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#NatZooZen: Swim With an Arrau River Turtle

Creator:
National Zoo  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2020-05-23T15:14:12.000Z
YouTube Category:
Pets & Animals  Search this
Topic:
Zoology;Animals;Veterinary medicine;Animal health  Search this
See more by:
SmithsonianNZP
Data Source:
National Zoo
YouTube Channel:
SmithsonianNZP
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_dZFrzWLZutM

Serenata Guayanesa - "Simón, Simón" [Studio Session]

Creator:
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2014-09-05T16:22:38.000Z
YouTube Category:
Music  Search this
Topic:
Cultural property  Search this
See more by:
smithsonianfolkways
Data Source:
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
YouTube Channel:
smithsonianfolkways
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_nBHqtpXJ1QE

Andropogon angustatus (J. Presl) Steud.

Biogeographical Region:
82 - Northern South America  Search this
Collector:
Bassett Maguire  Search this
John J. Wurdack  Search this
George S. Bunting  Search this
Max. Elevation:
120  Search this
Microhabitat Description:
Low savanna  Search this
Min. Elevation:
100  Search this
Place:
Palomal, 15 km south of Puerto Ayacucho, Orinoco River, Amazonas, Venezuela, South America - Neotropics
Collection Date:
9 Nov 1953
Taxonomy:
Plantae Monocotyledonae Poales Poaceae Panicoideae
Published Name:
Andropogon angustatus (J. Presl) Steud.
Barcode:
00778450
USNM Number:
2182153
See more items in:
Botany
Flowering plants and ferns
Guiana Shield
Data Source:
NMNH - Botany Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/35c95b12c-3bc2-449d-936d-3d1a977149ca
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhbotany_10771225

Paepalanthus lamarckii Kunth

Biogeographical Region:
82 - Northern South America  Search this
Collector:
Bassett Maguire  Search this
John J. Wurdack  Search this
George S. Bunting  Search this
Max. Elevation:
120  Search this
Microhabitat Description:
Moist sand  Search this
Min. Elevation:
100  Search this
Place:
Raudal de Atures, 10 km S of Puerto Ayacucho, Orinoco River, Amazonas, Venezuela, South America - Neotropics
Collection Date:
10 Nov 1953
Taxonomy:
Plantae Monocotyledonae Poales Eriocaulaceae
Published Name:
Paepalanthus lamarckii Kunth
Barcode:
00811995
USNM Number:
2168969
See more items in:
Botany
Flowering plants and ferns
Guiana Shield
Data Source:
NMNH - Botany Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/383acf365-c7e1-4d68-8cb8-856c1e952195
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhbotany_10771256

Prockia orinocensis Cuatrec.

Biogeographical Region:
83 - Western South America  Search this
Collector:
José Cuatrecasas  Search this
Type Citation:
Cuatrecasas, J. 1955. Trop. Woods. 101: 25.
Type Status:
Isotype
Place:
Llanos, Orinoco River., Vichada, Colombia, South America - Neotropics
Collection Date:
23 Oct 1938 and 24 Oct 1938
Taxonomy:
Plantae Dicotyledonae Malpighiales Salicaceae Salicoideae
Published Name:
Prockia orinocensis Cuatrec.
Banara orinocensis (Cuatrec.) Sleumer
Barcode:
00114682
Other Numbers:
fiche number : 0563/D09
USNM Number:
1853587
See more items in:
Botany
Flowering plants and ferns
Type Register
Data Source:
NMNH - Botany Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/329959618-e146-46b6-aad3-291cbaadb006
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhbotany_2158899

Casearia mollis Kunth

Biogeographical Region:
82 - Northern South America  Search this
Collector:
Claude E. Smith Jr.  Search this
Place:
Middle Orinoco River. Tapaculo. Llanos near Parmana., Venezuela, South America - Neotropics
Collection Date:
6 Feb 1978
Taxonomy:
Plantae Dicotyledonae Malpighiales Salicaceae Samydoideae
Published Name:
Casearia mollis Kunth
Barcode:
03026312
USNM Number:
2853042
See more items in:
Botany
Flowering plants and ferns
Data Source:
NMNH - Botany Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3a22971f2-70e5-427a-9c27-20c439a9c3c0
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhbotany_14379931

Timothy Asch papers

Creator:
Asch, Timothy, 1932-1994  Search this
Correspondent:
Albert, Bruce  Search this
Andrews, Scott  Search this
Balikci, Asen, 1929-  Search this
Beidelman, Tom  Search this
Bermudez, Beatrice  Search this
Brigard, Emilie de  Search this
Cardozo, Jesus  Search this
Carpenter, Edmund, 1922-2011  Search this
Chagnon, Napoleon A., 1938-  Search this
Connor, Linda  Search this
Fox, James  Search this
Freeman, Derek  Search this
Harrison-Pepper, Sally  Search this
Heider, Karl  Search this
Homiak, John P. (John Paul), 1947-  Search this
Jules-Rosette, Benneta  Search this
Kamerling, Lenny  Search this
Lewis, Doug  Search this
Lizot, Jacques  Search this
Loizos, Peter  Search this
Mead, Margaret, 1901-1978  Search this
Mello, James F., 1936-  Search this
Middleton, John  Search this
Piault, Collette  Search this
Preloran, Jorge, 1933-2009  Search this
Rouch, Jean  Search this
Ruby, Jay  Search this
Smith, Patrice  Search this
Storas, Frode  Search this
Tax, Sol, 1907-1995  Search this
Wayang, Mark  Search this
Wayang, Mary  Search this
Young, Tao  Search this
Extent:
62 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Correspondence
Manuscripts
Photographs
Place:
Venezuela
Date:
1947-1995
Summary:
Timothy Asch was an anthropologist and ethnographic film maker who devoted his professional life to using film as a recording and teaching medium. His papers cover the period from 1966 until his premature death in 1994 and reflect his active career in the field. A large portion of the files relates to his work among the Yanomami people of Venezuela and to his concern with bias in film making.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Timothy Asch document his career as an anthropologist, educator, photographer and filmmaker through correspondence, photographs, research files (articles and notes), and teaching materials (course information and lecture notes). The files relating to Asch's film projects include articles, field notes, and reviews. The major correspondents in this collection are Patsy Asch, Tom Beidelman, Napoleon Chagnon, James Fox, Robert Gardner, Douglas Lewis, Peter Loizos, David & Olga Sapir, and Minor White.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into the following 13 series:

Series 1) Correspondence (1953-1994)

Series 2) College and graduate School (1955-1965)

Series 3) Teaching materials (1964-1993)

Series 4) Film projects (1964-1991)

Series 5) Articles and reviews (1972-1994)

Series 6) Alpha-Subject (1955-1989)

Series 7) Conferences, film festivals, and film organizations (1963-1993)

Series 8) Grants (1962-1993)

Series 9) Other people's work (1952-1995)

Series 10) Personal and family (1951-1994)

Series 11) Photographs (1947-1991)

Series 12) Sound recordings (bulk 1960s-1970s)

Series 13) Note slips, rolodexes, and business cards (1987, undated)
Biographical note:
Asch studied photography at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco. While serving in the United States Army in Japan from 1951-55 he spent his off-duty hours photographing rice production and household activities in remote Japanese villages. After his military service, he enrolled in Columbia University graduating in 1959 with an undergraduate degree in Anthropology. After graduation, he went to work at the Peabody Museum at Harvard as an assistant editor to John Marshall on the Kung Bushmen film project. In 1964, he received a Masters Degree in Anthropology from Boston University where he studied in the African Studies Progam and read Anthropology with T.O. Beidelman at Harvard. In 1968, Asch and Marshall founded Documentary Educational Resources, a film distribution company. Anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon approached Asch in 1968 to film among the Yanomammmi people of Venezuela. This collaboration led to a major project resulting in over thirty films.

Chronology

1950-1951 -- California School of Fine Arts and Apprenticeships with photographers Minor White, Edward Weston and Ansel Adams

1953-1954 -- Military Service in Korea

1959 -- B.S. in Anthropology Columbia University

1959-1962 -- Ethnographic film consultant, Harvard University's Peabody Museum

1964 -- M.A. in Anthropology Harvard University

1965-1966 -- Curriculum Consultant, Ethnographic studies and the Bushmen Social Studies Curriculum Project (initially Educational Services, Inc., later called Educational Development Center)

1966-1968 -- Lecturer in Anthropology and Theater Arts, Brandeis University

1966-1968 -- Anthropology Curriculum and Media Consultant to the Newton Public Schools

1967-1994 -- Co-Founder and Director of Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, Massachusetts, a non-profit curriculum development corporation distributing educational media

1968-1970 -- Visiting Assistant Professor, Anthropology Department, New York University

1969-1973 -- Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, Brandeis University

1973-1979 -- Research Fellow in Ethnographic film, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University

1974-1976 -- Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University

1975 -- Research Cinematographer, National Anthropological Film Center, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

1976-1981 -- Senior Research Fellow, Department of Anthropology, Institute of Advanced Studies, the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

1982 -- Visiting Research Scholar, Department of Anthropology at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

1983-1994 -- Director, Center for Visual Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, University of Southern California
Related Materials:
The Human Studies Film Archives holds 93,000 feet (43 hours) of original film footage and the accompanying sound as well as the edited films from the 1968 and 1971 film projects by Timothy Asch and Napoleon Chagnon documenting the Yanomamo Indians of southern Venezuela and northern Brazil (between the Negro and Upper Orinoco rivers).
Provenance:
Donated to the National Anthropological Archives by Patsy Asch in 1996.
Topic:
Anthropology  Search this
Film -- theory  Search this
Language and languages -- Documentation  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Correspondence -- 1953-1994
Manuscripts
Photographs -- 1947-1991
Citation:
Timothy Asch papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
NAA.1996-16
See more items in:
Timothy Asch papers
Archival Repository:
National Anthropological Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3ebe64d9d-33d2-4af7-9417-8f21f639c754
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-naa-1996-16

Iliacantha liodactylus

Collector:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  Search this
Ocean/Sea/Gulf:
North Atlantic Ocean  Search this
Vessel:
Oregon R/V  Search this
Depth (m):
42 - 45
Preparation:
Alcohol (Ethanol)
Place:
north of Orinoco River Delta, Venezuela, North Atlantic Ocean
Collection Date:
27 Aug 1958
Published Name:
Iliacantha liodactylus Rathbun, 1898
USNM Number:
1455367
See more items in:
Invertebrate Zoology
Arthropoda
Data Source:
NMNH - Invertebrate Zoology Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/32eaab905-a40d-4a89-a540-ff4619964acb
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhinvertebratezoology_13453180

Calappidae

Collector:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  Search this
Ocean/Sea/Gulf:
North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea  Search this
Vessel:
Oregon R/V  Search this
Depth (m):
274 - 274
Preparation:
Alcohol (Ethanol)
Place:
Off Mouth Of Orinoco River, Venezuela, North Atlantic Ocean
Collection Date:
3 Nov 1957
USNM Number:
1443104
See more items in:
Invertebrate Zoology
Arthropoda
Data Source:
NMNH - Invertebrate Zoology Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/328391eda-9d08-4fb0-8a4a-2cd12dd94ac8
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhinvertebratezoology_13119949

Hector Acebes papers and photographs

Creator:
Acebes, Hector  Search this
Extent:
19.3 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Place:
Mali
Chad
Cameroon
Congo (Democatic Republic)
Guinea
Benin
Kenya
Algeria
Morocco
Colombia
Ecuador
Venezuela
Date:
circa 1948-1950s
Scope and Contents:
The Hector Acebes papers and photographs primarily contain Acebes' photographs from his expeditions in Africa and South America but also include journals, maps, press clippings, writings and publications by Acebes, and films.

The core of the collection are Acebes original negatives and contact prints, however there are several sets of enlargements of select photographs as well. Most contact sheets have some annotation on verso indicating the country, town, region, and/or community represented.

The papers include several journals Acebes kept during his South America expeditions (unfortunately his Africa journals were lost). Maps of Africa are annotated with Acebes' routes and places visited, and extensive press clippings cover and review Acebes travels, publications, and lectures.

The films comprise a seemingly random selection of motion picture films, sound elements and videos related to the production of industrial films on a variety of South American development projects by Hector Acebes for his own company Acebes Productions. According to the credits appearing on the films, the company was a partnership with the filmmaker's brother Juan Acebes. Most of the films are undated but dates appearing on the video transfers and dates ascertained from the film stocks indicate that the films were most likely produced in the 1970s-1990s. There are also videos of an interview with Acebes conducted by Ed Marquand, in circa 2003.

Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into three series: 1. Papers; 2. Photographs; 3. Film and video.
Biographical / Historical:
Hector Acebes (1921-2017) was an American photographer and filmmaker known for his photography from expeditions in Africa and South Amerca in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Acebes was born in New York City but grew up in Bogota, Colombia and Madrid, Spain. He later attended the New York Military Academy, and served in World War II on the European front. Following this, he studied engineering at MIT, graduating in 1947.

Acebes then began his career as photographer and filmmaker, making multiple expeditions in Africa and South America. His first African expedition was to Morocco and Algeria, but he later traveled throughout the continent. His last Africa trip was the most extensive, where he drove from Dakar to Zanzibar.

Among his expeditions in South America were journeys up the Orinoco River and excursions to visit various Indigenous communities including Guaica, Jivaro, Arhuaco, and Yuco peoples.

Acebes lectured about his travels and held exhibits of his photographs, which reveal a tendency toward portraiture of individuals. He also wrote several books, including Orinoco Adventure, about his attempt to find the headwaters of the Orinoco River.

Acebes later became an industrial filmmaker for engineering projects throughout South America. He died in Bogota.
Provenance:
The Hector Acebes papers and photographs came to the archives in four accessions. The first accession came in 1951 and was donated by Acebes himself, as were the two that followed in 1994 and 2016. The final accession, comprising the bulk of the collection, came to the archives in 2022 and was donated by Acebes' heirs.
Restrictions:
The Hector Acebes papers and photographs are open for research. Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Identifier:
NAA.2023-01
See more items in:
Hector Acebes papers and photographs
Archival Repository:
National Anthropological Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3bec7b835-692a-4277-88f3-897ea5025122
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-naa-2023-01

South America slides

Collection Creator:
Acebes, Hector  Search this
Container:
Box 11
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Scope and Contents:
Includes photographs of Vaupes, Colombia, Orinoco River in Venezuela, and Jivaro community in Ecuador.
Collection Restrictions:
The Hector Acebes papers and photographs are open for research. Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
See more items in:
Hector Acebes papers and photographs
Hector Acebes papers and photographs / Series 2: Photographs / South America photographs
Archival Repository:
National Anthropological Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw36b8fd3e5-aa43-46ef-b6f9-af4b5c8ceb56
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-naa-2023-01-ref40

Dredged Ore Boat Channel, Boca Grande of Orinoco River (SM-198)

Collection Creator:
Burmister, Donald, 1895-1981  Search this
Container:
Box 8, Folder 7
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1955
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Donald M. Burmister Papers, 1927-1974, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
See more items in:
Donald M. Burmister Papers
Donald M. Burmister Papers / Series 1: Projects
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8b86fadf8-f06c-444f-b2fe-7ba721eab95f
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1068-ref607

Paullinia imberbis Radlk.

Biogeographical Region:
82 - Northern South America  Search this
Collector:
Franciscus J. Breteler  Search this
Microhabitat Description:
Bank of river.  Search this
Min. Elevation:
90  Search this
Place:
Orinoco River near Isla del Ratón., Amazonas, Venezuela, South America - Neotropics
Collection Date:
25 Nov 1965
Taxonomy:
Plantae Dicotyledonae Sapindales Sapindaceae
Published Name:
Paullinia imberbis Radlk.
Barcode:
00734590
USNM Number:
2583292A
See more items in:
Botany
Flowering plants and ferns
Data Source:
NMNH - Botany Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3c3e83503-b154-46c8-83e9-43b5f6e85796
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhbotany_10218985

Paullinia clavigera Schltdl.

Biogeographical Region:
82 - Northern South America  Search this
Collector:
Franciscus J. Breteler  Search this
Microhabitat Description:
Bank of river.  Search this
Min. Elevation:
90  Search this
Place:
Orinoco River near Isla del Ratón., Amazonas, Venezuela, South America - Neotropics
Collection Date:
25 Nov 1965
Taxonomy:
Plantae Dicotyledonae Sapindales Sapindaceae
Published Name:
Paullinia clavigera Schltdl.
Paullinia imberbis Radlk.
Barcode:
00734618
USNM Number:
2583293A
See more items in:
Botany
Flowering plants and ferns
Data Source:
NMNH - Botany Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/31ff0b803-ed6d-43b3-a5df-89c357316eba
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhbotany_10219041

Cardiospermum halicacabum var. microcarpum Blume

Biogeographical Region:
82 - Northern South America  Search this
Collector:
Franciscus J. Breteler  Search this
Microhabitat Description:
Secondary regrowth, sandy soil.  Search this
Min. Elevation:
90  Search this
Place:
Orinoco River, southern part of Isla del Raton., Amazonas, Venezuela, South America - Neotropics
Collection Date:
21 Nov 1965
Taxonomy:
Plantae Dicotyledonae Sapindales Sapindaceae
Published Name:
Cardiospermum halicacabum var. microcarpum Blume
Barcode:
00758125
USNM Number:
2583115A
See more items in:
Botany
Flowering plants and ferns
Data Source:
NMNH - Botany Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/387aa5fd8-9971-453a-a2c8-c46fcc363bed
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhbotany_10222776

Phyllanthus stipulatus (Raf.) G.L. Webster

Biogeographical Region:
82 - Northern South America  Search this
Collector:
Thomas A. Sprague  Search this
Place:
Caicara, Orinoco River, Bolívar, Venezuela, South America - Neotropics
Collection Date:
Dec 1898
Taxonomy:
Plantae Dicotyledonae Malpighiales Phyllanthaceae
Published Name:
Phyllanthus stipulatus (Raf.) G.L. Webster
Barcode:
00770831
USNM Number:
1931144
See more items in:
Botany
Flowering plants and ferns
Guiana Shield
Data Source:
NMNH - Botany Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3139e56fa-9d59-4091-8706-1e847f52e3c1
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhbotany_10698863

Ludwigia leptocarpa (Nutt.) H. Hara

Biogeographical Region:
82 - Northern South America  Search this
Collector:
I. Velez  Search this
Microhabitat Description:
Riverbanks  Search this
Place:
Middle Orinoco River, Bolívar, Venezuela, South America - Neotropics
Collection Date:
31 Mar 1946
Taxonomy:
Plantae Dicotyledonae Myrtales Onagraceae Jussaeoideae
Published Name:
Ludwigia leptocarpa (Nutt.) H. Hara
Barcode:
00795605
USNM Number:
1564851
See more items in:
Botany
Flowering plants and ferns
Guiana Shield
Data Source:
NMNH - Botany Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/356789f03-a877-439d-8537-339187e07af7
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhbotany_10655568

ASTP summary science report-folder #29

Collection Creator:
El-Baz, Farouk, 1938-  Search this
Container:
Box 6, Folder 16
Type:
Archival materials
Scope and Contents:
Estimate of total reflectance from the Orinoco River outflow.
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Collection Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Earth Observation and Photography Experiment, Acc. 1988-0127, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Earth Observation and Photography Experiment
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Earth Observation and Photography Experiment / Series 9: ASTP Summary science report
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg29cc36d54-d474-475e-ab95-d535723f0b03
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nasm-1988-0127-ref155

Journals: Leaves of Wesley Heights

Collection Creator:
Junkin, Hattie Meyers, 1896-1985  Search this
Container:
Box 5, Folder 3
Type:
Archival materials
Text
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Collection Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
See more items in:
Hattie Meyers Junkin Papers
Hattie Meyers Junkin Papers / Series 3: General materials of Hattie Meyers Junkin
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg286c383c8-f28a-4af6-b59e-5e952f5fae8b
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nasm-xxxx-0171-ref139
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  • View Journals: Leaves of Wesley Heights digital asset number 1

Felix DiGiovanni and Paul Beer photographs of the Guahibo and other indigenous tribes of eastern Colombia

Creator:
Beer, Paul  Search this
DiGiovanni, Felix V.  Search this
Collector:
Bellis, Tom  Search this
Extent:
102 Photographic prints (Black and white, silver gelatin)
Culture:
Guahibo  Search this
Piapoco (Piapoko)  Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographic prints
Place:
Vaupés (Colombia)
Colombia
Orinoco River
Date:
Circa 1938
Summary:
Photographs made by Paul Beer and Felix DiGiovanni depicting indigenous people, primarily the Guahibo, as well as the natural and cultural features of the Vaupés region of Eastern Colombia.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of 85 photographic prints mounted on paperboard, with annotations made by Genevieve Bellis, wife of Tom Bellis. Also included are 18 enlargements mounted on black paper with annotations (not Bellis') in Spanish, and a number written on the back. With one exception (Item 29), the enlargements are of the photographs mounted on paperboard.

The photographs depict the indigenous people of eastern Colombia, primarily the Guahibo tribe, as well as the natural and cultural features of the Vichada region. Other tribes represented in the photographs include the Piapoco, Guanano, Banibo, Casanare, Guayabero, and Tucano tribes. The location depicted in the images is in the Vichada region, unless otherwise indicated.

The photographs show the customs and daily activities of the tribes, including bathing, washing clothes, cooking, fishing, hunting, making arrows and dugout canoes, house-building, creating water pitchers from clay, weaving cloth from the bark of trees, and preparing for ceremonies.
Biographical / Historical:
Felix V. DiGiovanni (ca. 1913-1990) was an American engineer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. He was raised in the Bronx and graduated with an engineering degree from The City College of New York in 1933. As a young man, he traveled throughout Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil, and later became interested in documenting the eastern plains of Colombia, known as Los Llanos, as well as its inhabitants. In the late 1930s, he returned to Colombia to film a documentary on the indigenous people of the Vaupés region.

DiGiovanni's partner in the expedition was Paul Beer. Beer (1904-1979) was a German photographer active in Bogota, Colombia, in the late 1920s.

By 1941, DiGiovanni's documentary film about the Guahibo was completed. In 1944 he returned to Colombia to work with the U.S. Cinchona Mission, which comprised a team of scientists travelling to the Andes region to find cinchona trees, whose bark produces the alkaloid quinine, used for treating malaria.

DiGiovanni met Tom Bellis during this time. Bellis (1907-1993) was an officer with the Food and Drug Administration. From October 1942 until December 1945, he worked for the Board of Economic Warfare in Bogota, Colombia at the Instituto Nacional de Higiene Samper-Martinez. Here, he directed a laboratory which analyzed cinchona bark. In November 1945, Bellis purchased this set of photographs, along with 28 Guahibo artifacts, from DiGiovanni.

Felix DiGiovanni returned to New York in 1946 and became a mechanical engineer with a major oil company. In 1960, he completed a draft of a manuscript about his experiences with the Guahibo, titled The Call of the Curassow and the Land of the Guahibo Indians. He intended to publish it and also produce a Spanish translation, but he died December 31, 1990, before it could be finished. In 1994, Pauline DiGiovanni, DiGiovanni's widow, published 40 copies of the manuscript in English.

After the expedition with DiGiovanni, Paul Beer's photography focused primarily on architectural and industrial themes. He lived in Bogota until his death in 1979.
Related Materials:
The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) holds the Felix V. DiGiovanni collection from Colombia, collection ID number NMAI.AC.300, donated by DiGiovanni's widow, Pauline DiGiovanni. It contains prints and negatives different from the NAA's collection, a 16mm film, and the book The Call of the Curassow and the Land of the Guahibo Indians. NMAI also has objects collected by DiGiovanni, including baskets, tools, necklaces, woven bags, hammocks, arrows, and pottery.
Separated Materials:
Along with the photographs, Genevieve Bellis donated 28 objects from the Guahibo tribe, which are held in the National Museum of Natural History's anthropology collections. These form accession number 400216, and include wooden bows, a woven hammock, arrows, a water jug, ceremonial necklaces, a gourd rattle, a reed tube rattle, a small gourd containing curare, incised spindle whorls, and bead necklaces.
Provenance:
The photographs were donated by Genevieve Bellis, widow of Tom Bellis, in 1995.
Restrictions:
There are no restrictions on this collection.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Topic:
Ethnology  Search this
Guanano Indians  Search this
Baniwa Indians  Search this
Tucano Indians  Search this
Guayabero Indians  Search this
Citation:
Photo lot 1995-41, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
NAA.PhotoLot.1995-41
See more items in:
Felix DiGiovanni and Paul Beer photographs of the Guahibo and other indigenous tribes of eastern Colombia
Archival Repository:
National Anthropological Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3b71ea2d0-777d-41ff-99d6-8af988de9b5a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-naa-photolot-1995-41

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