These papers reflect the professional lives of Alice Cunningham Fletcher (1838-1923), an ethnologist with the Peabody Museum of Harvard and collaborator with the Bureau of American Ethnology, and Francis La Flesche (1856-1923), an anthropologist with the Bureau of American Ethnology. Due to the close professional and personal relationship of Fletcher and La Flesche, their papers have been arranged jointly. The papers cover the period from 1874 to 1939. Included in the collection is correspondence, personal diaries, lectures, field notes and other ethnographic papers, drafts, musical transcriptions, publications by various authors, maps and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
These papers reflect the professional lives of Alice Cunningham Fletcher (1838-1923), an ethnologist with the Peabody Museum of Harvard University and collaborator with the Bureau of American Ethnology, and Francis La Flesche (1856-1923), an anthropologist with the Bureau of American Ethnology. Due to the close professional and personal relationship of Fletcher and La Flesche, their papers have been arranged jointly. The papers cover the period from 1874 to 1939. Included in the collection is correspondence, personal diaries, lectures, field notes and other ethnographic papers, drafts, musical transcriptions, publications by various authors, maps and photographs.
The papers have been divided into three general categories: the papers of Alice Cunningham Fletcher, the papers of Francis La Flesche, and the ethnographic research of Fletcher and La Flesche. The first two categories represent personal and professional materials of Fletcher and La Flesche. The third section holds the majority of the ethnographic material in the collection.
Of primary concern are Fletcher and La Flesche's ethnological investigations conducted among the Plains Indians, particularly the Omaha and Osage. Fletcher's Pawnee field research and her allotment work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs among the Omaha, Nez Perce, and Winnebago are represented in the collection. A substantial portion of the ethnographic material reflects Fletcher and La Flesche's studies of Native American music. Much of the correspondence in the papers of Fletcher and La Flesche is rich with information about the situation of Omaha peoples in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Also included in the collection are documents related to Fletcher's work with the Archaeological Institute of America and the School for American Archaeology. Additionally, substantial amounts of Fletcher's early anthropological and historical research are found among her correspondence, lectures, anthropological notes, and early field diaries. La Flesche's literary efforts are also generously represented.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into the following 3 series: 1) Alice Cunningham Fletcher papers, 1873-1925; 2) Francis La Flesche papers, 1881-1930; 3) Papers relating to the anthropological research of Alice Fletcher and Francis La Flesche, 1877-1939.
Series 1: Alice Cunningham Fletcher papers is divided into the following 10 subseries: 1.1) Incoming correspondence, 1874-1923 (bulk 1882-1923); 1.2) Outgoing correspondence, 1873-1921; 1.3) Correspondence on specific subjects, 1881-1925; 1.4) Correspondence between Fletcher and La Flesche, 1895-1922; 1.5) Publications, 1882-1920; 1.6) Organizational records, 1904-1921; 1.7) General anthropological notes, undated; 1.8) Lectures, circa 1878-1910; 1.9) Diaries, 1881-1922; 1.10) Biography and memorabilia, 1878-1925.
Series 2: Francis La Flesche papers is divided into the following 6 subseries: 2.11) General correspondence, 1890-1929; 2.12) Correspondence on specific subjects, 1881-1930; 2.13) Publications, 1900-1927; 2.14) Literary efforts, undated; 2.15) Personal diaries, 1883-1924; 2.16) Biography and memorabilia, 1886-1930.
Series 3: Papers relating to the anthropological research of Alice Fletcher and Francis La Flesche is divided into the following 12 subseries: 3.17) Alaska, 1886-1887; 3.18) Earth lodges, 1882, 1898-1899; 3.19) Music, 1888-1918; 3.20) Nez Perce, 1889-1909; 3.21) Omaha, 1882-1922; 3.22) Osage, 1896-1939; 3.23) Pawnee, 1897-1910; 3.24) Pipes, undated; 3.25) Sioux, 1877-1896; 3.26) Other tribes, 1882-1922; 3.27) Publications collected, 1884-1905, undated; 3.28) Photographs, undated.
Biographical / Historical:
Alice Cunningham Fletcher (1838-1923) was an ethnologist with the Peabody Museum of Harvard and collaborator with the Bureau of American Ethnology. Francis La Flesche (1856-1923) was an anthropologist with the Bureau of American Ethnology.
Chronology of the Life of Alice Cunningham Fletcher
1838 March 15 -- Born in Havana, Cuba
1873-1876 -- Secretary, American Association for Advancement of Women
1879 -- Informal student of anthropology, Peabody Museum, Harvard University
1881 -- Field trip to Omaha and Rosebud Agencies
1882 -- Assistant in ethnology, Peabody Museum, Harvard University
1882 -- Helped secure land in severalty to Omaha Indians
1882-1883 -- Begins collaboration with Francis La Flesche on the Peabody Museum's collection of Omaha and Sioux artifacts
1883-1884 -- Special Agent, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Omaha Agency
1886 -- Bureau of Education investigation of Alaskan native education
1887-1888 -- Special Disbursing Agent, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Winnebago Agency
1889-1892 -- Special Agent for allotment, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Nez Perce Agency
1890-1899 -- President, Women's Anthropological Society of America
1891-1923 -- Mary Copley Thaw Fellow, Peabody Museum, Harvard University
1892-1893 -- Department of Interior consultant, World's Columbian Exposition
1896 -- Vice-President, Section H, American Association for the Advancement of Science
1897 -- Collaborator, Bureau of American Ethnology
1899-1916 -- Editorial board, American Anthropologist
1900 -- Published Indian Story and Song from North America
1901-1902 -- Advisory committee, Anthropology Department, University of California at Berkeley
1903 -- President, Anthropological Society of Washington
1904 -- Published The Hako: A Pawnee Ceremony with James Murie
1908-1913 -- Chair, Managing Committee of School of American Archaeology
1911 -- Honorary Vice-President, Section H, British Association for Advancement of Science
1911 -- Published The Omaha Tribe with Francis La Flesche
1913 -- Chair Emeritus, Managing Committee of School of American Archaeology
1915 -- Published Indian Games and Dances with Native Songs Arranged from American Indian Ceremonials and Sports
1923 April 6 -- Died in Washington, D.C.
Chronology of the Life of Francis La Flesche
1857 December 25 -- Born on Omaha Reservation near Macy, Nebraska
1879 -- Lecture tour, Ponca chief Standing Bear
1881 -- Interpreter, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
1881-1910 -- Clerk, Bureau of Indian Affairs
1891 -- Informally adopted as Fletcher's son
1892 -- LL.B., National University Law School
1893 -- LL.M., National University Law School
1900 -- Published The Middle Five: Indian Boys at School
1906-1908 -- Marriage to Rosa Bourassa
1910-1929 -- Ethnologist, Bureau of American Ethnology
1911 -- Published The Omaha Tribe with Alice Fletcher
1921 -- Published The Osage Tribe, Part One
1922 -- Member, National Academy of Sciences
1922-1923 -- President, Anthropological Society of Washington
1925 -- Published The Osage Tribe, Part Two
1926 -- Honorary Doctor of Letters, University of Nebraska
1928 -- Published The Osage Tribe, Part Three
1932 -- Published Dictionary of the Osage Language
1932 September 5 -- Died in Thurston County, Nebraska
1939 -- Posthumous publication of War Ceremony and Peace Ceremony of the Osage Indians
Related Materials:
Additional material related to the professional work of Fletcher and La Flesche in the National Anthropological Archives may be found among the correspondence of the Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE) and the records of the Anthropological Society of Washington.
Sound recordings made by Fletcher and La Flesche can be found at the Library of Congress. The National Archives Records Administration hold the Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), including those relating to allotments in severalty for the Nez Perce by Alice Fletcher. The Nebraska Historical Society has diaries, letters and clippings regarding the La Flesche family, including correspondence of Francis La Flesche and Fletcher. The Radcliffe College Archives holds a manuscript account of Alice Fletcher's four summers with the Nez Perce (1889-1892). Correspondence between Fletcher and F. W. Putnam is also located at the Peabody Museum Archives of Harvard University.
Separated Materials:
Ethnographic photographs from the collection have been catalogued by tribe in Photo Lot 24.
Glass plate negatives from the collection have been catalogued by tribe in the BAE glass negatives collection (Negative Numbers 4439-4515).
Provenance:
The papers of Alice Cunningham Fletcher and Francis La Flesche have been received from an undocumented number of sources. Portions of Fletcher's ethnographic papers were donated to the archives by Mrs. G. David Pearlman in memory of her husband in 1959.
Restrictions:
The Alice Cunningham Fletcher and Francis La Flesche papers are open for research.
Access to the Alice Cunningham Fletcher and Francis La Flesche papers requires an appointment.
Video oral history of archeologists Charles Fairbanks and John Griffin. Drs. Fairbanks and Griffin discuss the people and events that were influential in their professions, their work in the National Park Service and Florida Park Service, and contributions to archeology and the future of the field.
Legacy Keywords: Radcliffe-Brown, A.R. ; Radin, Paul, 1883-1959 ; White, Leslie Alvin ; Universities Chicago University ; Universities Swathmore College ; Anthropology functionalism ; Anthropology structural functionalism ; Special Collections ;
General:
Local Number: HSFA 1989.10.7
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:
Video Dialogues in Anthropology, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Video oral history of anthropolgist Walter Goldschmidt conducted by anthropologist Charles Wagley. Dr. Goldschmidt discusses the people and events that were influential in his career, his contemporaries at the University of California-Berkeley and Columbia University, his work in East Africa, and his term as president of the American Anthropolgical Association.
Legacy Keywords: Cohen, Andrew ; Devereux, George ; Fisher, Lloyd ; Gifford ; Kroeber, A. L. 1876-1960 (Alfred Louis), ; Lowie, Robert ; Olsen, Ronald ; O'Neill, Lila ; Radin, Paul, 1883-1959 ; Steward, Julian Haynes, 1902-1972 ; Thomas, Dorothy Swane ; Wilson, M.L. ; Universities University of California-Berkeley ; Universities Columbia University ; Associations American Anthropological Association ; East Africa ; Special Collections
General:
Local Number: HSFA 1989.10.6
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:
Video Dialogues in Anthropology, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Video oral history of anthropologist Charles Wagley. Professor Wagley discusses the people and events that were influential in his career including his fieldwork in Brazil and Guatemala and subsequent work in the public health sector, his life during World War II, and his experience as president of the American Anthropological Association in 1971 during the Vietnam War.
Legacy Keywords: Benedict, Ruth, 1887-1948 ; Boas, Franz, 1858-1942 ; Devreux, Georges ; Harris, Marvin, 1927-2001 ; Herskovits, Melville J. 1895-1963 (Melville Jean), ; Hertzog, George ; Kroeber, A. L. 1876-1960 (Alfred Louis), ; Landis, Ruth ; Limpkin, William ; Linton, Ralph ; Mead, Margaret, 1901-1978 ; Radin, Paul, 1883-1959 ; Strong, William Duncan, 1899-1962 ; Taylor, Walter W., Jr. ; Willy, Gordon ; Universities Columbia University ; War World War II ; War Vietnam War ; Legal governmental access to field data ; Brazil ; Guatemala ; Special Collections
General:
Local Number: HSFA 1989.10.5
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:
Video Dialogues in Anthropology, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Miscellaneous working notes, in various stages of revision; neither field notes nor finished statements. Informant(s), location(s), date(s) not given.
Analysis of contents by W. C. Sturtevant, March 1960: 1800-a Notes on morphology keyed to a missing text or other notes. Key numbers run from 310 to 800, with many gaps and duplications (may be more than one text represented); many items have one digit number following comma after above 3 digit number (line, form ?). Date stamp on back of one page: "Bur. American Ethnology Jun 17, 1909". 56 pages, unarranged. 1800-b Miscellaneous notes on mprphology-- paradigms, list of affixes, summary statements, etc. No references to sources. Back of one page has note: "Frances La Mere/Winnebago/Nebraska./City./Thurston County" evidently in LaMere's hand; but this page is semi-analyzed, not original notes. 139 pages, unarranged. 1800-c Notes on phonology. 2 pages. 1800-d Lexical notes. Plant names, food and food preparation, with a few ethnographic notes: 4 pages Kinship terminology: 7 pages; total; total, 11 pages. 1800-e Ponca-Winnebago comparative vocabulary, without indication of sources, without comments or analysis. 5 pages, unarranged.
Biographical / Historical:
Described on original catalog card as "Grammar of Winnebago (incomplete)." 30th Annual Report, Bureau of American Ethnology, for year 1908-09 (published, 1915), page 24 tells of cataloging a manuscript by Paul Radin on the Winnebago Indians in that year; presumably it was this manuscript.
Hewitt, J. N. B. (John Napoleon Brinton), 1859-1937 Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Scope and Contents:
Expressing impressions and conclusions concerning a meeting in regard to a questionable publication by a Dr. R. (Paul Radin) and a defense by Alfred Kroeber.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 1647(5)
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 1647, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Hewitt, J. N. B. (John Napoleon Brinton), 1859-1937 Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Scope and Contents:
Expressing continued interest in publishing the latterʹs manuscripts, and discussing F. W. Hodgeʹs actions in regard to Hewittʹs and Paul Radinʹs status with the B.A.E.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 1647(4)
Collection Citation:
Manuscript 1647, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
The Indian tribes of the upper Mississippi Valley and region of the Great Lakes as described by Nicolas Perrot, French commandant in the Northwest; Bacquevile de la Potherie, French royal commissioner to Canada; Morrell Marston, American Army officer; and Thomas Forsyth, United States agent at Fort Armstrong, tr., ed., annotated, and with bibliography and index by Emma Helen Blair ..