Robert McCormick Adams interviews were accessioned into the Oral History Collection because of his role as Secretary of the Smithsonian from 1984 to 1994.
Descriptive Entry:
The Robert McCormick Adams Interviews were conducted during three sessions in 1994 and 2012 by Smithsonian Institution Archives Historian Pamela M. Henson. The first
two interviews discuss his education and research prior to his being named Secretary of the Smithsonian in 1984. The third interview discusses his tenure as Secretary of the
Smithsonian and his research at UCSD. The collection consists of approximately 4.25 hours of audio recordings and 75 pages of transcript.
Additional documentation pertaining to Adams can be found in the Records of the Office of the Secretary, and the Robert McCormick Adams Papers in the Smithsonian Archives.
Historical Note:
Robert McCormick Adams (1926-2018),archaeologist and anthropologist, served as the ninth Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from 1984 to 1994. Adams received
the bachelors of philosophy from University of Chicago in 1947, the masters in 1952 and the Ph.D. in 1956. Adams' research focused on field studies in the history of irrigation
and urban settlement, primarily in the Middle East, but also Mesoamerica. He served on the faculty of the University of Chicago and Oriental Institute from 1955 to 1984, serving
as director of the Oriental Institute from 1962 to 1968, and as Provost of the University from 1982 to 1984.
At the Smithsonian, Adams initiated new programs to ensure cultural diversity, establishing a Cultural Education Committee in 1986. He oversaw acquisition of the National
Museum of the American Indian and development of the National Postal Museum from the National Philatelic Collection. Adams oversaw construction of the Quadrangle, a complex
housing the National Museum of African Art, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, and the International Center. He also sought to reinvigorate research at the Institution, as well
as incorporate new technologies into education, research, and museum programs. The National Science Resources Center was created to improve the teaching of pre-college science
and mathematics.
Adams faced several challenges head-on, raising awareness of the deteriorating infrastructure of the Smithsonian and initiating a renovation program for its historic structures.
When the "culture wars" erupted at the Smithsonian in the 1990s, with criticisms of exhibits including The West as America, an exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art
Museum; Science in American Life, at the National Museum of American History, and a script developed at the National Air and Space Museum for an exhibit on the Enola
Gay, Adams oversaw a thoughtful national discussion of the issues.
Upon his retirement from the Smithsonian in 1994, Adams was appointed an adjunct professor at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) where he continued anthropological
research and publication. Over the course of his career Adams explored the importance of social interaction and cultural ecology in the evolution of civilizations and how
cultural ecology helps explain the rise of civilizations and how cultures affect each other.
Rights:
Restricted. Contact SIHistory@si.edu to request permission.
Arid lands : today and tomorrow : proceedings of an international research and development conference, Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A., October 20-25, 1985 / edited by Emily E. Whitehead [and others]
Many of SIA's holdings are located off-site, and advance notice is recommended to consult a collection. Please email the SIA Reference Team at osiaref@si.edu.
