This subseries of the Alaska/Northwest Coast series contains Harrington's research on Nicola and Thompson, consisting of comparative vocabulary, outline and notes for write-up, and notes from interviews regarding James A. Teit.
Vocabulary entries were not arranged by Harrington into his usual semantic categories, but were kept together by interview. Nicola terms were frequently elicited with their Thompson equivalents. Words cover animals, plants, geography, material culture, tribenames, and placenames. Also interspersed are a few phrases, notes and sketch maps from two placename trips, summaries of myths in English, and biographical data concerning the informants and others. One interview was based in part on a rehearing of Franz Boas' (1924) "Vocabulary of the Athapascan Tribe of Nicola Valley, British Columbia." At a later date (1942) comparative Athapascan data--Rogue River and Chasta Costa from Wolverton Orton (Wolv., RR, Wolve Chastac.) and Coquille from Coquille Thompson (Thomp.)--was added to these notes.
Harrington's write-up is little more than an outline for an article. It includes a section on informants and some vocabulary excerpted from the field notes. The designation "Nic. for write-up" is misleading as data for Thompson is also given throughout. Several references are made to information from published sources (Dawson 1892, Morice 1932).
During his last two days in Nicola Valley, Harrington visited Mrs. James A. Teit in order to copy Teit's manuscript "Notes on the Early History of Nicola Valley." This section contains notes on their discussions of Teit's work and local history. It also includes comments by an unidentified man Harrington met at Spence's Bridge as well as a photograph of Teit.
Biographical / Historical:
John P. Harrington's work in Merritt and Canford, British Columbia, during the summer of 1941 was part of a continuing effort to trace the origin and relationships of the Athapascan languages, which he often referred to comprehensively as "Chilcotin." In late August to early September--dates given are August 27, August 31, and September 1--he recorded data from speakers of the Lytton (L., Lyt., Upper Th.) dialect of Thompson River Salish, who also remembered a little Nicola Valley Athapascan (Nic., st. for stuwix-mux, southern Chilcotin).
He first worked with Billy Ernest (Billy), 80-year-old chief of the Canford Indians. He also conducted separate interviews with Mrs. Louey Jonah (Mrs. J.) and her husband (Mr. J.), an unidentified "Old Lady," and Louie Charlie, who gave remembered information from Johnny Jackson, said to have been a stuwix speaker, deceased for some five years. Harrington considered his best source of information to be Billy Ernest's sister, Matilda Shackler (Mat.), with whom he reheard much of the data. His interpreter for many of the sessions was Johnny Martin (Martin, Johnny). Nonlinguistic information was obtained from James A. Teit's widow and an unidentified "half-breed at Spence's Bridge."
John Peabody Harrington papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
The preferred citation for the Harrington Papers will reference the actual location within the collection, i.e. Box 172, Alaska/Northwest Coast, Papers of John Peabody Harrington, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
However, as the NAA understands the need to cite phrases or vocabulary on specific pages, a citation referencing the microfilmed papers is acceptable. Please note that the page numbering of the PDF version of the Harrington microfilm does not directly correlate to the analog microfilm frame numbers. If it is necessary to cite the microfilmed papers, please refer to the specific page number of the PDF version, as in: Papers of John Peabody Harrington, Microfilm: MF 7, R34 page 42.
This subseries of the Alaska/Northwest Coast series consists almost entirely of vocabulary. Lummi terms are given with English translations and frequently with Nespelem equivalences. A few comparisons are provided in other Salishan languages. (George's paternal grandfather spoke Clallam.) Most of the words describe the natural world. There are small sections on astronomy, weather, and months, as well as a larger number of items pertaining to plants and animals. The placename data are keyed to a number of maps--probably to U.S.G.S. topographical maps of Whatcom County, Sumas, and Blaine Quadrangles, which were found elsewhere in the Papers. Information is also provided on the islands in the Georgia Straits. Some terms pertaining to material culture appear in the plant vocabulary section. Ethnographic notes and references to myths are interspersed throughout the material.
Biographical / Historical:
No date is given for John P. Harrington's study of Lummi. From the format of the notes it seems likely that the fieldwork was done in 1942--probably in January just after his return from Aleut territory. He worked primarily with Patrick George (referred to as, 'Chief ') and his cousin Julius A. Charles (shortened to Mr. Charles or Mr. Chas). Some of the work was done at George's home at Fish Point on the Lummi Indian Reservation. Part may have been done in nearby Bellingham, Washington. Addie George, a Nespelem woman acting as interpreter, was also present at the sessions. Limited amounts of nonlinguistic data were obtained from H. C. Banner, Sidney Jones, Carl Brandur, and an Icelandic couple, Mr. and Mrs. Westmann.
John Peabody Harrington papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
The preferred citation for the Harrington Papers will reference the actual location within the collection, i.e. Box 172, Alaska/Northwest Coast, Papers of John Peabody Harrington, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
However, as the NAA understands the need to cite phrases or vocabulary on specific pages, a citation referencing the microfilmed papers is acceptable. Please note that the page numbering of the PDF version of the Harrington microfilm does not directly correlate to the analog microfilm frame numbers. If it is necessary to cite the microfilmed papers, please refer to the specific page number of the PDF version, as in: Papers of John Peabody Harrington, Microfilm: MF 7, R34 page 42.
Indians of North America -- Northwest Coast of North America Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Field notes
Vocabulary
Lecture notes
Maps
Place:
King County (Wash.)
Date:
1910
Scope and Contents:
This subseries of the Alaska/Northwest Coast series contains Harrington's Duwamish research. The materials primarily consist of field notes and lecture notes.
The field notes consist of small slips and 8" x 10" sheets on which Harrington recorded notes on phonetics, vocabulary, and some short sentences. A general vocabulary section--mostly nouns--covers geographical terms, animal names, material culture objects, and terms for age, sex, and religion. Each Duwamish (Duw.) word is followed by the English translation; a few comparisons are given in Snohomish and Clallam. There are larger vocabulary sections dealing with tribenames and placenames. The tribenames are Duwamish terms referring to the neighboring tribes of Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula--mostly other Salish groups. The placename category includes many etymologies as well as sketch maps and references to a "Big map" of Seattle Harbor.
Miscellaneous packets of field notes include biographical information on the Duwamish speakers he worked with and others, a partial bibliography, and notes labeled "< Meany." The latter were apparently personal communications from a professor at the university.
Harrington's lecture notes, evidently used for the course on "The Indians of the Northwest," contain a good deal of original field data. The notes, which were found in great disarray; have been arranged to follow fourteen categories outlined by Harrington on a heading sheet. The sections on history, potlatches, and material culture, in particular, include numerous excerpts from articles by Arthur A. Denny, Myron Eels, and Joseph A. Costello. Much of this secondary source data was checked over with an unspecified person, presumably William Rogers. His comments, labeled "Duw.," frequently appear at the bottom of a page. Notes on "The Indian placenames of King County," consist entirely of original data on places in the vicinity of Lake Washington, White River, and Cedar River. As in the corresponding vocabulary section, etymologies and sketch maps are included.
Biographical / Historical:
Johnn P. Harrington investigated the language and culture of the Duwamish (currently grouped with speakers of other Puget Sound Salish dialects as "Lushootseed") during the period June 17 to August 15, 1910 while residing in Seattle, Washington. He had come there to teach courses on "The Indians of the Northwest" and "The Science of Language" at the University of Washington summer school and to give a series of six popular lectures on "The Siberian Origin of the American Indian" under the auspices of the American Institute of Archaeology.
He studied the Duwamish language with Chief William Rogers at the reservation at Suquamish each weekend during the session. After its close, he made trips with Rogers and a man named Moore to Seattle and Renton ("homeland of the Duwamish") to record placenames. His interpreter in the work was Edward Percival.
John Peabody Harrington papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
The preferred citation for the Harrington Papers will reference the actual location within the collection, i.e. Box 172, Alaska/Northwest Coast, Papers of John Peabody Harrington, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
However, as the NAA understands the need to cite phrases or vocabulary on specific pages, a citation referencing the microfilmed papers is acceptable. Please note that the page numbering of the PDF version of the Harrington microfilm does not directly correlate to the analog microfilm frame numbers. If it is necessary to cite the microfilmed papers, please refer to the specific page number of the PDF version, as in: Papers of John Peabody Harrington, Microfilm: MF 7, R34 page 42.
The collection includes materials from cultures in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, and Guiana: Acoma Pueblo, Apache, Arapaho, Arikara, Assiniboine, Caddo, Cahuilla, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chibcha, Chinantec, Chippewa (Ojibwa), Choco, Chol, Chontal, Cochiti Pueblo, Crow, Cuicatec, Eskimo, Flathead, Haida, Hopi, Huastec, Huave, Iowa, Iroquois, Isleta, Karaja, Kwakiutl, Laguna Pueblo, Macusi, Mandan, Maya, Mazahua, Mazatec, Mehinaku, Menomini, Mixe, Mixtec, Navajo, Nez Perce, Osage, Otomi, Ottawa, Pawnee, Pima, Ponca, Potawatomi, Salish, San Blas, San Felipe Pueblo, Sauk & Fox, Shuar, Sioux, Taos Pueblo, Tarasco, Teotihuacan, Tepehua, Tlaxcala, Tlingit, Tonkawa, Totonac, Triqui, Tzental, Tzotzil, Ute, Wampanoag, Zapotec, Zoque, Zuni.
Arrangement note:
Collection arranged by item number.
Biographical/Historical note:
Frederick Starr was born in Auburn, New York, on September 2, 1858. He received a Ph.D. in biology in 1884 at Coe College, where he was later appointed professor of biology. Starr did postgraduate work in anthropology at Yale. In 1889 he was appointed head of Ethnology at the American Museum of Natural History, and in 1892 he was chosen by William Harper to organize the Anthropology Department at the new University of Chicago. Starr remained at the University until his retirement in 1923. Besides his field studies with various Indian tribes in the United States, Starr traveled to Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Ecuador, Guiana, Japan, the Philippines, and Africa. He died in Tokyo, Japan, on August 14, 1933. Starr was the author of several books and scholarly articles.
General note:
Starr hired professional photographers Charles B. Lang and Louis Grabic to accompany him on his field trips. One lantern slide of Moses Ladd (Menomini) was taken by William H. Jackson.
Provenance:
Dr. Frederick Starr, Purchased, circa 1929
Restrictions:
Access restricted. Researchers should contact the staff of the NMAI Archives for an appointment to access the collection.
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