Buffalo head dance 1 ; Buffalo head dance 2 ; Bear claw or Grizzly bear dance ; Pipe of peace or Calumet dance ; Soldier or Victory round dance ; Love song for flute (6:15) -- Fish dance ; Pipe dance ; Powwow or Horse dance ; Forty-nine dance ; Oh Mary (5:11) --Deer song ; Catholic Ojibwa hymn (2:08) --War rally song ; Bear dance ; Eagle dance ; Maple sugar song ; Hoot owl song 1 (3:35) --Hoot owl song 2 ; Coon song ; Rabbit song ; Medicine song (4:48) --Grass dance song ; Drinking song (1:38) --Bear dance (2:18) -- Eagle dance (2:49) --Wasase rain dance or War dance (2:40) --Scalp dance (:56) --Corn dance (2:10) --Women's dance (3:34) --Fishing dance (3:45) --Stomp dance (3:12) -- Two future projects (1:12).
Track Information:
101 Buffalo Head Dance / Wilson, Wapanuetak Roberts. Drum,Water-drum. Fox language.
102 Fish Dance / Fred Lacasse. Drum. Ojibwa language.
103 Deer Song / Thomas Shalifoe. Ojibwa language.
103 Jesus Wegwissian / Thomas Shalifoe. Ojibwa language.
104 War Rally Song / Susan Shagonaby. Ottawa language.
209 Owa bagish kichi ingodwok nijinishinabek (O for a thousand tongues) / Betty Pamptopee.
Local Numbers:
Folkways.4003; Folkways.1003
FW-COMM-LP-04003
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
New York Folkways 1956
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Six Nations Indian Reserve No. 40 (Ont.), Canada, Ontario, Onondaga Indian Reservation (N.Y.), New York, Beartown (Mich.), United States, Michigan.
General:
Commercial
Track 102 Personnel: Fred Lacasse, George W. Brown, Sam Link, John Martin. Performed by members of native Indian tribes, principally with percussion acc. Production notes: Recorded in the United States and Canada by Gertrude Prokosch Kurath circa 1956.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection 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.
This collection contains 382 videocassettes and 4 linear feet of notes and production bibles from the Indians of North American television series collection. This 20-part critically acclaimed educational video series designed for middle school students produced and distributed nationally by InVision Communications and Schlessinger Media in 1994 and 1996.
Scope and Contents:
The Indians of North America television series collection contains video and papers related to the production of the 20-part critically acclaimed educational video series designed for middle school students produced and distributed nationally by InVision Communications and Schlessinger Media in 1994 and 1996. This landmark series focused on individual tribes with the mission to tell the origin and history of American Indian cultures in North America to young student audiences; dispel stereotypes of popular culture; highlight contributions made by American Indians towards the development of the United States; educate about the genocide and cultural assimilation efforts of the U.S. government; highlight facets of contemporary Native lives; and tell the various stories and histories from American Indian perspectives.
The bulk of the materials in this collection was created in 1993 to 1994. The video assets include an average 10 hours of recordings per community recorded on BetaSP format analog videotape, with a total of 382 tapes. The footage includes interviews with many tribal elders, including Presidential Medal of Honor recipient Chief Joseph Medicine Crow and Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell. Native communities documented in the footage include Apache, Apsáalooke (Crow/Absaroke), Cherokee, Chinook, Diné (Navajo), Haudenosaunee (Iroquois- Seneca), Lenape (Delaware), Maya, Menominee (Menomini), Muskogee (Creek), Nahua (Aztec), Nakota (Yankton Sioux), Narragansett, Niuam (Comanche), Potawatomi, Pueblo, Seminole, Stockbridge-Munsee, Taos Pueblo, Tsitsistas/Suhtai (Cheyenne), and Wendat (Huron).
The collection also includes 4 cubic feet of 'production bibles.'
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged by community.
Biographical / Historical:
In 1988, Henry Nevison and Jacqui Neulinger, founded InVision Communications. In 1994 and 1996, InVision Communications along with Schlessinger Media produced a 20-part series of 35-minute segments exploring various Native American cultures. These tapes were distributed to schools nationwide for educational purposes. The series won the Silver Medal at the New York Festivals.
Provenance:
Gift of Henry Nevison, 2017.
Restrictions:
Due to the fragile nature of the materials, this collection is currently closed to researchers until it has been digitized.
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, 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. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.
Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Indians of North America television series collection, NMAI.AC.124; National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.
To a considerable degree, the James H. Howard papers consist of manuscript copies of articles, book, speeches, and reviews that document his professional work in anthropology, ethnology, ethnohistory, archeology, linguistics, musicology, and folklore between 1950 and 1982. Among these are a few unpublished items. Notes are relatively scant, there being somewhat appreciable materials for the Chippewa, Choctaw, Creek, Dakota, Omaha, Ponca, Seminole, and Shawnee. The chief field materials represented in the collection are sound recordings and photographs, but many of the latter are yet to be unidentified. A series of color photographs of Indian artifacts in folders are mostly identified and represent the extensive American Indian Cultural collection of costumes and artifacts that Howard acquired and created. Other documents include copies of papers and other research materials of colleagues. There is very little original material related to archeological work in the collection and that which is present concerns contract work for the Lone State Steel Company.
Scope and Contents:
The James Henri Howard papers document his research and professional activities from 1949-1982 and primarily deal with his work as an anthropologist, archeologist, and ethnologist, studying Native American languages & cultures. The collection consists of Series 1 correspondence; Series 2 writings and research, which consists of subject files (language and culture research materials), manuscripts, research proposals, Indian claim case materials, Howard's publications, publications of others, and bibliographical materials; Series 3 sound recordings of Native American music and dance; Series 4 photographs; and Series 5 drawings and artwork.
Howard was also a linguist, musicologist, and folklorist, as well as an informed and able practitioner in the fields of dance and handicrafts. His notable books include Choctaw Music and Dance; Oklahoma Seminoles: Medicines, Magic, and Religion; and Shawnee! The Ceremonialism of a Native American Tribe and its Cultural Background.
Some materials are oversize, specifically these three Winter Count items: 1. a Dakota Winter Count made of cloth in 1953 at the request of James H. Howard, 2. a drawing of British Museum Winter Count on 4 sheets of paper, and 3. Photographs of a Winter Count.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged in 5 series: Series 1. Correspondence, 1960-1982, undated; Series 2. Writings and Research, 1824-1992; Series 3. Sound Recordings, 1960-1979; Series 4. Photographs, 1879-1985; Series 5. Drawings and Artwork, 1928-1982.
Chronology:
1925 -- James Henri Howard was born on September 10 in Redfield, South Dakota.
1949 -- Received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nebraska.
1950 -- Received his Master of Arts from the University of Nebraska and began a prolific record of publishing.
1950-1953 -- Began his first professional employment as an archaeologist and preparator at the North Dakota State Historical Museum in Bismarck.
1955-1957 -- Was a museum lecturer at the Kansas City (Missouri) Museum.
1957 -- James H. Howard received his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. Joined the staff of the Smithsonian's River Basin Surveys in the summer.
1957-1963 -- Taught anthropology at the University of North Dakota.
1962 -- Chief archeologist at the Fortress of Louisberg Archeological Project in Nova Scotia.
1963-1968 -- Taught anthropology at the University of South Dakota; State Archeologist of South Dakota; Director of the W. H. Over Dakota Museum.
1963-1966 -- Director of the Institute of Indian Studies, University of South Dakota.
1968-1982 -- Associate professor of anthropology at Oklahoma State University at Stillwater (became a full professor in 1971).
1979 -- Consulted for exhibitions at the Western Heritage Museum in Omaha, Nebraska.
1982 -- Died October 1 after a brief illness.
Biographical/Historical note:
James H. Howard was trained in anthropology at the University of Nebraska (B.A., 1949; M.A., 1950) and the University of Michigan (Ph.D., 1957). In 1950-1953, he served as archeologist and preparator at the North Dakota State Historical Museum; and, in 1955-1957, he was on the staff of the Kansas City (Missouri) Museum. During the summer of 1957, he joined the staff of the Smithsonian's River Basin Surveys. Between 1957 and 1963, he taught anthropology at the Universtity of North Dakota. Between 1963 and 1968, he served in several capacities with the University of South Dakota including assistant and associate professor, director of the Institute of Indian Studies (1963-1966), and Director of the W.H. Over Museum (1963-1968). In 1968, he joined the Department of Sociology at Oklahoma State University, where he achieved the rank of professor in 1970. In 1979, he was a consultant for exhibitions at the Western Heritage Museum in Omaha, Nebraska.
Howard's abiding interest were the people of North America, whom he studied both as an ethnologist and archeologist. Between 1949 and 1982, he worked with the Ponca, Omaha, Yankton and Yaktonai Dakota, Yamasee, Plains Ojibwa (or Bungi), Delaware, Seneca-Cayuga, Prairie Potatwatomi of Kansas, Mississipi and Oklahoma Choctaw, Oklahoma Seminole, and Pawnee. His interest in these people varied from group to group. With some he carried out general culture studies; with other, special studies of such phenomena as ceremonies, art, dance, and music. For some, he was interest in environmental adaptation and land use, the latter particularly for the Pawnee, Yankton Dakota, Plains Ojibwa, Turtle Mountain Chippewa, and Ponca, for which he served as consultant and expert witness in suits brought before the United Stated Indian Claims Commisssion. A long-time museum man, Howard was also interested in items of Indian dress, articles associated with ceremonies, and other artifacts. He was "a thoroughgoing participant-observer and was a member of the Ponca Hethuska Society, a sharer in ceremonial activities of many Plains tribes, and a first-rate 'powwow man'." (American Anthropologist 1986, 88:692).
As an archeologist, Howard worked at Like-a-Fishhook Village in North Dakota, Spawn Mound and other sites in South Dakota, Gavin Point in Nebraska and South Dakota, Weston and Hogshooter sites in Oklahoma, and the Fortess of Louisbourg in Nova Scotia. He also conducted surveys for the Lone Star Steel Company in Haskall, Latimer, Le Flore and Pittsburg counties in Oklahoma.
Related Materials:
Howard's American Indian Cultural Collection of Costumes and Artifacts, that he acquired and created during his lifetime, is currently located at the Milwaukee Public Museum. In Boxes 19-21 of the James Henri Howard Papers, there are photographs with accompanying captions and descriptions in binders of his American Indian Cultural Collection of Costumes and Artifacts that his widow, Elfriede Heinze Howard, created in order to sell the collection to a museum.
Provenance:
These papers were donated to the National Anthropological Archives by James Henri Howard's wife,
Elfriede Heinz Howard, in 1988-1990, 1992, & 1994.
Restrictions:
The James Henri Howard papers are open for research.
Access to the James Henri Howard papers requires an appointment.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
The continuing traditions of the original inhabitants of this nation were presented in the Native Americans area by representatives of the more than 200 Native American communities throughout the United States. Working with the Smithsonian, they had examined their traditions and created the programs, speaking to their way of life today and their hopes for the future.
The Native Americans area was designed with Native traditions in mind. The entire area lay within a circle that represented the wholeness of life, emphasizing that, in Native philosophy, everything is interrelated. A corn field formed the outlying circle; corn, the contribution of Native Americans to the peoples of the world, is regarded as the gift of Mother Earth. With squash and beans sharing the field, the entire area was thus surrounded by the three staple foods of the Southwest, the "three sisters" of the Iroquois. The Learning Center, designed by architect Dennis Sun Rhodes, Arapaho, faces East, the direction of sunrise and of life, and visitors were intended to proceed inside sunwise, in a circle. In its design and in its presentations of music, crafts, dance, and discussion, the Native Americans area honored the first Americans.
Building upon six years of programming during preceding Festivals, the Bicentennial presentations presented a region-by-region overview of American Indian folklife:
July 1-5, Southeast (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, Tuscarora, Muskogee, Tunica-Biloxi of Louisiana, Mattaponi, Houma Tribe of Louisiana, Alabama Creek, Lumbee)
July 28-August 1, Northwest Coast (Alaska Federation of Natives, Confederated Tribes of Siletz, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation)
August 4-8, Southwest (San Juan Pueblo, Navaho, White Mountain Apache, Comanche)
August 11-15, Plateau (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation, Ute, Klamath)
August 18-22, Basin (Northern Paiute, Southern Paiute, Washo, Western Shoshone, Walker River Paiute)
August 25-29, Northern California (Miwok, Wintun, Pomo, Yurok, Karok, Tolowa, Hupa, Klamath, Tchinook, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla, Quileute)
September 2-6, Arctic (Alaska Federation of Natives)
Lucille Dawson served as program coordinator, assisted by Thomas Kavanagh. The multi-year program was shaped by the Native Americans Advisory Group, including Louis Bruce, Rayna Green, Dell Hymes, Clydia Nahwooksy, Alfonso Ortiz, and William Sturtevant.
Participants:
Northeast
Six Nations, Iroquois
Mohawk
Mary Adams, basket maker
Mike Adams, basket maker
Sally Ann Adams, basket maker
Richard Hill, headdress maker
Stan Hill, bone carver
Tammy Hill, craft sales
Mary Longboat, cornhusk worker
Margaret Torrence, basket maker
Cam Wilson, silversmith
Mark Wilson, craft sales
Wanda Wilson, dancer
Oneida
Eula Chrisjohn, cornhusk worker
Irving Chrisjohn, cornhusk worker
Richard Chrisjohn, Sr., wood carver
Richard Chrisjohn, Jr., wood carver
Onondaga
Andrea Jimerson, dancer
Marty Jimerson, dancer
Huron Miller, project coordinator
James Skye, wood carver
Guy Williams, dancer
Ruby Williams, dancer
Tim Williams, dancer
Seneca
Helen Harris, dancer
Linda Harris, dancer
Philman Harris, drum and rattle maker
Steve Harris, dancer
Hazel Jimerson, dancer
Lester Jimerson, dancer
Mamie Jones, dancer
Paul Jones, dancer
Kevin Johnny John, dancer
Mike Johnny John, dancer
Vera Miller, beadworker
Rodney Pierce, dancer
Marlene Thomas, dancer
Hazel Thompson, gancer
Phillip Thompson, dancer
Natie Watt, basket maker
Ruth Watt, basket maker
Tuscarora
Louise Henry, beadworker
Oscar Moses, Lacrosse stick maker
Kevin Patterson, Lacrosse stick maker
Wes Patterson, Lacrosse stick maker
Edward Sayer, finger weaving
Wilmer Wilson, 1925-2002, craft sales manager
Algonkian
Chuck Comanda, canoe maker
Mary Comanda, canoe maker
William Comanda, canoe maker
Ojibwa
Audrey Pawis, quill worker
Discussants
Asenith D. Vogt, coordinator
Joseph A. Nicholas, discussant, Passamaquoddy
Andy Akins, discussant, Penobscot
Charles Jennings, discussant, Penobscot
Brian Miles, discussant, Pequot
Eva Smith, discussant, Shinnecock
Diane Bess, discussant, Shinnecock
Lois Wilcox, discussant, Hassanamisco
Kenneth Clark, discussant, Nanticoke
Kathy Clark, discussant, Nanticoke
Jody Hale, discussant, Susquehanna
Lydia Hale, discussant, Susquehanna
Edith Andrews, discussant, Wampanoag
Naomi Andrews, discussant, Wampanoag
Alberta Wilcox, discussant, Narragansett
Lloyd Wilcox, discussant, Narragansett
Helen Attaquin, discussant, Gay Head, Aquinnah Wampanoag
Mother Helen Attaquin, discussant, Gay Head, Aquinnah Wampanoag
Stilson Fands, discussant, Mohegan
Trudy Lamb, discussant, Schaghticoke
George Mitchell, Commissioner of Indian Affairs for the State of Maine
Southeast
Cherokee
Wanda Barr, dance leader
Mike Daniels, pottery
Cecil Hall, discussant
Don Mabray, discussant
Frank Mclemore, discussant
Eva Nordwell, discussant
Eunice Old Field, weaver
Knohovtee Scott, jewelry, silversmith
Ross Swimmer, discussant
Dick Spahr, head cook
Mary Lou Spahr, cook
Mrs. Ross Swimmer, discussant
Anicl Barr, dancer
Sheila Barr, dancer
Brenda Johnson, dancer
Jeanette Reese, dancer
Gina Pritchett, dancer
Michelle Ummtukee, dancer
Chickasaw
Aaron Christy, guide
Hazel Christy, dancer, beadwork
Overton James, discussant
Emma Mose, dancer
Buster Ned, dancer
Calvin Ned, dancer
Rhonda Ned, dancer
Wanda Ned, dancer, beadwork
Bienum Pickens, dancer, stickball, drummer
Adam Sampson, singer, dancer, stickball
Richard Sampson, dancer, stickball
Junior Thomas, dancer
Mary Wallace, dancer
Mrs. Overton James
Choctaw
Clelland Billy, stickball
Glendale Billy, food, cook
David Gardner, discussant
Lucinda Gibson, arts and crafts
Eula Goings, cook
Hugh Jefferson, stickball, discussant
Ray Jefferson, stickball
Louise Isscomer, beading
Myrtle Lowman, basket weaving
Sherrin Matlock, discussant
Mrs. David Gardner, discussant
Creek
Claude Cox, discussant
Paul Culley, 1925-, dancer
Wynena Evans, beadwork, singer
Brian Fife, dancer, discussant
Margaret Freeman, cook
Hepsey Gilroy, looming, dancer
Solomon McCombs, artist
Buddy Scott, silversmith, dancer
Genda Scott, basket weaving, dancer
Gene Timothy, discussant, food, Lacrosse
Mrs. Claude Cox, discussant
Seminole
Beulah Bemo, arts and crafts
Mallene Davis, singer, dancer; Miss Indian Oklahoma
Joyce "Doc" Tate Nevaquaya, 1932-1996, flute player, dancer, artist
Jermone Tahawah, singer
May Tonips, beadworker, graphics, sculptor
Rick Tosee, dancer
George Wallace, singer
Juanita Wallace, singer
Eva Watchataker, beadworker
George "Woogee" Watchataker, dancer, flute player
Junior Weryackwe
Eva Weryackwe
Patricia Whitewolf, shawl maker
Sheryle Whitewolf, dancer
Elmer Winnerchy, 1917-1986, singer
Evelyn Winnerchy, 1917-1996, dancer
Prairie
Sac & Fox Tribe
Bill Grass
John Gakey
Shannon Franklin
Omer Jefferson, Jr.
Kate Walker
Winnie Gibson
Delphine Foreman
Sarah Riley
Sharon Byers
Bill Foreman
Jerry Nanaeto
Kimberly Nanaeto
Harriet Nanaeto
Barbara Hawkins
Kartherine Franklin
Ronnie Harris
Sandy Harris
R.J. Harris
Merle Boyd
Tammy Boyd
Pamela Boyd
Mabel Harris
George Harris
Leona Starr
Jimmy Starr
James L. Starr
Leota Black
Carl Butler
Cecil Littlehead
Clarissa Littlehead
Oma Patrick
Irene Harris
Georgianna LeClair
Teresa LeClair
Larry Blanchard
Linda Standing
Karen "Candy" Hunter
Henry O. Hunter
Douglas Franklin
Dino Riley
George Switch
Jessica Patterson
Muriel Patterson
Valerie Patterson
Carol Patterson
Frances Coker
Richard Mullake
Kay Kay Goodeagle
Mary Clark
Donald Marland
Mary Mack
Guy Wakalee
Huge Wakalee
Marilyn Thurman
Herschel Tiger
Jack Thorpe
Lee Bass, Jr.
Elmer Manatowa, Jr.
Northern Plains
Northern Cheyenne
Harry Littlebird, Sr., gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, singer
Annie Joyce Littlebird, dancer, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, cook
Richard Littlebird, dancer, gourd dance, hand game
Serena Littlebird, dancer, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts
Limona Littlebird, dancer, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts
Rose Ann Littlebird, dancer, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts
Ginger Littlebird, dancer, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts
Theresa Brady, dancer, gourd dance, arts & crafts, cook
Curtis Brady, dancer, gourd dance, hand game
Steve Brady, dancer, gourd dance, hand game
Eggonn Brady, dancer, gourd dance, hand game
Elsie Wick, hand game, arts & crafts, cook
Donna Wick, dancer, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, cook
Christine Wick, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts
James Wick, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts
Dennis Wick, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts
Ernest King, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, singer
Grover Wolfvoice, 1890-1978, hand game, arts & crafts
Dale Brady, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts
Joe Lonewolf, dancer, gourd dance, arts & crafts, singer
Crawford Lonewolf, dancer, gourd dance, hand game, singer
Charles Brady, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, singer
Arnie Brady, dancer, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, cook
Hilda Manley, dance, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, cook
James Littlebird, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, singer
Harriet Littlebird, dancer, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, cook
Geofredo Littlebird, dancer, gourd dance, hand game, singer
Clinton Birdhat, dancer, hand game, singer
Marlene Belly Mule, dancer, gourd dance, arts & crafts, cook
Ruth Littlebird, dancer, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, cook
Stacey Gwen Littlebird, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts
Rose Medicine Elk, hand game, arts & crafts, cook
John Medicine Elk, Sr., gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, singer
John Killsontop, Sr., gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, singer
Rose Killsontop, dancer, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, cook
Mike Bearcamesout, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, singer
Robert Bearchum, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, singer
Robert Redwoman, hand game, arts -- & -- crafts, singer
Mary Redwoman, hand game, arts & crafts, cook
Elmer Fightingbear, dancer, hand game, arts & crafts, singer
Tommy Rockroads, dancer, hand game, arts & crafts, singer
Dave Glenmora, dancer, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, singer
Wilson Brady, dancer, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, singer
Tim Littleboy, dancer, hand game, arts & crafts
Webby Runsabove, dancer, hand game, arts & crafts, singer
Billy Runsabove, dancer, hand game, arts & crafts, singer
Fernando Littlebird, dancer, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, singer
Steve Littlebird, gourd dance, hand game, arts & crafts, singer, coordinator
Northwest Coast
Les Houck
Merle Holmes
Charles Rick
Charles McKnight
Edmund Ben
Delores Pigsley
Archie Ben
Paul Jackson
Shirley Walker
Raymond Ben
Judy McKnight
Melvin McKnight
Bunni Houck
Jerry Running Foxe
Paulene Rick
Joe McKnight
Randy Rick
Boby Dumont
Victoria Ben
Dave Harley
Carlene Easter
Delbert Bell
Caroline Easter
Alaska Federation of Natives
Judy Brady
Herman Davis
Ruth Farquhar
Sharon Frank
Larry Garrity
Laura Eliz Joseph
Larry Judy
Alice Kitka
Marla Kitka
Donna Lang
Dorothy Lord
Tim McGraw
Lillian Nielsen
Mike Spoon
Martin Strand, Jr.
Martina Strand
Marlene Thomas
Cynthia Williams
Ethel Williams
Karin Williams
Janice Williams
Isabella Brady
Ethel Makinen
George Ramos
Marie Thiemeyer
Margy Johnson
Southwest
Amos Beatty
Jimmy Thompson
Charles Henry
Ron Quay
Wilkie Dazen
John Chissay
Mike Cooley
Pat Cooley
Bruce Cooley
Theresa Truesdell
Myrna Tessay
Wilfred Peaches
Manuelita Early
Jerry Lupe
Mike Truesdell
Bernice Endfield
Lula Machuse
Azlie Lupe
Pheobe Gooday
Nelson Lupe, Sr.
Shirleen Bullock
Beverly Machuse
June Marie Dale
Ophelia Peaches
Maria Endfield
Umatilla
Traditional Long House Group from Pendleton, Oregon
Edith K. McCloud, narrator, bead worker
Lillian E. Hoptowit, craftsperson, bead worker
Terry L. Hoptowit, dancer
Rosie McCloud, dancer
Eliza B. Nez, dancer
Joseph P. Tias, dancer
Bernadette B. Nez, dancer
Anthony G. Hoptowit Sr., crafts
Anna Marie Brown, buckskin worker
James Hoptowit, dancer
Donna B. Nikolaide, dancer, assist.
Willard D. Showay, singer
Arthur Williams, singer, crafts-beadwork
Lonnie R. Selam Sr., singer
William A. Johnson Sr., feather worker
Mrs. Arthur Williams, bead worker
Phillip Jackson, dancer, assist.
Eliza Bill, coordinator
Norma June Mosquito, dancer
Beksee Mosquito, singer, drummer
John Willard Hoptowit, dancer
Maisie McCloud, dancer
David Dean McKay, dancer
Babette Cowapoo, dancer
Ellen Taylor, dancer
Julie Taylor, dancer
Alberta Taylor, dancer
Ellen Johnson, bead worker
Cidric Bill, dancer
Anthony G. Hoptowit Jr., dancer
Emile Bill, dancer
Robert Bill, dancer
Sheila Bill, dancer
Sonny Gail McCloud, dancer
Angie McCloud, dancer
Raphael Bill, dancer, assist.
Veva E. Bill, storyteller
Sylvester Selam, dancer
Gabriel Selam, singer
Sandy Sampson, dancer, narrator, sign language
The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation of Toppenash, Washington will also be featured. Simon Sampson is the coordinator.
We will feature the Ute Reservation led by Gwen Mojado, the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada led by Harold Wyatt, and the Klamath Tribe of Oregon led by Leonard Norris.
Northern California
Miwok Tribe
William Franklin, dancer, lecturer, hand game player
Cora Franklin, dancer, lecturer, hand game player
Margaret Villa, dancer, lecturer, jewelry maker
Theresa Coy, dancer, lecturer, hand game player
Carl Mathiesen, dancer, lecturer, hand game player
Inez Mathiesen, dancer, lecturer, hand game player
David Franklin, dancer, lecturer, hand game player
Ronnie Franklin, dancer, lecturer, hand game player
James Franklin, dancer, lecturer, hand game player
Norman Franklin, dancer, lecturer, hand game player
Robert Coy, dancer, lecturer, hand game player
Elaine Barber, dancer, lecturer, hand game player
Dorothy Stanley, food demonstration, lecturer
Dwight Zutchke, dancer, lecturer
Wintun Tribe
Mary Norton, food sales
Frances McDaniel, basket maker
Pomo Tribe
Elsie Allen, 1899-1990, basket maker, Ukiah, California
Yurok Tribe
Elaine Glairy, jewelry maker
Mary Birchfield, food sales
Ollie Foseide, 1921-, basket maker, Hoopa, California
Warren Abbott, food sales, dancer
Lareta James, dancer, singer
Dewey George, 1899-1985, boat maker, dance leader, McKinleyville, California
Rosie Silva, dancer, singer
Julius Aubrey, boat making assistant, dancer
Oscar Taylor, net maker, singer, dancer
Eileen Figueroa, basket maker, singer
Sam Jones, 1913-1996, stick game player
Mark Sundberg, stick game player, dancer, canoe assistant
Lisa Sundberg, dancer, jewelry maker
Joy Sundberg, Northern California coordinator, lecturer
Karok Tribe
Charlie Tom, singer, drummer, dancer
Jo Peters, 1923-, jewelry maker, basket maker, lecturer, Hoopa, California
Tammy Peters, dancer, jewelry maker
Laura George, guide, assistant
Lorna Dodge, lecturer, guide, assistant
Tolowa Tribe
Billy Richards, dancer
Mark Richards, dancer
Nicole Richards, dancer
Loren Bommelyn, 1956-, lead singer, Fort Dick, California
Fred Moorehead, lead singer
Betty Green, dance assistant
Kim Richards, dancer
Tanya Richards, dancer
Ronnie Richards, dancer
Marvin Richards, dancer
Denise Lopez, dancer, guide
Denise Richards, dancer, guide
Pam Mattz, dancer
Joan Richards, food sales
Darlene Richards, food sales
Lorene Richards, dancer
William Richards, food sales
Viola Richards, food sales
Bill Bommelyn, dancer
Walter Richards, singer
Lila Moorehead, sand bread maker, cook
Hupa Tribe
Merve George, band leader, dancer
Eleanor Abbott, language class leader
Andy Andrioli, lecturer, guitar player, dancer
Kim Yerton, dancer, learning center assistant
Janice Yerton, learning center assistant
Endora Saxson, dancer
Mike Waterman, drummer
Doug Duncan, lead guitar player
George Disdy, guitar player
Ann Taylor, assistant
Pat Andrioli, assistant
Paiute Tribe
Joseph Saulque, lecturer, historian
Film and Video Presentation
Vern Korbe
Carol Korbe
Dick O'Rourke
Lorraine O'Rourke
Brian Tripp
Dolly Tripp
Daniel O'Rourke
Klamath Tribe
Leonard Norris, Jr., Coordinator
Cecil L. Gallagher
Nick Kimbal
Charlie Bates
Rhonda Jimenez
LaNell L. Jackson
Rose Mary Tree Top
Jean Tina Bates
Bill L. Jackson
Anna Marie Jackson
Valgene Teeman
Marc McNair
Tchinook Tribe of Oregon
Karleen F. McKenzie
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla
Leslie Minthorn, Coordinator
Quileute Tribe
Robert Bojorcas, 1943-, Coordinator, Eugene, Oregon
Collection 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.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1976 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
220 Linear feet (The total extent of the collection is 191.41 linear feet (consisting of 473 document boxes and 2 record boxes) plus 254 sound recordings, 94 computer disks, 42 card file boxes, 85 oversize folders, 9 rolled items, 18 binder boxes, and 3 oversize boxes. Of the total extent, 4.79 linear feet (14 boxes) are restricted.)
This collection contains the professional papers of William Curtis Sturtevant and documents his activities as Curator of North American Ethnology at the National Museum of Natural History, his work as the editor-in-chief of the Handbook of North American Indians, his research among the Seminole and Iroquois people, and other professional activities. The collection is comprised of books, sound recordings, research and field notes, realia, artifacts, clippings, microfilm, negatives, slides, photographs, manuscripts, correspondence, memorandums, card files, exhibition catalogs, articles, and bibliographies.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains the professional papers of William Curtis Sturtevant and documents his activities as Curator of North American Ethnology at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, his work as the editor-in-chief of the Handbook of North American Indians, his research among the Seminole and Iroquois people, and his involvement in various professional activities. The collection is comprised of research and field notes, sound recordings, realia, clippings, negatives, slides, prints, published and unpublished writings, correspondence, memorandums, conference papers and meeting notes, card files, exhibition catalogs, articles, bibliographies, student files such as class notes and papers from Sturtevant's years as an anthropology student, teaching materials including lecture notes and exams, daily planners, passports, military records, artwork including prints and lithographs, maps, and computer files.
The materials in this collection document Sturtevant's career as a preeminent North American ethnologist, museum curator, university professor, his role as General Editor of the Handbook of North American Indians, and his contributions to the field of Anthropology. From his early work with the Seminole Indians of Florida to his forays into Burma, and his decades-long study of how Native Americans have been depicted in artistic and popular culture, Sturtevant's diverse intellectual interests are represented in his research files. A copious note taker, Sturtevant captured his observations and opinions of everything from meetings with colleagues to museum exhibits. Sturtevant's commitment to the anthropological profession can be found in the notes and programs of the many conferences, symposiums, and lecture series he attended and at which he presented. He also held numerous leadership positions in various professional associations and sat on the board of directors/trustees for several cultural organizations including Survival International and the Museum of the American Indian-Heye Foundation. Sturtevant was respected for his vast knowledge of indigenous peoples and he received a voluminous amount of correspondence from colleagues who often included copies of their papers and grant proposals. He kept many of these works, which, it appears he used as reference material. Sturtevant's own work is reflected in his writings; he published over 200 scholarly papers, articles, and books.
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:
This collection is organized in 14 series: 1. Correspondence, 1951-2008; 2. Research Files, 1851, 1860s, 1880s, 1890, 1939-2006; 3. Writings, 1952-2006; 4. Professional Activities, 1952-2006; 5. Smithsonian, 1954-2008; 6. Handbook of North American Indians, 1971-2007; 7. Biographical Files, 1933-2007; 8. Student Files, 1944-1985; 9. Subject Files, 1902-2002; 10. Photographs, 1927-2004; 11. Artwork, 1699-1998; 12. Maps, 1949-1975; 13. Sound Recordings, 1950-2000; 14. Computer Files, 1987-2006.
Biographical/Historical note:
William C. Sturtevant (1926-2007), preeminent North American ethnologist, museum curator, and university professor, was best known for his contributions to Seminole ethnology, as curator of North American Ethnology in the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, and for his work as the general editor of the Handbook of North American Indians.
Sturtevant's passion for studying Native peoples began at a young age. In third grade "after a class on American Indians, he asked his father what kind of people study Indians, and his father replied, 'Anthropologists.' Sturtevant decided then that he would make anthropology his career" (Merrill 11). After graduating with honors from the University of California at Berkeley in 1949, Sturtevant went on to Yale University to complete his graduate work in anthropology. When it came time to decide on what area of North America he should focus his research, one of his faculty members at Yale, Irving Rouse, "suggested he consider the Seminoles of south Florida. By the end of his first fieldwork season, Sturtevant was convinced that the dearth of ethnographic information about these Seminoles and their status as one of the least acculturated of all North American Indian societies justified ethnographic research among them and offered the possibility of making an important contribution to North American ethnology" (Merrill 13). Sturtevant spent the summers of 1950 and 1951 conducting preliminary fieldwork among the Mikasuki-speaking Seminole and in 1952 he took up temporary residence at Big Cypress Reservation to undertake research for his dissertation, "The Mikasuki Seminole: Medical Beliefs and Practices." This work focused on Seminole medicine, but also included Sturtevant's analysis of Seminole worldview, religion, history, inter-ethnic relations, material culture, economy, kinship, language, and social organization.
In 1954, while he was finishing his dissertation, Sturtevant made the transition from student of anthropology to professional anthropologist. He was hired as an instructor in Yale's Anthropology Department and began his career in museum work as an assistant curator of anthropology at the Yale Peabody Museum. After receiving his PhD from Yale in 1955, Sturtevant moved on to the Smithsonian Institution, where he accepted a position as a research anthropologist at the Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE). This position afforded Sturtevant the chance to continue to explore his many research interests in ways that a full time professorship or museum curatorship could not. Over the next ten years he studied the Catawba in South Carolina; the Seneca and Cayuga nations of the Iroquois League in New York, Oklahoma, and Ontario; continued his work with the Seminole; visited European museums to examine early ethnographic examples and possible European prototypes of eastern North American Indian material culture; and spent a year in Burma. In 1963, Sturtevant and his wife, Theda Maw, the daughter of a prominent Burmese family, took their three young children to Burma so that they could visit with Maw's family. Sturtevant took this as an opportunity to branch out from his Native American research and spent the year visiting neighborhoods in Rangoon and villages in the surrounding countryside, examining archival materials, studying the Burmese language, learning about Burmese clothing and other aspects of the culture, and taking photographs. He also collected 386 items of clothing and other objects for the Smithsonian.
When Sturtevant returned from Burma, he found the BAE had been dissolved. In 1965, he was transferred from the now-defunct BAE to the Department of Anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), where he became curator of North American Ethnology, a position he held for the next forty-two years. During his tenure at NMNH Sturtevant oversaw all the North American ethnology collections, planned exhibitions, served on committees, and sponsored interns and fellows. One of Sturtevant's primary duties at NMNH was serving as the General Editor of the Handbook of North American Indians, "a major multi-volume reference work summarizing anthropological, linguistic, and historical knowledge about native peoples north of Mexico" (Jackson). Each volume was designed to represent a geographic or topical area of Americanist study. As General Editor, Sturtevant selected volume editors, chapter authors, oversaw office staff, and proofread manuscripts over the course of production.
Besides focusing on the Handbook, much of Sturtevant's time was taken up by responsibilities he held outside the Institution. Sturtevant was extremely involved in professional anthropological associations and held many leadership positions. Fresh out of graduate school, he began a three-year term on the Board of Governors of the Anthropological Society of Washington in 1957. He later became a member of the executive committee of the Florida Anthropological Society, served as book-review editor and associate editor of the American Anthropologist from 1962-1968, was a member of the American Anthropological Association's Committee on Anthropological Research in Museums and was both vice president and president of the committee once it became the Council for Museum Anthropology, was on the American Anthropological Association's Committee on Archives, served three terms on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of the American Indian-Heye Foundation from 1976-1982 and was appointed to a fourth term between 1984 and 1986, and sat on the Board of Directors of Survival International from 1982-1988. He was President of the American Society for Ethnohistory, the American Ethnological Society, the American Anthropological Association, and the Anthropological Society of Washington. Sturtevant also taught classes at Johns Hopkins University as an adjunct professor in the Department of Anthropology, served as a consultant on exhibits at other museums, and reviewed manuscripts for scholarly publications.
Sturtevant remained active in the profession throughout his later years. After divorcing Theda Maw in 1986, he married Sally McLendon, a fellow anthropologist, in 1990 and they undertook several research projects together. Sturtevant was recognized for his dedication and contributions to the field of anthropology in 1996 when he was awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters by Brown University, and in 2002 when his colleagues published a festschrift in his honor, Anthropology, History, and American Indians: Essays in Honor of William Curtis Sturtevant.
Sturtevant died on March 2, 2007 at the Collingswood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Rockville, MD after suffering from emphysema.
Sources Consulted
Estrada, Louie. 2007. William C. Sturtevant; Expert on Indians. Washington Post, March 17. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/16/AR2007031602273.html, accessed August 31, 2012.
Jackson, Jason Baird. 2007. William C. Sturtevant (1926-2007). http://museumanthropology.blogspot.com/2007/03/william-c-sturtevant-1926-2007.html, accessed August 31, 2012.
Merrill, William L. 2002. William Curtis Sturtevant, Anthropologist. In Anthropology, History, and American Indians: Essays in Honor of William Curtis Sturtevant. William L. Merrill and Ives Goddard, eds. Pp. 11-36. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
1926 -- Born July 26 in Morristown, NJ
1944 -- Entered the University of California at Berkeley as a second-semester freshman
1944 -- Attended summer school at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City where he took courses on Mexican archaeology and South American ethnology
1945 -- Drafted into the United States Navy
1946 -- Received an honorable discharge from the Navy with the rank of pharmacist's mate third class and returned to UC Berkeley
1947 -- Attended the University of New Mexico's summer field school in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
1949 -- January: Received his Bachelor's degree with honors in anthropology from UC Berkeley
1949 -- Began graduate studies at Yale University
1950-1951 -- Spent the summers of 1950 and 1951 in Florida conducting fieldwork among the Mikasuki-speaking Seminole
1951 -- Conducted his first research study of the Iroquois, a classification of Seneca musical instruments, their construction and use, with Harold Conklin
1952 -- May: Moved to Big Cypress Reservation in Florida to conduct research for his dissertation. He focused on Seminole medicine, but also collected physical anthropological data such as blood-type frequencies, handedness, and color blindness
1952 -- July 26: Married Theda Maw
1954 -- Hired by Yale University as an instructor in the Department of Anthropology and as an assistant curator of anthropology in the Yale Peabody Museum
1955 -- Received PhD in anthropology from Yale University
1956 -- Joined the staff of the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE) as a research anthropologist
1957 -- Began a three-year term on the Board of Governors of the Anthropological Society of Washington
1957 -- Traveled to Rock Hill, South Carolina to collect linguistic data from Sam Blue, the last member of the Catawba tribe to have maintained some proficiency in the Catawba language. While there, he made a small collection of Catawba pottery for the United States National Museum
1957-1958 -- Spent seven weeks continuing his research among the New York Seneca
1959 -- Returned to Florida to study Seminole ethnobotany. He also collected ethnographic materials, especially objects made for the tourist market, which he deposited in the United States National Museum
1959-1960 -- Member of the executive committee of the Florida Anthropological Society
1960 -- July and August: Visited 17 European museums to examine early ethnographic examples and possible European prototypes of eastern North American Indian material culture
1961-1962 -- Spent the summers of these years conducting ethnographic fieldwork among the Seneca-Cayuga in Oklahoma
1962 -- October: Visited the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, Canada to conduct fieldwork among the Seneca and Cayuga there
1962-1968 -- Book-review editor and associate editor of the American Anthropologist
1963 -- October: Spent the year in Burma; visited neighborhoods in Rangoon and villages in the surrounding countryside, examined photographs in several archives, studied the Burmese language, and read extensively about the country's history and culture. Assembled notes on Burmese clothing and other aspects of the culture, took hundreds of photographs, and made a collection of 386 items of clothing and other objects for the Smithsonian
1964 -- Visited Inle Lake in the Southern Shan States southeast of Mandalay, where he examined local approaches to artificial island agriculture
1964-1981 -- Became a member of the American Anthropological Association's Committee on Anthropological Research in Museums, which became the Council for Museum Anthropology in 1974. Sturtevant was the Council's first vice president, serving two terms between 1974 and 1978, and was its president from 1978 to 1981
1965 -- Became curator of North American Ethnology in the Department of Anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History after the dissolution of the BAE
1965-1966 -- President of the American Society for Ethnohistory
1966 -- Named the editor of the Handbook of North American Indians
1967-1968 -- Fulbright scholar and lecturer at Oxford University's Institute of Social Anthropology
1969 -- Began serving on the American Anthropological Association's Committee on Archives
1974-1989 -- Adjunct Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Johns Hopkins University
1976-1982 -- Served three terms on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of the American Indian-Heye Foundation and was appointed to a fourth term between 1984 and 1986
1977 -- President of the American Ethnological Society
1980-1981 -- President of the American Anthropological Association
1981 -- Spent part of the spring semester at the University of California Berkeley as a Regents Lecturer
1982-1988 -- Board of Directors of Survival International
1986 -- Divorced Theda Maw
1986-1987 -- Smithsonian Fellow at Oxford University's Worcester College
1990 -- Married Sally McLendon
1992 -- President of the Anthropological Society of Washington
1996 -- Awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters at Brown University
2007 -- Died March 2 in Rockville, MD
Related Materials:
Other materials relating to William C. Sturtevant at the National Anthropological Archives are included in the following collections:
Manuscript 4504
Manuscript 4595
Manuscript 4806
Manuscript 4821
Manuscript 4972
Manuscript 7045
Photo Lot 59
Photo Lot 79-51
Photo Lot 80-3
Photo Lot 81R
Photo Lot 86-68 (6)
Photo Lot 86-68 (7)
American Society for Ethnohistory records
Committee on Anthropological Research in Museum Records
Handbook of North American Indians records
Records of the Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History
Gordon Davis Gibson Papers, Sound Recordings
SPC Se Powhatan Confederacy Mattapony BAE No # 01790700
DOE Oceania:Amer Poly:Hi:Hawaiian Helmet:Sturtevant 04913800
DOE Oceania:Amer Poly:Hi:Hawaiian Helmet:Sturtevant 04913900
DOE Oceania:Amer Poly:Hi:Hawaiian Helmet:Sturtevant 04914000
Negative MNH 1530
Negative MNH 1530 B
Sturtevant is listed as a correspondent in the following NAA collections:
Administrative file, 1949-1965, Records of the Bureau of American Ethnology
John Lawrence Angel Papers
James Henri Howard Papers
Donald Jayne Lehmer Papers
John Victor Murra Papers
Records of the Society for American Archaeology
Albert Clanton Spaulding Papers
Waldo Rudolph Wedel and Mildred Mott Wedel Papers
Copies of sound recordings made by William C. Sturtevant can be found at The California Language Archive at UC Berkeley in two collections, The William Sturtevant collection of Creek/Seminole sound recordings, which includes 31 minutes of Northern Muskogean linguistic field recordings from 1951, and The William Sturtevant collection of Mikasuki sound recordings, which includes 33 minutes of Mikasuki linguistic field recordings from 1951. Two sound tape reels of Seminole music Sturtevant recorded in Florida in 1951 can be found at Wesleyan University's World Music Archives. Folk songs on these recordings include "Scalping Sickness," "Bear Sickness with blowing," "Bear sickness without blowing," "Lullaby," "Feather Dance," "Snake Dance," and "Crazy Dance." Performers include Josie Billie, Lee Cypress, Harvey Jumper, Boy Jim, Charlie (Johnny?) Cypress, Little Tiger Tail, Billy Ossiola, and Charlie Billy Boy.
Separated Materials:
One video tape, "Seminole History and Tradition", was transferred to the Human Studies Film Archives.
Series 2.2, Tukabahchee Plate: Glass negative of spectrogram from FBI (Box 135), removed for storage with other glass plate negatives.
Provenance:
These papers were transferred to the National Anthropological Archives by the Department of Anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History.
Restrictions:
Files containing Sturtevant's students' grades have been restricted, as have his students' and colleagues' grant and fellowships applications. Restricted files were separated and placed at the end of their respective series in boxes 87, 264, 322, 389-394, 435-436, 448, 468, and 483. For preservation reasons, his computer files are also restricted. Seminole sound recordings are restricted. Access to the William C. Sturtevant Papers requires an apointment.
William C. Sturtevant papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The papers of William C. Sturtevant were processed with the assistance of a Wenner-Gren Foundation Historical Archives Program grant awarded to Dr. Ives Goddard. Digitization and preparation of these materials for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
William Fenton, Little Water Society of the Seneca: The Great Good Medicine
Collection Restrictions:
Files containing Sturtevant's students' grades have been restricted, as have his students' and colleagues' grant and fellowships applications. Restricted files were separated and placed at the end of their respective series in boxes 87, 264, 322, 389-394, 435-436, 448, 468, and 483. For preservation reasons, his computer files are also restricted. Seminole sound recordings are restricted. Access to the William C. Sturtevant Papers requires an apointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
William C. Sturtevant papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The papers of William C. Sturtevant were processed with the assistance of a Wenner-Gren Foundation Historical Archives Program grant awarded to Dr. Ives Goddard. Digitization and preparation of these materials for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund.
Contents: 1. The Vampire (Published as "The Vampire Skeleton", 32nd A. R. page 458). 2 pages. 2. Seneca Witchcraft- 1 page. 3. Seneca Ghost Story 1/2 page. 4. Shagodyoweqgowa (False Faces), 1/2 page. 5. Medicine Men. 1 page. 6. Snake with two heads, 1 page. Published 32nd A. R. page 106. Shagodyoweqgowa. 1 page. See 32nd A. R., page 357. 8. A Seneca Witch Story. 1 page. 9. The Owl and the Two Sisters. 2 pages.
Contents: Beginning of Witchcraft, 4 pages; The Captive Girl, 12 pages; The So-Called Witch Medicine, 5 pages (Onondaga- John Buck); The Magical Finger, 3 pages (Tuscarora); The Stone Giants, 5 pages (Onondaga); Monster Clitoris, 3 pages (Seneca). All English translations.
The Frank Kenjockety and Louis B. Newell Native American Entertainers collection includes ephemera, documents and photographs from two prominent Native American [entertainers] Frank Kenjockety (Cayuga), also known as "Chief Strong Fox" and Louis Belmont Newell, also known as "Rolling Thunder". Kenjockety's collection contains photographs, ephemera and a small amount of personal records from his career as a circus troupe leader and lecturer from 1909-1940. Newell's collection contains ephemera from his career as a traveling Medicine Man and entertainer including remedy and ointment packaging as well as broadsides and flyers.
Scope and Contents:
The Native American Entertainers collection includes ephemera, documents and photographs from two prominent Native American entertainers, Frank Kenjockety, also known as "Chief Strong Fox" and Louis Belmont Newell, also known as "Rolling Thunder". Kenjockety's collection contains photographs, ephemera and a small amount of personal records from his career as a circus troupe leader and lecturer from 1909-1940. Newell's collection contains ephemera from his career as a traveling Medicine Man and entertainer from the 1880's until the 1930's. This includes remedy and ointment packaging as well as broadsides and flyers.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged in two series; Series 1: Frank Kenjockety "Chief Strong Fox", and Series 2: Louis Belmont Newell "Chief Rolling Thunder". Series 1 contains three subseries by material type and is arranged alphabetically.
Biographical / Historical:
This collection of Native American Entertainers materials was put together by Crown Collectibles, a privately held historical research company based out of Richmond Virginia.
Frank Kenjockety was born in 1871 to Jesse and Sarah Kenjockety on Cattaraugus Territory, Seneca Nation and made his home in Salamanca, New York. He was head of the Cayuga Tribe of the Iroquois Federation. In the early 1900's he formed a vaudeville troupe called "Kenjockety' s Hippodrome and Wild West Show". They traveled by train and played at state fairs, carnivals and with other traveling circuses. In the late 1920's Frank Kenjockety took the name "Chief Strong Fox". He became nationally known as an "Indian Chief Lecturer" and his troupe was billed as "Real American Indians in Costume- Direct from the U.S. Government Indian Reservation". Their performances included "Ceremonial Rites, Singing, War Dance, Medicine Dance, Feather Dance, Prayer Song, Famous Adoption Form and lectures on the part the American Indian had played in the history of the United States". Kenjockety's wife, Leona, and daughter, Mabel, also traveled as performers with the troupe. Mabel first appeared on horseback as a child and went on to become a trick rider. While on tour in December 1915, the train on which they were traveling ran head-on into another train that was mistakenly switched on the same track. Mr. Kenjockety survived, but many in his company perished. Undaunted by the tragedy, he rebuilt his company and continued to perform. He and his troupe continued to play fairs, school assemblies and circuses and went on at least two world tours. In 1937, they traveled on the steamer ship "Bremen". Correspondence in 1941 reveals that their popularity had waned and apparently the troupe disbanded around that time. Chief Strong Fox was also well known for the "lectures" he gave on Native American History. He became popular with school and other groups (Rotary Club, etc.) throughout New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, and often "adopted" some of his Caucasian audience as members of his tribe. He received many letters from school officials praising his talks on Indian history and customs to be of"educational value". Kenjockety passed away in 1944.
Known to his family as Belmont and to the public as Chief Rolling Thunder, Louis Belmont Newell was born around 1858 to Thomas Newell and Marie Parsons of Indian Island, Old Town, Maine. Newell appears to have married several times and his first daughter Blanche was born to Victoria Tahamont around 1886. It is around this time that Newell is first referred to as Chief Rolling Thunder and that his company, the Kiowa Medicine Company, begins touring. The show was comprised of "moral" entertainment and lectures given on the customs, habits, manners and religion of tribes. Newell would also sell "traditional Kiowa" medicines and give out health guides. It is uncertain when the company was actually formed and though Newell claimed that he was a descendent of the First Chief Medicine Man of the Kiowa Nation, Teet-Toot-Sah, this was most likely just for his public image. It is much more likely that his parents were Penobscots from Maine. Newell married Louisa Stump of Iroquois descent in 1891. Louisa was an expert shot and travelled with the Kiowa Medicine Company for some time. In 1894, Newell married his fourth wife Jeanne "Jennie" Congleton who served as business manager for the Kiowa Medicine and Vaudeville Company for many years. Newell died December 1, 1933 and was buried in Randolph, NY. More information on L.B. Newell has been compiled by descendants of Newell and can be found on Ne-Do-Ba, a geneological website for the Wabanaki people.
Separated Materials:
Along with the archival materials, five additional objects were purchased and are a part of the NMAI Ethnology collection. They have catalog numbers 26/5414 through 26/5418 and include outfits supposedly worn by Frank Kenjockety "Chief Strong Fox" and his wife Leona Kenjockety.
All of the photographs in this collection are located in cool storage and arranged in folders by their catalog numbers.
Provenance:
This collection was purchased in 2005.
Restrictions:
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).
Rights:
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish or broadbast 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.
Traveling theater -- United States -- 20th century Search this
Genre/Form:
Ephemera
Scrapbooks
Broadsides
Photographs
Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Frank Kenjockety and Louis B. Newell Native American Entertainers collection, Box and Folder Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
