Taos: Moonlight song ; Gambling song --San Ildefonso: Eagle dance --Zuni: Rain dance --Hopi: Butterfly dance -- Navajo: Night chant ; Enemy way song --Western Apache: Devil dance ; Sunrise song --Yuma: Birds song cycle -- Papagao: Saguaro song --Walapai: Funeral song ; Havasupai: Stick game song.
Local Numbers:
FW-ASCH-78-2464
Folkways.1491
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
New York Folkways 1951
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Arizona, New Mexico, United States.
General:
Program notes by Harry Tschopik, Jr. and W. Rhodes with the cooperation of the United States Office of Indian Affairs. "Recorded in Indian communities by Willard Rhodes with the cooperation of the United States Office of Indian Affairs." Title on container: American Indians of the Southwest. Performer(s): Sung and performed by Apache, Havasupai, Hopi, Papagao, San Ildefonso, Taos, Walapai, Yuma, and Zuni Indians.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Moses and Frances Asch Collection, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Maria Poveka Martinez (Maria Martinez/Marie/Maria Antonia Montoya), San Ildefonso Pueblo, 1887-1980 and Popovi Da (Tony Martinez), San Ildefonso Pueblo, 1923-1971 Search this
Previous owner:
Priscilla M. King (Pam M. King/Priscilla Martin King), Non-Indian, 1926-2002 Search this
Donor:
Priscilla M. King (Pam M. King/Priscilla Martin King), Non-Indian, 1926-2002 Search this
Object Name:
Jar with feather design
Media/Materials:
Pottery, paint
Techniques:
Coiled/hand built, burnished, painted
Dimensions:
9.5 x 9.5 x 8 cm
Object Type:
Containers and Vessels
Place:
San Ildefonso Pueblo, San Ildefonso Reservation; Santa Fe County; New Mexico; USA
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina
Date:
1932-1958
Summary:
These are the papers of Washington, D.C. attorney James E. Curry, whose legal career included work both as a government attorney and in his own private practice. The bulk of the papers reflect his private practice in the area of Indian affairs.
Scope and Contents:
The material in the collection includes documents relating to many aspects of Curry's career but most of it relates to his work with Indian tribes and the National Congress of American Indians. For the most, the collection is made up of such materials as letters exchanged with government officials, Indians, and other attorneys; copies of legal documents; published government documents; notes; and clippings and other printed materials. Of particular significance is a subject file relating to Indian affairs. It includes material concerning affairs of Alaskan natives and the Aleut (Akutan, Pribilof Islands), Apache (including Fort Sill, Jicarilla, Mescalero, San Carlos White Mountain), Arapaho (Southern), Assiniboine (Fort Belknap, Fort Peck), Bannock (including Fort Hall), Blackfeet, Caddo, Catawba, Cherokee (Eastern), Cheyenne (Northern, Southern), Chickahominy, Chickasaw, Chippewa (including Lac Courte Oreilles), Choctaw, Cochiti, Cocopa, Coeur d'Alene, Colville, Comanche, Creek, Croatan, Crow, Dakota (Big Foot, Cheyenne River, Crow Creek, Devil's Lake, Flandreau, Fort Totten, Lower Brule, Mdewakanton, Oglala, Rosebud, Santee, Sisseton-Wahpeton, Standing Rock, Yankton), Delaware, Eskimo (including Gambell, Kiana), Flathead, Fox, Haida (including Kasaan), Havasupai, Hopi, Iroquois (Caughnawaga, Seneca, St. Regis), Isleta, Jemez, Kalilspel, Kansa (Kaw), Kickapoo, Kiowa, Klamath, Kutenai, Laguna, Lummi, Maricopa (Gila River, Salt River), Menominee, Missouria, Mohave (Fort Mohave), Mohave Apache (Fort McDowell), Muckleshoot, Navaho, Nez Perce, Niska, Nooksak, Omaha, Osage, Oto, Papago, Paiute (Fallon, Fort McDermitt), Moapa, Pyramid Lake, Shivwits, Walker River, Yerington), Pima (Gila River, Salt River), Potowatomi, Quinaielt, San Felipe, San Ildefonso, San Juan, Santa Ana, Santa Clara, Sandia, Sauk, Seminole (Florida, Oklahoma), Seneca, Seri, Shawnee (Eastern), Shoshoni (including Fort Hall), Sia, Spokan, Stockbridge, Taos (Pyote clan), Tesuque, Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Arikara, and Hidatsa), Tillamook, Tlingit (including Angoon, Craig, Juneau, Kake, Ketchikan, Klawak, Klukwan, Taku, Wrangell), Tsimshian (Metlakatla), Umatilla, Ute (including Uintah-Ouray), Walapai, Washo, Wesort, Winnebago, Wyandot, Yakima, Yaqui, Yavapai, Yuma, and Zuni. There are also materials relating to Curry's work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and National Congress of American Indians, and material that reflects his interest in conditions and events in given locations (often filed by state) and in organizations with interest in Indians. The material relating to Curry's work in Puerto Rico has been deposited in the Archivo General de Puerto Rico, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriquena, in San Juan.
Arrangement note:
The James E. Curry Papershave been arranged into 6 series: (1) Daily Chronological Files, 1941-1955; (2) Subject Files Regarding Indian Affairs, bulk 1935-1955; (3) Miscellaneous Files Regarding Indian Affairs, bulk 1947-1953; (4) Non-Indian Affairs, n.d.; (5) Puerto Rico Work, 1941-1947; (6) Miscellany, undated.
Biographical/Historical note:
James E. Curry was trained in law in Chicago and practiced in that city from 1930 until 1936, serving part of that time as secretary of the local branch of the American Civil Liberties Union. From 1936 to 1938, he was an attorney with the United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs, being largely involved with matters of credit affecting Indians. From 1938 to 1942, he continued service with the Interior Department but worked in several capacities involving the Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration, the department's Consumers' Counsel Division, and the Puerto Rico Water Resources Authority.
In 1945, Curry returned to Washington and set up private practice, also maintaining for a time an office in Puerto Rico. In Washington, he became the attorney for the National Congress of American Indians and from that time until the 1950s his practice increasingly involved representation of American Indian tribes, mostly in claims against the federal government. In this work, for a time, he was involved in business relations with a New York Law firm that included Henry Cohen, Felix Cohen, and Jonathan Bingham.
He also often worked closely with lawyers who lived near the tribes he represented, William L. Paul, Jr., of Alaska, for example. This aspect of his practice--representing Indian tribes--was largely broken up during the early 1950s when the Commissioner of Indian Affairs began to use his powers to disapprove contracts between Curry and the tribes. In 1952 and 1953, his official relationship with the National Congress of American Indians was also ended. After this, while Curry continued until his death to act as a consultant in Indian claims with which he had earlier been involved, his career and life developed in a different direction.
Related Materials:
Additional material relating to James E. Curry can be found in the records of the National Congress of American Indians, also located at the National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center.
Provenance:
The Curry papers were originally donated to the National Anthropological Archives by James E. Curry's daughter Mrs. Aileen Curry-Cloonan in December 1973. In 2007 The Curry papers were transferred from the National Anthropological Archives to the National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center along with several other records concerning American Indian law and political rights.
Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Rights:
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish or broadbast materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiarchives@si.edu.
Genre/Form:
Notes
Letters
Clippings
Legal documents
Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); James E. Curry papers, Box and Folder Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Herman J. Viola photograph collection relating to Star Hawk Pow Wow, American Indian Cultural Resources Training Program, and acquisition trips for NAA
American Indian Cultural Resources Training Program Search this
Smithsonian Institution, Department of Anthropology, National Anthropological Archives, Native American Cultural Resources Training Program Search this
Photographs made by Herman J. Viola, depicting the 1973 Institute of American Indian Art meeting, Wolf Robe Hunt and his Acoma pottery, the transfer of Blue Eagle collection from Mae Abbott home to National Anthropological archives, and the 1974 Star Hawk Pow Wow in Watonga, Oklahoma. Additionally, there are photographs of NAA staff and the 1974 Acee Blue Eagle reception at NAA, possibly made by Viola. The collection also contains some photographs of Wounded Knee taken by Rev. Salvatore Genete, and copies of official portraits of Governor Aquillar of San Ildefonso Pueblo made by Harry B. Neufeld. There are also National Archives photographs of Chinese Boxer Rebellion prints, and Young watercolors and Alden sketches of American landscapes.
Much of the collection consists of portraits of participants in the NAA's American Indian Cultural Resources Training Program made by Smithsonian photographers, including Victor Krantz. These individuals include: Harry Walters, Navajo; Anna Walters, Otoe-Pawnee; George Sutton, Southern Arapaho; Sarah Yazzie, Navajo; Rubie Sootkis, Norther Cheyenne; David Fanman, Cheyenne; Augustine Smith, Navajo; Lorraine Bigman, Navajo; Jim Jefferson, Southern Ute; Rose Marie Pierite Gallardo, Tunica-Biloxi; George Horse Capture, Gros Ventre; Violet Zospah, White Mountain Apache; Gloria Anderson, Mille Lacs; Wenonah Silva, Wampanoag; Claire Lamont, Oglala; George Wasson, Coos-Coquille; Virginia Martin, Yakama; Gary Roybal, San Ildefonso; Richard Ground, Sihasapa; Almeda Baker, Hidatsa; June Finley, Hidatsa; Lida Young Wolf, Hidatsa; Christine Webster, Menominee; Rose Marie Roybal, Puyallup; Vivienne Jake, Kaibab-Paiute; Kim Yerton, Hupa; Dean Jacobs, Ojibwa; Lois Nowlin, Shawnee; Bonita McCloud, Nisqually; Gloria Maude Blackbird Cheswalla, Osage; Emily Peake, Ojibwa; Gordon McLester, Oneida; Mary Seth, Nez Perce; Bill Tohee, Oto-Missouria; Frank LaPena, Wintu; Juanita McQuistion, Wyandot; Carson Waterman, Seneca; Elton Stumbling Bear, Kiowa Apache; Patrick Chief Stick, Chippewa-Cree; Lynne Walks-on-Top, Spokane; Ethelyn Garfield, Paiute; Nora Dauenhauer, Tlingit; Caroline B. Jones, Tulalip; Grace F. Thorpe, Sauk and Fox; Dixie Lee Davis, Yavapai; Lynn D. Pauahty, Kiowa; David Lee Harding, Ojibwa; Robert V. Bojorcas, Klamath; Patty Leah Harjo, Seneca-Cayuga; Steven DeCoteau, Clallam; Robert Van Gunten, Ojibwa; Danny K. Marshall, Steilacoom; Meredith P. Flinn, Makah; Rhonda Hulsey, Chickasaw; Betty J. Brown, Choctaw; Vernon Calavaza, Zuni; Jack Bowen Jr., Upper Skagit; and Harry William Jr., Pima.
Biographical/Historical note:
Herman Joseph Viola is a historian of Native Americans who was director of the National Anthropological Archives from 1972-1989 and founding editor of Prologue: The Journal of the National Archives. In 1973, he launched the American Indian Cultural Resources Training Program, designed to encourage Native Americans to become professional archivists, librarians, curators, and historians through research and internships at the NAA.
Local Call Number(s):
NAA Photo Lot 74-17
Location of Other Archival Materials:
The National Anthropological Archives holds Viola's papers from 1980-1981.
Records relating to the American Indian Cultural Resources Training Program can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in the Records of the National Anthropological Archives.
Indians of North America -- Southern states Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Citation:
Photo lot 74-17, Herman J. Viola photograph collection relate to Star Hawk Pow Wow, American Indian Cultural Resources Training Program, and acquisition trips for NAA, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sun dance (1:32) -- Love song (0:57) -- Crazy Dog song (1:41) -- Buffalo dance song (1:03) -- Man's love song (0:54) -- Hand game song (1:42) -- Prisoner's song (2:20) -- World War II song (1:36) -- Warrior death song for Sitting Bull (2:00) -- Canvas dance song (1:40) -- Funeral song (1:37) -- Suguaro song (1:58) -- Peyote song : first song cycle (1:26) -- Moonlight song (2:09) -- Eagle dance (2:59) -- Butterfly dance (1:41) -- Lullaby (0:58) -- Rain dance (1:47) -- Night chant (1:43) -- Song of happiness (1:09) -- Silversmith's song (1:09) -- Corn grinding song (0:59) -- Children's songs (1:47) -- Church song (1:03) -- Devil dance, crown dance (2:57). Wolf song (2:05) -- Potlatch song (1:38) -- Hamatsa song (1:12) -- War song for marriage (1:50) -- Rabbit dance song (2:03) -- Cree dance song (2:24) -- Fiddle dance song (1:00) -- Bear hunting song (1:44) -- Inviting-in dance song (0:47) -- His first hunt (2:06) -- Hunting for musk ox (3:33) -- Corn dance (2:08) -- Stomp dance (1:57) -- Song of welcome (1:19) -- Buffalo feast song (1:06) -- Morning song (1:12) -- Song of the unfaithful woman (0:59) -- Hoot owl song (1:09) -- Oh Mary (1:01) -- Catholic hymn (0:42) -- Calusa corn dance song (1:32) -- Song of removal (1:41) -- Fortynine dance (2:00) -- Unidentified track (1:03) -- As long as the grass shall grow (6:03).
Track Information:
101 Sun Dance / Drum,Whistle.
102 Love Song.
103 Crazy Dog Song / Jack Low Horn, Jim Low Horn, Emil, Mrs. Wings. Drum,Rattle (Musical instrument).
106 Hand Game Song / William Peaychew. Sticks (Musical instrument).
104 Buffalo Dance Song / Jack V. Anquoe, Kenneth Anquoe, Nick Webster. Drum.
105 Man's Love Song / Mark Evarts.
107 Prisoner's Song / William Burn Stick. Drum.
108 World War II Song / George Nicotine. Drum. English language.
109 Warrior Death Song for Sitting Bull / Bass drum,Bells.
207 Song of Happiness / Fort Wingate (N.M.) Indian School. Drum,Harmonica. Navajo language.
208 Silversmith's Song / Ambrose Roanhorse. Anvils. Navajo language.
209 Corn Grinding Song / Basket drum. Navajo language.
110 Canvas Dance Song / Baptiste Pichette, Eneas Conko. Drum.
111 Funeral Song.
112 Suguaro Song.
113 Peyote Song: First Song Cycle / Burton John, Roy James. Drum,Rattle (Musical instrument).
201 Moonlight Song.
202 Eagle Dance / Drum.
203 Butterfly Dance / Drum.
204 Lullaby.
205 Rain Dance.
206 Night Chant / Rattle (Musical instrument). Navajo language.
210 Children's Song: Wolf Song / Irene Chalepah Poolaw. Kiowa Apache.
303 Hamatsa Song, Cedar Bark Dance / Mungo Martin.
304 War Song for Marriage / Billy Assu.
305 Rabbit Dance Song.
306 Cree Dance Song.
307 Fiddle Dance Song / Fiddle.
308 Bear Hunting Song / Sebastian McKenzie.
309 Inviting in Dance Song / Otis Ahkivigak.
310 His First Hunt / Kemukserar, Pangatkar.
311 Hunting for Musk Ox / Kemukserar, Pangatkar. Drum.
401 Corn Dance / Thomas Lewis.
402 Stomp Dance / Huron Miller.
403 Song of Welcome / Albert Yellow Thunder, Blow Snake, Winslow White Eagle.
404 Buffalo Feast Song / Albert Yellow Thunder, Blow Snake, Winslow White Eagle.
405 Morning Song / Albert Yellow Thunder, Blow Snake, Winslow White Eagle. Rattle (Musical instrument).
406 Song of the Unfaithful Woman / Albert Yellow Thunder, Blow Snake, Winslow White Eagle. Flute.
407 Hoot Owl Song / David, Oshawenimiki Kenosha.
408 Oh Mary / Fred Lacasse.
409 Catholic Hymn / Thomas Shalifoe.
410 Calusa Corn Dance Song / Billy, Gatcayehola Stewart.
411 Song of Removal / Billie Stewart, Susie Tiger.
412 Fortynine Dance / Fred Lacasse. English language.
413 The Seneca: As Long As the Grass Shall Grow / Peter La Farge.
Local Numbers:
FW-COMM-LP-04541
Folkways.4541
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
New York Folkways 1973
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, Onondaga Indian Reservation (N.Y.), Chesterfield (Alaska), Barrow, Point (Alaska), Alaska, Schefferville (Québec), Québec (Province), Montana, Fort Wingate (N.M.), New Mexico, Fort Qu'appelle (Sask.), Canada, Saskatchewan, New York (N.Y.), United States, New York.
General:
Commercial
Songs and dance music from many tribes including Sioux, Cree, Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, Apache, Kwakiutl-Nootka, Slavey, Iroquoian, Winnebago, Ojibwa, Seminole, and others. Compiled and edited by Michael I. Asch. Originally compiled principally from material previously released on several Folkways and Asch recordings. Program notes in English by Michael I. Asch and others, and Native American vocal texts with English translations and English vocal texts (10 p.)
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
The collection consists of one (1) watercolor painting by Awa Tsireh depicting the Corn Dance. The subject (i.e., Corn Dance) was identified April 1, 1978 by Santana Martinez, sister of the artist.
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.
Biographical Note:
Awa Tsireh (1898–1955), also known as Alfonso Roybal and Cattail Bird, was a San Ildefonso Pueblo artist known for his paintings and metalwork.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 362107
NAA INV 08820000
USNM Accession 113605
Related Materials:
The National Anthropological Archives holds an additional painting by Awa Tsireh in the Acee Blue Eagle papers.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum holds over 50 paintings by Awa Tsireh.
Provenance:
The painting was donated to the United States National Museum as part of the bequest of Victor Justice Evans in 1931 (accession 113605). It was transferred from the object collections of the Department of Anthropology to the National Anthropological Archives on April 17, 1978, at the request of William C. Sturtevant.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Works of art
Watercolors
Paintings
Citation:
Awa Tsireh painting of the Corn Dance (MS 362107), National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
The collection consists of three (3) drawings of kivas at San Ildefonso Pueblo. The drawings were commissioned by the Bureau of American Ethnology, possibly for Matilda Coxe Stevenson. The collection also contains a purchase order and invoice for the drawings.
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.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 2628
Restrictions:
Access to the collection is restricted due to cultural sensitivity. Contact the repository for more information.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Works of art
Floor plans
Drawings
Citation:
MS 2628 Drawings of kivas at San Ildefonso Pueblo, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
The Peter Dechert photographs of Pueblo Artists collection contains 412 negatives, 33 contact sheets, and 70 photographs documenting many Native artists of the American Southwest circa 1970-1976.
Scope and Contents:
The Peter Dechert photographs of Pueblo Artists collection contains 412 negatives, 33 contact sheets, and 70 photographs documenting many Native artists of the American Southwest. The photographs were shot by photographer Peter Dechert, circa 1970-1976. The photographs depict artists working in their studios and homes, as well as portraits of them with finished artwork. The photographs offer a behind-the-scenes look at artists and their artistic practices.
Artists documented in this collection include:
Lois Gutierrez de la Cruz (Lois Gutierrez) [Pojoaque Pueblo/K'apovi (Santa Clara Pueblo)]
Derek de la Cruz [K'apovi (Santa Clara Pueblo)]
Gloria Garcia (Goldenrod) [K'apovi (Santa Clara Pueblo)/Pojoaque Pueblo]
John D. Garcia [K'apovi (Santa Clara Pueblo)]
Jason Garcia (Okuu Pin) [Santa Clara Pueblo]
Popovi Da (Tony Martinez) [San Ildefonso Pueblo]
Blue Corn (Crucita Gonzales Calabaza) [San Ildefonso Pueblo]
Ramoncita Sandoval (Ramoncita Cruz) [Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo)]
Santiago Quintana (Cochiti Pueblo)
Minnie Vigil [K'apovi (Santa Clara Pueblo)]
Stella Shutiva (Acoma Pueblo)
Pula Gutierrez [K'apovi (Santa Clara Pueblo)]
Val Gutierrez [K'apovi (Santa Clara Pueblo)]
Arrangement:
Photographs arranged by artists and material type (negatives, contact sheets, and prints).
Biographical / Historical:
Biography from the Peter Dechert's obituary published in the Santa Fe New Mexican on Dec. 27, 2016. It has been edited to fit this finding aid:
Peter Dechert, photojournalist and jazz musician, was born in 1924 in Philadelphia, PA. He was a graduate of the Los Alamos Ranch School (1941) and the University of Pennsylvania (BA 1948, MA 1950, PhD 1955). He also attended the Lawrenceville School and Episcopal Academy. A veteran of World War II, Dechert served in the 69th Infantry Division in France, Belgium, and Germany. While he was Staff Sergeant, Chief of Division Artillery Survey Section, his section was cited as the best of its kind in the US Army (1944). He was later appointed to Division Artillery Headquarters Intelligence. Peter taught himself photographic and darkroom techniques in his pre-teen years, and published his first photograph in Leica Magazine at the age of 15. Peter's photographs have been shown in a variety of gallery settings as well, from the Museum of Modern Art in New York to his own Camera West gallery in Santa Fe. During his time with the School of American Research (now SAR) he studied innovative techniques for using photography in archaeological research, including oblique aerial photography. He contributed a section on Communication, Photography, and the Archaeologist to SAR's publication Photography in Archaeological Research. As founder of the Southwest Foundation for Audiovisual Resources, he documented many Indian artists at work. An internationally-renowned expert in camera history, he was best known for his books Canon Rangefinder Cameras 1933-68 and Olympus Pen Single Lens Reflex Cameras. In all, he wrote 5 books and several hundred articles on cameras and camera equipment. He loved poetry, taught modern American poetry at the University of Pennsylvania, and wrote many poems of his own. He served as the first President of the New Mexico Poetry Society. His poems have appeared in numerous anthologies and publications, including New Mexico Magazine, Sunstone Review, The American Pen, The American Bard, and more. Peter believed strongly in contributing to his community. During his years as President of the St. Vincent Hospital Foundation he raised funds for Santa Fe's first cancer treatment center. Peter passed away in Santa Fe, NM in 2016.
Related Materials:
Other collections of Peter Dechert photographs reside at the New Mexico History Museum.
Provenance:
Gift of Caroline Dechert, 2023.
Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.
Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Peter Dechert photographs of Pueblo Artists, image #, NMAI.AC.440; National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.
The glaze recipes in the studio practice files are access restricted; written permission is required to view these documents. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Toshiko Takaezu papers, circa 1925-circa 2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation and the Alice L. Walton Foundation.
The collection comprises Edward S. Curtis original and copy negatives, prints, and photogravures relating to the Harriman Alaska Expedition and Curtis's 20 volume publication, the North American Indian (NAI), as well as ephemera and one gold-tone of Fort Lapawi.
Scope and Contents:
The Christopher Cardozo collection of Edward S. Curtis papers and photographs primarily relate to Curtis's opus, the North American Indian, and also the 1899 Harriman Alaska Expedition. Papers in the collection include promotional ephemera for the NAI as well as articles by Curtis and others. Photographic material includes original and copy negatives, prints, two Harriman Alaska Expedition souvenir albums, and one gold-tone of Fort Lapawi.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in two series: 1. Papers; and 2. Photographs and photogravures.
Biographical / Historical:
Edward Sherriff Curtis (1868-1952) was an American photographer famous for his photographs of the indigenous peoples of North America. His work was highly influential in shaping a sympathetic yet romantic view of cultures that he and many others believed to be "vanishing." Over the course of 30 years, Curtis visited more than 80 Native American communities and published his photographs and ethnographies in the twenty-volume North American Indian (NAI) (1907-1930).
Curtis was born in Whitewater, Wisconsin, to Ellen and Johnson Curtis in 1868. In about 1874, his family moved to a farm in Cordova, Minnesota. At a young age, Curtis built a camera, and it is possible that he may have worked in a Minneapolis photography studio for a time. In 1887, Curtis and his father moved West and settled on a plot near what is now Port Orchard, Washington, with the rest of the family joining them the following year. When Johnson Curtis died within a month of the family's arrival, 20-year-old Curtis became the head of the family.
In 1891, Curtis moved to Seattle and bought into a photo studio with Rasmus Rothi. Less than a year later, he and Thomas Guptill formed "Curtis and Guptill, Photographers and Photoengravers." The endeavor became a premier portrait studio for Seattle society and found success in photoengraving for many local publications. In 1892, Curtis married Clara Phillips (1874-1932) and in 1893 their son Harold was born (1893-1988), followed by Elizabeth (Beth) (1896-1973), Florence (1899-1987) and Katherine (Billy) (1909-?). Around 1895, Curtis made his first photographs of local Native people, including the daughter of Duwamish chief Seattle: Kickisomlo or "Princess Angeline." Curtis submitted a series of his Native American photographs to the National Photographic Convention, and received an award in the category of "genre studies" for Homeward (later published in volume 9 of the NAI). In 1896, the entire Curtis family moved to Seattle, which included Curtis's mother, his siblings Eva and Asahel, Clara's sisters Susie and Nellie Phillips, and their cousin William Phillips. Most of the household worked in Curtis's studio along with other employees. Curtis became sole proprietor of the studio in 1897, which remained a popular portrait studio but also sold his scenic landscapes and views of the Seattle Area. Curtis also sent his brother Asahel to Alaska and the Yukon to photograph the Klondike Gold Rush, and sold those views as well. Asahel went on to become a well-known photographer in his own right, primarily working in the American Northwest.
Curtis was an avid outdoorsman and joined the Mazamas Club after his first of many climbs of Mount Rainier. On a climb in 1898, Curtis evidently met a group of scientists, including C. Hart Merriam, George Bird Grinnell, and Gifford Pinchot, who had lost their way on the mountain, and led them to safety. This encounter led to an invitation from Merriam for Curtis to accompany a group of over 30 well-known scientists, naturalists, and artists as the official photographer on a maritime expedition to the Alaskan coast. Funded by railroad magnate Edward Harriman, the Harriman Alaska Expedition left Seattle in May of 1899, and returned at the end of July. Curtis made around 5000 photographs during the trip, including photographs of the indigenous peoples they met as well as views of mountains, glaciers, and other natural features. Many of the photographs appeared in the expedition's 14 published volumes of their findings.
In 1900, Curtis accompanied Grinnell to Montana for a Blackfoot Sundance. Here, Curtis made numerous photographs and became interested in the idea of a larger project to document the Native peoples of North America. Almost immediately upon returning from the Sundance, Curtis set off for the Southwest to photograph Puebloan communities. By 1904, Curtis had already held at least one exhibit of his "Indian pictures" and his project to "form a comprehensive and permanent record of all the important tribes of the United States and Alaska that still retain to a considerable degree their primitive customs and traditions" (General Introduction, the NAI) had taken shape and already received some press coverage. With his fieldwork now increasing his absences from home, Curtis hired Adolph Muhr, former assistant to Omaha photographer Frank Rinehart, to help manage the Seattle studio.
In 1904, Curtis was a winner in the Ladies Home Journal "Prettiest Children In America" portrait contest. His photograph of Marie Fischer was selected as one of 112 that would be published and Fischer was one of 12 children selected from the photographs who would have their portrait painted by Walter Russell. Russell and Curtis made an acquaintance while Russell was in Seattle to paint Fischer's portrait, and not long afterwards, Russell contacted Curtis to make photographic studies of Theodore Roosevelt's children for portraits he would paint. Curtis subsequently photographed the entire Roosevelt family, and developed a social connection with the President. Several important outcomes came of this new friendship, including Roosevelt eventually writing the foreword to the NAI, as well as making introductions to influential people.
Key among these introductions was one to wealthy financier John Pierpont Morgan, in 1906. After a brief meeting with Curtis during which he viewed several of Curtis's photographs of Native Americans, Morgan agreed to finance the fieldwork for the NAI project for five years, at $15,000.00 per year. It was up to Curtis to cover publishing and promotion costs, with the publication being sold as a subscription. In return, Morgan would receive 25 sets of the 20-volume publication. The ambitious publication plan outlined 20 volumes of ethnological text, each to be illustrated with 75 photogravure prints made from acid-etched copper plates. Each volume would be accompanied by a companion portfolio of 35 large photogravures. With high-quality papers and fine binding, a set would cost $3000.00. 500 sets were planned. Under Morgan, the North American Indian, Inc. formed as body to administer the monies. Also around this time, Frederick Webb Hodge, Director of the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of American Ethnology, agreed to edit the publications.
Curtis then began more systematic fieldwork, accompanied by a team of research assistants and Native interpreters. In 1906, Curtis hired William E. Myers, a former journalist, as a field assistant and stenographer. Over the years, Myers became the lead researcher on the project, making enormous contributions in collecting data and possibly doing the bulk of the writing for the first 18 volumes. Upon meeting a new community, Curtis and his team would work on gathering data dealing with all aspects of the community's life, including language, social and political organization, religion, food ways, measures and values, and many other topics. (See box 2 folder 1 in this collection for Curtis's list of topics.) Curtis and his assistants, especially Myers, brought books and papers to the field relating to the tribes they were currently concerned with, and often wrote from the field to anthropologists at the Bureau of American Ethnology and other institutions for information or publications. In addition to fieldnotes and photographs, the team also employed sound recording equipment, making thousands of recordings on wax cylinders. Curtis also often brought a motion picture camera, although few of his films have survived.
The first volume of the NAI was published towards the end of 1907. Already, Curtis was encountering difficulty in finding subscribers to the publication despite great praise in the press and among those who could afford the volumes. Curtis spent progressively more of his time outside the field season promoting the project through lectures and in 1911, presenting his "Picture Musicale"—a lecture illustrated with lantern slides and accompanied by an original musical score—in major cities. After the initial five funded years, only eight of the twenty volumes had been completed. However, Morgan agreed to continue support for the fieldwork and publication continued.
Starting in 1910, Curtis and his team worked among the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nation on Vancouver Island, and in 1913 began to develop a documentary film project featuring the community in Alert Bay. In 1914, Curtis produced the feature-length film, In the Land of the Headhunters. The film showcased an all-indigenous cast and included an original musical score. Screened in New York and Seattle, it received high praise. However after this initial success, it did not receive the attention Curtis had hoped for, and resulted in financial loss.
Meanwhile, Curtis's prolonged absences from home had taken a toll on his marriage and in 1919 Clara and Edward divorced. The Seattle studio was awarded to Clara, and Curtis moved to Los Angeles, opening a photography studio with his daughter Beth and her husband Manford "Mag" Magnuson. Daughters Florence and Katherine came to Los Angeles sometime later. Curtis continued with fieldwork and promotion of the project, and in 1922 volume 12 of the NAI was published. Also in 1922, Curtis was accompanied during the field season in California by his daughter Florence Curtis Graybill, the first time a family member had gone to the field with him since the Curtis children were very small.
Curtis continued to push the project and publications along, yet never without financial struggle and he picked up work in Hollywood as both a still and motion picture photographer. John Pierpont Morgan, Jr., continued to provide funding for the fieldwork in memory of his father, but with the various financial upsets of the 1910s and 1920s, Curtis had a difficult time getting subscribers on board. In 1926, Myers, feeling the strain, regretfully resigned after the completion of volume 18. Anthropologist Frank Speck recommended Stewart Eastwood, a recent graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, to replace Myers as ethnologist for the final two volumes.
In 1927, Curtis and his team, along with his daughter Beth Curtis Magnuson, headed north from Seattle to Alaska and Canada on a final field season. Harsh weather and a hip injury made the trip difficult for Curtis, but he was very satisfied with the season's work. The party returned to Seattle, and upon arrival Curtis was arrested for unpaid alimony. He returned exhausted to Los Angeles, and in 1930 the final two volumes of NAI were published without fanfare. Curtis spent the next two years recovering from physical and mental exhaustion. Beth and Mag continued to run the Curtis studio in LA, but for the most part, Curtis had set down his camera for good. With the NAI behind him and his health recovered, Curtis pursued various interests and employment, eventually, settling down on a farm outside Los Angeles. he later moved in with Beth and Mag. Curtis died at home in 1952.
Sources Cited Davis, Barbara. Edward S. Curtis: the life and times of a shadowcatcher. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1984. Gidley, Mick. The North American Indian, Incorporated. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Christopher Cardozo (1948-2021) was a major collector and dealer in Edward S. Curtis photography.
Related Materials:
The National Anthropological Archives holds additional Curtis papers and photographs in NAA.2010-28, the Edward S. Curtis papers and photographs, MS 2000-18, the Edward Curtis investigation of the battle of Little Bighorn and Photo Lot 59, the Library of Congress copyright prints collection.
The Archives of Traditional Music at Indiana University holds Curtis's wax cylinder audio recordings from 1907-1913.
The Braun Research Library at the Autry Museum of the American West holds the Frederick Webb Hodge papers (1888-1931), which contain substantial correspondence from Curtis. The Braun also holds a small amount of Curtis papers and photographs, including some of Curtis's cyanotypes.
The Getty Research Institute holds the Edward S. Curtis papers (1900-1978), which include the original manuscript scores for the Curtis Picture Musicale and film In the Land of the Headhunters.
The Palace of the Governors at the New Mexico History Museum holds original Curtis negatives pertaining to the southwest.
The Pierpont Morgan Library holds the Edward S. Curtis papers (1906-1947), which contain the records of the North American Indian, Inc., as well as Curtis's correspondence to librarian, and later library director, Belle Da Costa Greene. The library also holds a large collection of Curtis's lantern slides, used in his Picture Musicale.
The Seattle Public Library holds correspondence of Curtis to Librarian Harriet Leitch (1948-1951), pertaining to his career.
The Seaver Center for Western History Research at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History holds collection GC 1143, which contains Curtis's field notes as well as manuscript drafts for the North American Indian.
The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian holds NMAI.AC.080, the Edward S. Curtis photogravure plates and proofs, as well as NMAI.AC.053, the Mary Harriman Rumsey collection of Harriman Alaska Expedition photographs.
The University of Washington Libraries Special Collections holds the Edward S. Curtis papers (1893-1983). Additionally, the Burke Museum holds papers and photographs of Edmund Schwinke, which relate to Curtis's work with the Kwakwaka'wakw community.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the National Anthropological Archives by Julie Cardozo in 2022.
Restrictions:
Viewing of the photographic negatives requires advance notice and the permission of the Photo Archivist.
This series contains 21 negatives, 2 contact sheet, 4 photographs depicting San Ildefonso Pueblo potter Popovi Da (also known as Tony Martinez; 1923-1971). The photographs were shot by Peter Dechert in March 1970. The images depict Popovi Da working on a pot, posing with finished pieces, and outdoor portraits.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.
Collection Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Peter Dechert photographs of Pueblo Artists, image #, NMAI.AC.440; National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.
This series contains 62 negatives and 2 contact sheets depicting San Ildefonso Pueblo potter Blue Corn (also known as Crucita Gonzales Calabaza; 1921-1999). The photographs were shot by Peter Dechert in 1975 at the Santa Fe Market. The photographs depict Blue Corn working on her pottery, as well as finished works.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archives Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not modified in any way, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian. For more information please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use and NMAI Archive Center's Digital Image request website.
Collection Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Peter Dechert photographs of Pueblo Artists, image #, NMAI.AC.440; National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.
