MS 3941 Materials assembled by Hewitt for preparation of articles in Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 30 and for replies to inquires from the public
Collector:
Hewitt, J. N. B. (John Napoleon Brinton), 1859-1937 Search this
Indians of North America -- Southern States Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Calendars
Date:
undated
Scope and Contents:
Contents: Adirondack tribe (St Lawrence River) Old Manuscript Number 3553. Adoption Old Manuscript Number 4007. Refers to Algonquian method of counting -only; see Haas note 2/18/72; Old Manuscript Number 3864. "Alligewi"; Animism Old Manuscript Number 3867 and 2842-c, box 6. Blood Indians, origin of name; Brant, Joseph Old Manuscript Number 3874. Chippewa, origin of name Old Manuscript Number 3646. Chiefs, function and significance of Old Manuscript Number 2842-c, box 6. Delaware tribe, New Jersey area claimed by Old Manuscript Number 3866. Detroit River, tribes near; Ekaentoton Island-- see Ste. Marie Island Environment (Bulletin 30 draft by O. T. Mason) Old Manuscript Number 4007. Erie, origin of name Old Manuscript Number 3646. Erie and Black Mincqua tribes Old Manuscript Number 3586. [Eskimo] Arctic tribes, leaving elderly and sick people to die Old Manuscript Number 3668. Family, Bulletin 30 draft and notes Old Manuscript Number 4011 and 2842-c, box 6. Grand River (Tinaatoua), name of; Hebrew calendar; Hewitt, list of Bulletin 30 articles by Old Manuscript Number 4066. Hoboken, origin of name; Iroquois, "On the Northern and Eastern Territorial Limits of the Iroquoian people, in the 16th Century," and Algonquian tribes, at Chaleur Bay. Iroquois at Gulf of St Lawrence and Bay of Gaspe Old Manuscript Number 3625.
Iroquois, location of Six Nations tribes reservations Old Manuscript Number 3763. Iroquois false face; Iroquois preparation of corn ("as food") Old Manuscript Number 4009. Iroquoian early dress Old Manuscript Number 3660. Iroquoian "Gachoi" tribe, identity of (Correspondence with F. Bogaskie.) Old Manuscript Number 3816. Iroquoian moon names and concept of time; Iroquoian social organization, and place name-name origins; "Man," Iroquoian term for Old Manuscript Number 3781. Iroquoian towns Old Manuscript Number 4006. Kentucky, meaning of the word; Kentucky, origin of name Old Manuscript Number 3840. Lenni Lenape, meaning of the word; Logstown-- see Shenango Old Manuscript Number 3773. Lost Ten Tribes as American Indians Old Manuscript Number 3670. Mayan linguistic family and other Mayan linguistic notes including Quiche and Tepehuanan notes Old Manuscript Number 3473. Mexico: idols, sacrifices, etc. Old Manuscript Number 3807. Mexico: Indian languages. Letter from Captain W.E.W. MacKinley Old Manuscript Number 3778. Missouri, Indian village, location of Old Manuscript Number 3944. Mohawk land near Lake Champlain; Mohawk grammar; Montour family, notes for Bulletin 30 Old Manuscript Number 3812. Muskhogean social organization. Letter from J. J. Harrison. Old Manuscript Number 3891. New England tribes Old Manuscript Number 3513.
Niagara, origin of name; "Old Smoke"-- see Sayenqueraghta Old Manuscript Number 3949. Onondaga tribe, text of memorial inscription to, and correspondence Old Manuscript 4391 and 4271- box 1 (part.) Ontwaganha or Toaganha, origin and meaning of name Old Manuscript Number 3864. Owego, meaning of town's name; Pekwanoket tribe (Cape Cod); Pemaquid, Abnaki word and its origin Old Manuscript Number 89. Piasa bird- pictograph formerly near present Alton, Illinois. Article is similar to that by Cyrus Thomas, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 30. Old Manuscript Number 3981. Potawatomi, notes on the name Old Manuscript Number 4034. Potawatomi Green Corn Dance; Roanoke, origin of name Old Manuscript Number 3998. Sacagawea, spelling of; St Ignace, 3 settlements (Michigan); St Marie Island or Ekaentoton Island; Sauk, Bulletin 30 article and galley proof, notes Old Manuscript Number 3764. Sayenqueraghta or "Old Smoke" (correspondence with Alanson Skinner) Old Manuscript Number 3949. Scalping Old Manuscript Number 4025. Shenango and Logstown Old Manuscript Number 3773. Sioux, origin of name Old Manuscript Number 3624. Society of American Indians, resolutions by thanking General Hugh L. Scott, Fr. Anselm Webber and others Old Manuscript Number 3868. Susquehanna, origin of name Old Manuscript Number 3707. Tacoma, origin of name Old Manuscript Number 3470.
Thunderbird, notes on Old Manuscript Number 3552. Tinaatoa-- see Grand River; Toronto, origin of name; Tuscarora villages Old Manuscript Number 3998. Wampum Old Manuscript Number 3998. War club with inscription; West Virginia panhandle tribes Old Manuscript Number 3945. Williams, Eleazer Old Manuscript Number 3998. Women, status of Old Manuscript Number 3566. Wyandots (Huron) List of tribes of which Wyandots of today are constituted. Old Manuscript Number 3774.
Indians of North America -- Great Plains Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Copy prints
Date:
undated
Scope and Contents:
Relate to the Dakota Indians of Pine Ridge and Rosebud Agencies, and to the Battle of Wounded Knee (December 29, 1890), including views of the battlefield, January, 1891.
"The Nebraska State Historical Society, 1500 R. Street, Lincoln 8, Nebraska (James C. Olson, Supt.), has a collection of pictures relating to the Battle of Wounded Knee, fought in 1890. Included in the group of about 50 photographs are scenes before and following the battle, photographs of Indians, and related subjects. There are a few glass plate negatives by G. E. Trager, and the remainder of the collection consists of old photoprints or copies thereof." -- from Eye to Eye (Graphic Hitory Soc. Of America)-1954- 106. This entry from Eye to Eye, 1954 may refer to the same collection as Bureau of American Ethnology Catalog Number 4464. (Negative Numbers 3200-b-1--15) Some of these were published by Schmitt and Brown ("Fighting Indians of the West," 1948) from the Bureau of American Ethnology copy negatives and attributed to Trager as the photographer. However, the prints in the Bureau of American Ethnology apparently bear no signature or other mark attributing them to Trager. Possibly Schmitt and Brown knew him to be the photographer from other research they had done. It remains to check this collection with the Nebraska Historical Society to see if it is the same as theirs. The prints received from Mr Johnson have evidently been copied many times.
Contents: Catalog Number 4464 Dakota (1) Description: Burial of the dead after the Battle of Wounded Knee Photographer: Northwestern Photo Co. Date: December 29, 1890 (copyright 1/1/91) Negative Number 3200-b-7. (2) Medicine Man, dead in the snow Northwestern Photo Co copyright 1/1/91 3200-b-8. (3) Big Foot, dead in the snow Northwestern Photo Co copyright 1/1/91 3200-b-2 and 55,018. (4) Wounded Knee Battlefield, looking north Northwestern Photo Co copyright 1891 3200-b-10. (5) Wounded Knee Battlefield, looking south-west Northwestern Photo Co ? 1891 47,685. (6) Wounded Knee Battlefield Northwestern Photo Co ? 1891. (7) General Carr's camp at Pine Ridge Agency Northwestern Photo Co ? 1891. (8) Hostile Indian camp at the Mission near Pine Ridge Agency Northwestern Photo Co 1891. (9) "Scene at the battlefield." Northwest Photo Co 1891 3200-b-14. (10) Catholic Mission, 9 miles north of Pine Ridge Agency Northwestern Photo Co 1891. (11) Rosebud and Sioux Indians War Dance at Pine Ridge Agency, December 25, 1890 Northwestern Photo Co ? 12/25, 1890. (12) Kicking Bear, Brule Dakota Northwestern Photo Co. (13) Stinking Bear, a leader of the friendly Sioux Indians, Pine Ridge Northwestern Photo Co 1891. (14) Standing Elk (left) and Black Horse (right) Northwestern Photo Co 1891.
Catalog Number 4464 Dakota: (15) Description: Left to right: Two Strike, Crow Dog, High Hawk Photographer: Northwestern Photo Co Date: 1891 Negative Number: 42,827. (16) Left to right: J. M. McDonough, Good Lance, Big Talk, Frank Gerard (chief of scouts), Kicking Bear, Two Strike, Major Burke Northwestern Photo Co 1891. (17) Grand Council between friendly and hostile Indian chiefs at Pine Ridge Agency, January 17, 1891. Chief Kicking Bear talking Northwestern Photo Co January 17, 1891. (18) Indians at camp, Pine Ridge Agency Northwestern Photo Co 1891 3200-b-12. (19) Beef Issue, Pine Ridge Agency Northwestern Photo Co 1891. (20) Hospital, Pine Ridge Agency Northwestern Photo Co 1891 (21) Captain Taylor and his Indian Scouts on drill, Pine Ridge Agency Northwestern Photo Co 1891. (22) Officers of the 7th Cavalry, Pine Ridge Agency Northwestern Photo Co Date Unknown. (23) Officers of the 9th Cavalry, Pine Ridge Agency Northwestern Photo Co. [1891 ?] (24) Pine Ridge Agency from the north. (not clear) 1891. (25) Wounded Knee battlefield 1891. (26) Wounged Knee battlefield 3200-b-9. (27) "Scaffold on which the first Indian was hanged. Deadwood, South Dakota." (28) Sitting Bull R. L. Kelly, Pierre, South Dakota 47,686-A. (29) Dakota man, 3/4 length L. W. Stilwell ? (30) Joe Bush L. W. Stilwell, Deadwood, South Dakota. (31) Two men, standing L. W. Stilwell? (32) War Bonnet L. W. Stilwell. (33) Bear Pipe L. W. Stilwell. (34) Ellis [?] Standing Bear L. W. Stilwell (35) Mother of Messiah "watching Ghost Dance at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, 1891"- A. G. Johnson George W. Scott, Fort Yates, North Dakota 1891. (36) Two men standing in front of covered wagon. (37) Four men standing in front of covered wagon. (38) Stinking Bear and Paint His Horse. (39) Row of men on horseback. (40) Omaha Dance, Rosebud Agency W. R. Cross, Hot Springs, South Dakota 1891 55,634. (41) Omaha Dance, Rosebud Agency W. R. Cross, Hot Springs, South Dakota. (42) Row of Indians in front of a reviewing stand. (43) Row of Indians sitting on ground; white man on horse behind them. (44) "Sioux Indians in town July 4, hitting a dime at distance 100 ft." (45) Three "Sioux Indians coming to town."
Catalog Number 4464 Dakota:(46) Description: Hospital, Pine Ridge Agency Photographer Unknown Date: 1891. (47) Funeral of an Indian policeman 1891. (48) Scaffold burials, Yankton Agency, Dakota Territory W. R. Cross. (49) Large group of men on horseback. (50) "U. S. Cavalry returning after Battle of Wounded Knee, S. D., 1891." (51) "U. S. Army Officers Pine Ridge, S. D. 1891." 3200-b-13. (52) Officers with Indian fighters, Pine Ridge Agency 1891. (53) Officers of 7th Cavalry, Pine Ridge. (54) "Soldiers of Wounded Knee, 1891." (55) "Gathering up the dead at the Battle of Wounded Knee, S. D." 1891 47,685-B.
Indians of North America -- Great Plains Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Prints
Date:
undated
Scope and Contents:
Consists of 20 photos of drawings by Robert Ormsby Sweeny, made in Minnesota in 1852.
Contents: 4489: Artist's titles: [1.] Interior Dakota Bark house. [2.] Dakota or Sioux women Tanning and dressing skins. [3.] Dakotas telling stories and preparing for a hunting party. [4.] Bark hunting lodge of Dakotas or Sioux Indians. [5.] "Fire hunting" of the Sioux. [6.] Sioux spearing fish. [7.] Shakapes and Le petite Corbeaus bands playing ball at Shakapes village. [8.] Dakota Doctor or Sorcerer preparing charms for the sick. [9.] Dakota Doctor exorcising the evil spirit from the sick. [10.] Dakota medicine men showing their secret charms to each other. [11.] Dance Worship of Oank-tay-hee Taku-wakan- The supernatural giant. [12.] Dakota Indians dancing the Sun Dance. [13.] Bark Houses or Summer Lodges of Dakotas. [14.] Return Dance of a successful War party of Dakotas. [15.] Begging Dance of the Dakotas or Sioux. [16.] Dakota or Sioux squaws gathering Wild Rice for Winter food. [17.] Dog Dance of the M'de wakan ton Sioux or Dakotas. [18.] Dakota or Sioux Indians racing ponies. [19.] M'de Wakanton wan Dakota burial place, "Black Dogs Village" Minnesota. [20.] Wa-pa-ton Sioux or Dakota Ceremonies of the Thunder Bird "Travers des Sioux."
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 4489
Local Note:
Filed: Dakota original prints (no negatives). Mounted in album.
Restrictions:
Purchased 1956 from the British Museum for reference only. Publication permission as well as additional prints sould be obtained directly from the British Museum, which owns the originals.
Final Archaeological Excavations at a Late 18th-Century Family Cemetery for the U.S. Route 113 Dualization, Milford to Georgetown, Susses County, Delaware
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.
Program was filmed over a seven month period on the Dentral Plateau, Madagascar Island, Tana Toraja, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Filmed is a Manene, an ancestor worship ceremony where a dead body is taken from the tomb for a ceremony of dancing and talking and, finally, placed in a new shroud for return to the tomb.
Legacy Keywords: Rites and ceremonies ; Mortuary customs ; Death and mortuary customs ; Dance ; Music ; Musical instruments ; Language and culture ; Asia ; Indonesia
General:
Local Number: HSFA 2004.10.18
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:
Man TV, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Film documents mortuary practices in Mustan, Nepal.
Legacy Keywords: Rites and ceremonies ; Mortuary customs ; Death and mortuary customs ; Language and culture ; Asia ; Nepal
General:
Local Number: HSFA 2004.10.26
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:
Man TV, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Program was filmed over three months on the Trobriand Islands, New Guinea, documenting Mwasawa or the season of happiness, the period from harvesting time of yams to the Milamala Festival, when, it is believed, the spirits of the dead come from the island of the dead called Tuma. During the filming a woman dies and the village goes into mourning.
Legacy D15Keywords: Rites and ceremonies ; Mortuary customs ; Death and mortuary customs ; Agriculture ; Harvesting ; Language and culture ; Oceania ; Trobriand Islands (Papua New Guinea) ; Festivals
General:
Local Number: HSFA 2004.10.32
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:
Man TV, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Indians of North America -- Great Plains Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Newsclippings
Date:
circa 1870-1956
Scope and Contents:
Consists of newspaper clippings, obituaries for Dorsey, and letters of condolence to Dorsey's widow. The clippings pertain to Dorsey, including articles about him after his death; Native American issues; and religion.
Includes material related to Dorsey's and his mother's missionary work among the Ponca, newspaper clippings, Dorsey obituaries, and letters of condolance.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS.4800: Boxes 71-75
Collection Restrictions:
The James O. Dorsey Papers are open for research. Access to the James O. Dorsey Papers requires an appointment
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Topic:
Death and mortuary customs -- Dorsey obituaries Search this
Genre/Form:
Newsclippings
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 4800 James O. Dorsey papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Creation of this finding aid was funded through support from the Arcadia Fund.
Digitization and preparation of additional materials for online access has been funded also by the National Science Foundation under BCS Grant No. 1561167 and the Recovering Voices initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Includes text and drawings, 2 sketch maps, 21 native drawings, 3 pages musical scores.
Contents: 1 [Introduction], page 1; and Ethnohistory and History, 22 pages. 2. Traditions and Myths..., pages 1-89. 3. Songs..., pages 52-56. 4. Games..., pages 45-51. 5. The Quileute Children's Pastime, pages [1]-4. 6. Native coloring Material..., pages 43-44. [text and drawings] 7. ...Methods of Hunting and Trapping [text and drawings] [10] 8. Native Medicines, 1 page. 9. ...Dances..., pages 57-65. 10. Shamanistic Performances, pages [1]-10. 11. Shakerism, pages [1]-18. 12. The Potlatch, pages [1]-8. 13. Marriage Ceremonies, pages [1]-2. 14. Birth Ceremonies, 1 page. 15. Puberty Customs, 1 page. 16. Mortuary Customs, pages [1]-4. page. 17. Miscellaneous Notes, pages [1]-15, [16]. 18. The Retarding Influence of the Chinook Jargon, 1 page. The Thunder Bird. (Copied from a grave slab at Quileute) [Illustration] 1 page. 212 pages total. Quileute Indian Village and Vicinity [sketch map, 20" x 28"] 1 page. James Island or Ah-Kah-Lot. [sketch map, 20" x 28"] 1 page. [Drawings by native artists; all or part by students at the Indian School, Lapush, Washington.] 21 pages. Music to Songs used at the Quileute Shaker Meetings, pages 6, 7, 11. 238 pages total.
American Indian -- Alaska -- Mortuary customs Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Scope and Contents:
Pictured are the miniature houses erected over the gravesites. The item is number 53 of an unidentified series.
Local Numbers:
NAA INV.09907100
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Topic:
Mortuary customs -- American Indian, Alaska Search this
Collection Citation:
Photo Lot 90-1, George V. Allen collection of photographs of Native Americans and the American frontier, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
American Indian -- Pueblo (?) -- mortuary custom Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Lantern slides
Scope and Contents:
Two graves are visible. The bodies have been covered with large stones.
Local Numbers:
NAA INV.09981000
Other Title:
"Burial"
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Topic:
mortuary custom -- American Indian -- Pueblo Search this
Collection Citation:
Photo Lot 90-1, George V. Allen collection of photographs of Native Americans and the American frontier, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
American Indian -- Pueblo -- Mortuary customs Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Glass negatives
Scope and Contents:
The item is number 106 in an unidentified series. The image was taken in August. Ceramic bowls have been placed on the grave. The negative is broken.
Local Numbers:
NAA INV.09983300
Other Title:
"Moqui. Grave. August 1897."
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Topic:
Mortuary customs -- American Indian -- Pueblo Search this
Collection Citation:
Photo Lot 90-1, George V. Allen collection of photographs of Native Americans and the American frontier, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Photo Lot 90-1, George V. Allen collection of photographs of Native Americans and the American frontier, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Edited film explores the melding of traditional magic practices with Catholicism for the people of Bolivia's Andean highlands. An unfortunate fatal automobile accident, coincident with the festival of Santiago, provides occasion for unique expressions of both faith and magic in the effort to influence events.
Legacy Keywords: Language and culture ; Rites and ceremonies ; Religion Catholicism ; Religious Activities symbolism ; Religious Festival Andes ; Death and mortuary customs ; Towns, villages and other settlements
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:
American University Field Staff Faces of Change collection, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Indians of North America -- Northwest Coast of North America Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Portfolios
Photographs
Date:
ca. 1885-1889
Scope and Contents:
Concern Indians of the Northwest Coast, mainly Tlingit and Haida.
Contents: (1) "Rough Notes: Unarranged. Ethnology of the N. W. Coast of America. Rough material from which smooth manuscript was prepared." March 10, 1889. Approximately 190 pages. Appears similar to text of Niblack, "The Coast Indians of Southern Alaska and Northern British Columbia," U. S. National Museum Report for 1888, Washington, 1890, pages 225-386. (2) "Notes on Hydah Indians, Alaska." 1886. Notebook, 35 pages. (19 microframes.) (3) Letter received from [George] Barnett. No date. 2 pages. Encloses notes on "Indian Steam Bath," 2 pages, "Indian Doctors Dance," 4 pages. (4) Description of an Indian cremation witnessed at Sitka, Alaska during the winter of 1886-87." ("as described for the writer by Lieut. George Barnett, U. S. Marine Corps.") 3 pages. (5) Letters received from James G. Swan, Port Townsend, Washington Territory. Material on N. W. Coast myths and Haida ethnology. 18 pages, total. July 7, 1885. 2 pages. November 5, 1885. 4 pages. May 4, 1886. 2 pages. December 2, 1886. 4 pages. December 20, 1886. 2 pages. October 18, 1888. 4 pages. (6) Letter received from J. L. Gould, Hydah Mission, Jackson, Alaska. August 5, 1886. 2 pages. Promises to forward myths. (7) Story of the Thunder, by Mr John. [From J. L. Gould.] Hydah Mission, Alaska, 1886. 4 pages. (8) Story of the Flood, by Mr John. [From J. L. Gould.] Hydah Mission, Alaska, August 25, 1886. 5 pages. (9) Drafts of letters sent by Niblack to "Prof." [S. F. Baird, Smithsonian Institution ?] April, June, 1889. 3 letters, 14 pages. Concern details of publication of Niblack's report.
(10) Letter of G. M. Dawson to O. T. Mason. March 25, 1889. Discusses published references to the Haida. 3 pages. (11) The Glacier. Tlingit Training Academy, Fort Wrangell, Alaska. Volume 1, Number 10, September, 1886 and Volume 2, Number 18, May 1887. 8 pages, total. Include articles on myths. (12) "A Hydah Legend." Newspaper clipping, No date. 1 page. (13) Descriptions of artifacts, carvings, or drawings ? 9 pages, legal size. (14) Miscellaneous fragmentary notes on odd-sized slips. Extracts from published sources, small unidentified sketches, page from expense account, etc. Of doubtful value. Approximately 33 pages. (15) Draft of a manuscript on the Juan Fernandez Islands, with sections on Alexander Selkirk, Daniel Defoe, and Robinson Crusoe. Approximately 85 pages, much disordered. Also printed copy of William Minto, Daniel Defoe, New York, 1884, 106 pages. (16) Photographs. Distant views of village or villages with totem poles. 4 prints, identified only as "Key I," "Key II," etc. On each, totem poles are numbered in red ink, but there is no accompanying description of the numbered poles. (17) Printed material, including the following: Boas, Franz. "The Development of the Culture of Northwest America." Science, Volume 12, Number 299, October 26, 1888, pages 194-196. Illustrations clipped from C. E. S. Wood, "Among the Thlinkits in Alaska," The Century Magazine, volume 24, number 3, July, 1882. 7 illustrations.
Contents: Part I-Man. A. Names, locations, and divisions of the tribes. Twanas, Chemakums, Clallams. B. History. C. Population, and causes affecting. D. Progress: In medical practice. In house building. In dress. In implements. In social customs. In education. In morals. In religion. Part II- Surroundings. A. Inorganic. Outline, etc., of Territory. Geology, economic. Climate. Minerals. C. Social. Travels. Commerce. Part III.- Culture. Chapter 1- Means of subsistance: A. Food. Fish and marine mammals. Shell fish. Roots and branches. Wild fruits. Land mammals. Birds. Salt. Cooking. Storing. B. Drinks. Infusions. Ardent spirits. C. Narcotics. D. Savors. E. Medicines. Chapter II- Habitations and other structures and their appurtenance: A. Houses for human occupancy. Potlatch houses. Sweat houses. Large dwelling-houses. Flat-roofed dwelling-houses. Houses with the roof wholly on one side. Government houses. Mat houses. Half-circle camps. Tents of cotton cloth. Out-buildings. B. Appurtenances to dwellings. Doors. Fireplaces. Material for building. C. Furniture and utensils. Beds. Rugs. Mats. Chapter III- Household vessels and utensils: A. For holding water, food, etc. Baskets. Boxes. Dishes. B. For preparing food. C. For serving and eating food. Mats. Baskets. Plate and troughs. Trays. Ladles. Stone dishes. Pipes. Napkins. D. Miscellaneous. Torches.
Chapter IV- Clothing: d. Head clothing. Hats. E. Body clothing. Pantaloons, shirts, and coats. Blankets. Mat-coats. F. Arm clothing. G. Leg and foot clothing. H. Parts of dress. Lace. Fastenings. Fringes. Bead-work. I. Receptacles for dress. Boxes. Baskets. Chapter V- Personal adornments: A. Skin ornamentation. Tattooing. Painting. B. Head ornaments. Head bands. Plumes. Ear pendants. C. Neck ornaments. Necklaces. D. Breast ornaments. E. Ornaments for the limbs. Bracelets. Finger-rings. F. Toilet articles. Combs. Chapter VI- Implements. (I) Of general use. Knives. Axes, and adzes. Wedges. Chisels. Hammers. Awls. (II) Of war and the chase. A. Weapons for striking. Clubs. B. Throwing weapons. Strings and shots. Fire-pots. C. Cutting weapons. D. Thrusting weapons. Spears. E. Projectile weapons. Bows and arrows. Cases for projectiles. F. Defensive weapons. (III) Implements of special use. A. For stone working. C. For bow and arrow-making. D. Fishing implements. Spears and hooks. Traps and nets. Bouys. Sinkers. F. For leather-working. G. Builder's tool. K. For procuring and manufacturing food. L. Agricultural implements. M. For basket-working. Tools. Ornamentation. N. For working fiber. Hacklers. Spindles. Looms. P. For special crafts. Painting. Dyeing. Sand paper. Rope and strings. Of vegetable matter. Of animal matter.
Chapter VII- Locomotion and transportation. A. Traveling by water. Canoes. Large canoes. Shovel canoes. Small canoes. B. Accessories to water travel. Poles. Paddles. Oars. Sails. Rudders. Anchors. Bailing vessels. C. Foot traveling. Snow shoes. D. Land conveyances. Chapter VIII- Measuring and valuing. A. Counting. B. Measuring. Time. Length. Quality. C. Valuing. Chapter IX- Games and pastimes. With bones. A. Gambling: With disks. Women's games. Cards. B. Field sports and festive games. Dancing. Horse-racing. Shooting. Children's plays. Chapter XI- Music: Instruments and accompaniments. Songs. Boat songs. Patriotic songs. Gambling songs. Nursery songs. Funeral songs. War songs. Religious songs. Chapter XII- Art: On baskets. On cloth. On skin. On wood. Carvings. On horn and bone. On metal. On stone. Chapter XIII- Language and literature. A. Language. The Twana. The Skwaksin. The Chemakum. The Chinook jargon. The English language. B. Literature: Tales about thunder and lightning. Tales about the Sun. Proverbs of the Clallams. Fables of the Twanas. The pheasant and the raven. The enchanted husband. The colcine Indian and the wolf. Domesticating wolves. Modern orations.
Chapter XIV- Domestic life: A. Marriage. B. Children. Cradling. Naming. C. Women. Puberty dance. Chapter XV- Social life and customs: A. Eating. B. Cannibalism. C. Potlatches. Potlatch Number 1. Dancing. Gambling. Tamanous. Eating. The potlatch proper, or distribution of gifts. Learning. Potlatch Number 2. Potlatch Number 3. D. Funeral and burial customs. 1st Period. 2nd Period: canoe burial. 3rd Period: scaffold burial in cemeteries. 4th Period: burial in the ground with Indian accessories. 5th Period: civilized burial. Funeral ceremonies. Mourning observances. Cemeteries. Progress. Chapter XVI- Government. A. Organization. B. Laws and regulations. Division of Labor. Property rights. Chapter XVII- Religion. A. Objects and implements of reverence and worship. Supreme Being. Demons. Angelic spirits. Inanimate objects. Images, pictures, etc. Water. Idols. The sun. Implements of worship. Hand-sticks (wands). Head bands. Drums. Rattles. Masks. B. Holy places C. Ecclesiastical organization. Medicine men. Rain-makers.
D. Sacred rites. Tamanous. Finding tamanous. Using tamanous. Tamanous for wind. Tamanous for gambling. Tamanous to produce and cure illness. The crazy tamanous. Tamanous for the living. Tamanous for lost souls. Black tamanous. Purification. Sacrifice. Dancing. E. Myths and traditions. The Flood. Ants. Snakes. F. Beliefs. Dreams. Future existence. Incarnation and metamorphoses. Chapter XVIII- Archeology: Stone age. Skeletons. Shell heaps. List of archeological items in the book.
Otis T. Mason served as the first full-time Curator of Ethnology at the United States National Museum (USNM) from 1884 to 1902, as the Acting Head Curator of the Department of Anthropology of the USNM from 1902 to 1905, and as the Head Curator of the Department of Anthropology of the USNM from 1905 until his death in 1908. The majority of the material in this collection pertains to the organization and cataloguing of the ethnology collections of the USNM conducted by Mason in the late 1870s and early 1880s.
Scope and Contents:
In the late 1870s and early 1880s, Mason was largely occupied with organizing and cataloguing the United States National Museum ethnology collections and with installing them in the new building which was opened in 1881. Much of this collection pertains to these USNM specimens. The largest section of the Mason material relates to the basketry collection and includes slipnote catalogues which were sometimes annotated and/or accompanied by photographs. The letters and notes found with the catalogues contain information similar in nature to accession papers on at least six accessions of basketry, including a "Catalog of the Hudson of Indian Products, 1899," and material on the Fred Harvey Collection. Also present are handwritten and typescript notes; extracts from various early sources; letters from dealers, collectors, and anthropologists; clippings; articles and illustrations, and photographs relating to the basket collection and to mortuary customs. The original arrangement of this material into topical series and the arrangement of Mason's notebooks by topic and type of object reflect the topological approach to specimens that characterized Mason's work in this period. The final two series include two books by Mason and honorary diplomas and certificates awarded to him.
It is difficult to determine exactly the dates of most of the material in the Otis T. Mason papers. Only a small percentage of the collection is dated correspondence, the bulk consisting of notes, articles, catalogues, clippings, and illustrations related to the United States National Museum basketry and knife collections and to the topics of "Modes of Travel and Transportation" and "Mortuary Customs." From their content, much of this material seems to date to the late 1870s and 1880s, when Mason was working on these collections. As far as actual dated material goes, Mason's own articles (not counting his collection of articles by other authors) and dated notes and letters cover 1884-1904. The certificates and diplomas date to 1862 and 1881-1905.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged in 6 series: (1) Material Relating to the United States National Museum Basketry Collection, circa 1896-1904; (2) Material Relating to Modes of Travel and Transportation, circa 1884-1900; (3) Material Relating to the Knife Collection at the United States National Museum, undated; (4) Information Relating to Mortuary Customs, undated; (5) Bound Volumes, undated; (6) Diplomas and Certificates, 1862, 1881-1905
Biographical / Historical:
Mason began his professional career at his alma mater, Columbian University (now George Washington University), where he spent the middle third of his life (1861-1884) as a teacher and principal of the preparatory department. In 1872, Joseph Henry redirected Mason's interest from Eastern Mediterranean studies to American ethnology and introduced Mason to what was to become a 36-year career at the United States National Museum. For the first twelve years, 1872-1884, Mason worked as one of S. F. Baird's unpaid part-time "resident collaborators." His work in this period included preparing the tribal synonymy which later became Hodge's Handbook, preparing exhibit schemes for the 1876 Centennial Exposition, arranging and cataloguing the United States National Museum ethnological collections, and editing the anthropology sections of American Naturalist (1876-1887) and three other serials in ethnology. In 1884, Mason left Columbian University, where he had worked his way up to "Professor of Anthropology," to become the Smithsonian's first full-time curator of Ethnology. In 1902, he became acting head curator and, in 1905, permanent head curator of the Department of Anthropology, serving as curator of the department until his death in 1908.
Sources Consulted
Cattell, J. McKeen, ed. "The Progess of Science: Otis T. Mason," The Popular Science Monthly 74 (Jan 1909): 96-100.
The Evening Star Newspaper Company. "Otis T. Mason Dead." The Evening Star, November 5, 1908.
Hough, Walter. "Mason, Otis T.," In Dictionary of American Biography, vol. 12, edited by the American Council of Learned Societies, 370-372. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1933.
White, James Terry, ed. The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. New York: J. T. White and company, 1900.
Who's Who in America, vol. 5. Chicago, Marquis Who's Who, 1908.
1838 -- Born in Eastport, Maine, on April 10; childhood in Philadelphia and then in Haddonfield, New Jersey
1851 -- Mason family moved to Woodlawn, Virginia
1856-1861 -- Student at Columbian University (now George Washington University) specializing in the culture/history of the peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean
1861 -- Received A.B. degree from Columbian University
1861-1884 -- Principal and teacher of the Preparatory Department of Columbian University
1862 -- Married Sarah E. Henderson
1872-1884 -- Collaborator in Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution
1879 -- With J. M. Toner and G. Mallery, founded the Anthropological Society of Washington and wrote its constitution Received Ph.D. from Columbian University
1879-1905 -- Collaborator with the Bureau of American Ethnology
1881 -- The United States National Museum building opened
1884-1902 -- Curator of Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution
1890-1908 -- Served on the U.S. Board of Geographic Names
1892-1895 -- President of the Anthropological Society of Washington
1898 -- Received LL.D. from Columbian University
1902-1905 -- Acting head curator, Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution
1905-1908 -- Head curator, Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution
1908 -- Died in Washington, D.C., on November 5
Related Materials:
Material related to the Otis T. Mason collection can also be found in the Bureau of American Ethnology records and the Department of Anthropology records, including the Division of Ethnology Manuscript and Pamphlet file. The following materials in the National Anthropological Archives series of Numbered Manuscripts are also pertinent:
A.S.W./Anthrop., Hist. of, 4821 (pt.): Box 4. "Anthropology in the District of Columbia..." (39 pages, dated 1906) and two letters pertaining to it.
Anthrop., Hist. of, 49033: "Diary of Otis T. Mason.." from 1 July 1884 to 23 May 1891 (approximately 100 pages).
Arch., U.S., 2431: notes, sketches, and letters used in Smithsonian Annual Reports for 1876-1879 and 1881-1883.
Athapaskan, 173 and Tinne (Kutchin), 169: translation and notes from works of Petitot (total of 68 pages).
Choctaw, 666: revision of Byington's grammar of Choctaw (ca. 1872).
Census, 4289: report on Indian education for the 10th census.
Africa, Morocco, 7083: Choctaw, 4056; Fewkes 4408 (5-a); Mohaven 7036; and Pamunkey, 2218: various letters to Mason containing ethnographic or linguistic information (dated from 1891 to 1893).
In the United States National Museum Manuscript and Pamphlet File, Boxes 4, 14, 20, 35-40, and 70, is material on the topics represented in the Mason papers as well as other material produced by Mason.
The Smithsonian Institution Archives has a small series of copies of letters which Mason wrote to the Smithsonian in 1889 while on a trip in Europe to study museum practices (SIA 7086).
Separated Materials:
Material originally found with the Otis Mason collection that was, from its nature and arrangement, determined to belong to the Manuscript and Pamphlet file of the Department of Anthropology records, has been moved to that collection. This material consists of numerous articles, notes, and manuscripts, including 14 manuscripts by Thomas Wilson of the Division of Prehistoric Anthropology, correspondence between W. H. Holmes and Zelia Nuttall, and correspondence between A. F. White and Thomas Wilson. All are listed under "Thomas Wilson" in the guide to the Manuscript and Pamphlet file (Box 84).
Papers, consisting of administrative files and correspondence, which were originally found with the Otis Mason collection but clearly belonged to the Department of Anthropology's own administrative files were moved to that collection in the NAA. Correspondents included in the eleven letterpress books moved to the Department of Anthropolgy records are W. H. Holmes, Ales Hrdlicka, Walter Hough, and E. H. Hawley. These papers relate almost entirely to administrative matters directed by Mason and very little to Mason's own ethnological and anthropological research.
Provenance:
The majority of the Otis Tufton Mason papers were transferred to the National Anthropological Archives from the Department of Anthropology in 1965. Some of the materials were found in the NAA's collection.
Restrictions:
The Otis Tufton Mason papers are open for research.
Access to the Otis Tufton Mason papers requires an appointment.
