Guide to the Indigenous Materials at the American Philosophical Society

Description: Materials relating to Speck's study of Penobscot language, history, and culture, and his preparation of his book Penobscot Man. This includes several folders of Speck's field notes, notes organized around specific topics (including data not used in Speck's published works), copies and drafts of lectures and essays, correspondence, etc. Topics include Penobscot social organization, calendar system, house furnishings, hunting morality, animal lore, religion, art, sayings, alphabet, counting and measuring, canoe-making, face-painting, texts with interlineal translations, and "Bird Lore of the Northern Indians" (a faculty public lecture at the University of Pennsylvania). Additionally, significant correspondence concerns the preparation, expenses, dissemination, and reception of his Penobscot publications. Other topics of correspondence include Ethel Gandy's monograph on Penobscot art; names of chiefs and their clans; "clown" performances outside of the southwest among the Penobscot, Iroquois [Haudenosaunee], Abenaki, and Delaware; place names; the relationship of Penobscot-Mohegan and Mahican; a comparison of Zuni-Navajo and Red Paint; Tutelo. There is a particularly large folder of Speck's miscellaneous Penobscot notes containing both a variety of notes and correspondence from Penobscot consultants as well as non-Native colleagues. These include letters from Roland E. Nelson (Needahbeh, Penobscot) concerning drum for exhibit; letters from Nelson, Franz Boas, John M. Cooper, William B. Goodwin, E. V. McCollum, and J. Dyneley Prince, all concerning Penobscot Man; Clifford P. Wilson concerning moosehair embroidery; Edward Reman concerning Norse influence on Penobscot; Carrie A. Lyford concerning moose-wool controversy and Ann Stimson's report; Ann Stimson, letter of thanks; Henry Noyes Otis concerning genealogy of Indians named Sias on Cape Cod (Speck marked this Penobscot); Princess Pretty Woman (Passamaquoddy) concerning her dress (apparently at the Penn Museum); Dorothy Ranco (Penobscot) concerning Princess Pretty Woman's dress; Roland W. Mann, concerning site of Indian occupancy according to Penobscot tradition; Ryuzo Torii, letter of introduction. Other miscellaneous items include a 5-page transcript of agreements between Indians of Nova Scotia and the English, August 15, 1749; 2 pages, transcript of agreement of July 13, 1727 (letter of transmittal, Lloyd Price to Miss MacDonald, September 24, 1936); Ann K. Stimson, Moose Wool and Climbing Powers of the American Mink; miscellaneous field notes on topics like songs, kinship, totem, medicine, and social units; and 4 pages of Penobscot words and their cultural use.

Collection:Frank G. Speck Papers (Mss.Ms.Coll.126)

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Penobscot materials, Frank Siebert Papers

Culture:

Penobscot

Mi'kmaq includes: Micmac

Abenaki includes: Abnaki

Language:English | Abenaki, Eastern

Date:1669; 1678; 1725-1796; 1809-1884; 1900-1995

Type:Sound recording | Still Image | Text

Extent:12 linear feet; 3 hrs. (audio); 5 photographs

Description: The Penobscot materials in the Frank Siebert Papers are concentrated in Series III. Siebert collected census material, treaties and treaty minutes, placenames, with a strong representation of songs, stories, and linguistic materials. There are detailed notes about Indian claims in Maine and genealogical information. There are also educational materials for the teaching of the Penobscot language as well as a wealth of information on Penobscot linguistics. Series V, Siebert's notebooks, have extensive grammatical, phonetic, and vocabulary of the Penobscot language. Both Series III and V reflect Siebert's deep interest in the history of Maine and the Eastern Abenaki including archaeological, pre-history, and colonial era documents such as the Eliot Bible, which Siebert owned a rare copy in his library, which was sold at auction. Series VI and VII contain various drafts of essays on Penobscot culture, language, and history. Series XI contains 5 related photos of Louis Lolar, taken in 1933. Series XII contains approximately 3 hours of Penobscot language recordings, primarily from the 1930s and 1950s.

Collection:Frank Siebert Papers (Mss.Ms.Coll.97)

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Political organization among the Kanienkehaka [Mohawk] of Southern Quebec, 1890s to 1920s

Culture:

Mohawk includes: Kanienʼkehá꞉ka

Haudenosaunee includes: Iroquois, Onkwehonwe

Language:English | Mohawk

Date:1997

Subject:Politics and government | Québec (Province)--History | Religion | Social life and customs

Type:Sound recording

Genre:Interviews

Extent:7 audiocassettes (5 hr., 16 min.) : DIGITIZED

Description: Oral history interviews in English conducted at Kahnawake, Quebec, in October 1997, focused on political organization, social movements, socio-political political developments in Kahnawake in the late 19th- and early 20th-century, including the opposition of the establishment of an order of teaching nuns on the reserve, the Council of Tribes (or Thunderwater Movement,) and the re-establishment of the Longhouse in Kahnawake in the 1920s. (NOTE: This material has been digitized and can be accessed online for free by users not physically at the APS Library through a login and password. Please see our Audio Access Page for information on how to request these materials.)

Collection:Political organization among the Kanienkehaka [Mohawk] of Southern Quebec, 1890s to 1920s (Mss.Rec.261)

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Seneca materals, Elisabeth Tooker Papers

Culture:

Seneca includes: Onöndowága

Haudenosaunee includes: Iroquois, Onkwehonwe

Language:English | Seneca

Date:1958-1982

Contributor:Evaneshko, Veronica | Fenton, William N., (William Nelson), 1908-2005 | Sundown, Arnold | Sundown, Corbett | Tooker, Elisabeth, 1927-2004

Subject:Kinship | New York (State)--History | Social life and customs | Religion | Politics and government

Type:Still Image | Text

Extent:.5 linear feet

Description: The Seneca materials in the Eilsabeth Tooker papers are found in most sections of the finding aid. The majority of the Seneca material relates to Tonawanda and can be located by searching for that name. In Series I, see correspondence with William Fenton, Corbett Sundown, and others. There may be additional relevant material in other correspondence folders. Series II includes issues of Tonawanda Indian Community News from 1972 to 1973. Series III contains numerous drafts of works by Tooker relating to Tonawanda history and social life. Series V contains 6 folders of Tooker's field notes from Tonawanda from 1958-1972. (Some of this material may be restricted due to cultural sensitivity or privacy concerns.) Also found in Series V are genealogies collected and revised by Tooker in July 1966 and then revised again by Veronica Evaneshko in January 1973. Additional related research notecards are found in Series VII. Series VI contains a cabinet card of Ely S. Parker’s sister, Caroline Parker Mountpleasant, a Seneca of the Wolf Clan.

Collection:Elisabeth Tooker Papers (Mss.Ms.Coll.84)

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Seneca materials, Phillips Fund Collection

Culture:

Seneca includes: Onöndowága

Language:English | Seneca

Date:1964-2015

Type:Text | Still Image | Cartographic

Extent:1427 pages

Description: Materials in this collection are listed alphabetically by last name of author. See materials listed under John, Nichols, Pollak, Roark-Calnek, and Wyler.

Collection:Phillips Fund for Native American Research Collection (Mss.497.3.Am4)

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Seneca materials, William N. Fenton papers

Culture:

Seneca includes: Onöndowága

Haudenosaunee includes: Iroquois, Onkwehonwe

Language:English | Seneca

Date:Bulk 1930s-1990s

Type:Text | Still Image | Sound recording

Extent:15+ linear feet

Description: Seneca materials make up the majority of the Fenton papers and can be found throughout all sections of the collection. Series I contains correspondence with numerous people on Seneca matters. Noteworthy Seneca correspondents include Simeon Gibson, Clara Redeye, Sherman Redeye, and other individuals such as those listed above. The largest body of material is in Series V, which includes Fenton's notebooks and other documentation from field work at Allegany, Cattaraugus, Tonawanda, and Grand River, beginning in the 1930s through late in his career. This section also includes extensive card files on "Materia Medica" or ethnobotanical information, and Seneca place names. Series VI consists of over 1000 photographs, the majority of which are from Seneca communities in the 1930s-1950s. Series VII contains one audio recording of Seneca songs. Series VIII includes additional field notes and other materials derived mainly from his 1930s fieldwork. Significant portions of these materials may be restricted due to cultural sensitivity, as Fenton's materials frequently pertain to areas of sacred traditional knowledge.

Collection:William N. Fenton papers (Mss.Ms.Coll.20)

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Some account of my journey to the Seneca Nation of Indians, and residence amongst that people, 1798-1799

Culture:

Seneca includes: Onöndowága

Haudenosaunee includes: Iroquois, Onkwehonwe

Language:English

Date:1798-1799

Contributor:Jackson, Halliday, 1771-1835

Subject:Missions | Religion | New York (State)--History | Social life and customs | Politics and government

Type:Text

Genre:Journals | Diaries | Travel narratives

Extent:181 pages

Description: This manuscript, entitled “An account of my journey to the Seneca Nation of Indians, and residence amongst that people,” was compiled by Halliday Jackson, a Quaker missionary, during his yearlong residence with the Seneca Nation in New York. Jackson's chronicle is well-written, detailed, and often fascinating. It includes descriptions of daily life, weather, customs, and minutes of councils. Another copy of this journal, worded differently, was edited by Anthony F. C. Wallace and published in Pennsylvania History 19 (1952): 177, 325.

Collection:Some account of my journey to the Seneca Nation of Indians, and residence amongst that people, 1798-1799 (Mss.970.3.J25)

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Taos materials, William Fenton audio collection

Culture:

Taos

Language:English | Tiwa, Northern

Date:1950

Contributor:Concha, Eliseo | Hughes, Henry | Smith, George

Type:Sound recording

Genre:Interviews | Songs

Extent:28 min. : DIGITIZED

Description: The Taos materials in the William Fenton audio collection are located in "Series 10: Indian Summer School Dance Program." They consist of Fenton's notes on an interview with Henry Hughes, a conversation titled "Taos community work," and 4 publicly performed dances (War Dance, Horse Tail Dance, Hoop Dance, and Circle Dance.) (NOTE: This material has been digitized and can be accessed online for free by users not physically at the APS Library through a login and password. Please see our Audio Access Page for information on how to request these materials.)

Collection:William Fenton audio collection (Mss.Rec.138)

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Tuscarora language materials narrated by Chief Elton Greene

Culture:

Tuscarora includes: Ska:rù:rę'

Haudenosaunee includes: Iroquois, Onkwehonwe

Language:English | Tuscarora

Date:1971-1972

Contributor:Greene, Elton | Mithun, Marianne

Subject:Linguistics | New York (State)--History | Politics and government | Social life and customs

Type:Sound recording

Genre:Elicitation sessions | Stories | Vocabularies

Extent:6 sound tape reels (2 hr., 25 min.) : DIGITIZED

Description: Tuscarora linguistic material, given by consultant in English and Tuscarora. Includes verbs, grammar, numerals, days, months, seasons, greetings, weather, body parts, and colors. Also includes a short speech given in Tuscarora, then English, on how Tuscarora chiefs are chosen and the preservation of Tuscarora language and customs. (NOTE: This material has been digitized and can be accessed online for free by users not physically at the APS Library through a login and password. Please see our Audio Access Page for information on how to request these materials.)

Collection:Tuscarora language materials narrated by Chief Elton Greene (Mss.Rec.88)

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Tuscarora material

Culture:

Tuscarora includes: Ska:rù:rę'

Haudenosaunee includes: Iroquois, Onkwehonwe

Language:English | Tuscarora

Date:1948-1949

Type:Sound recording

Genre:Autobiographies | Speeches | Stories | Vocabularies

Extent:30 open reel tapes (14 hr., 38 min.) : DIGITIZED

Description: Recorded by Anthony Wallace in 1948 and 1949 at the Tuscarora Reservation in Niagara County, New York. Contains folkloric stories, tribal histories (especially relating to the 18th and 19th centuries), autobiographical stories, reminiscences, Vocabularies, and descriptions of tribal government, organizations, and customs. Almost all stories are given in both Tuscarora and English. Originally recorded on 16 wire spools, transfered to open reel tape in 1950. (NOTE: This material has been digitized and can be accessed online for free by users not physically at the APS Library through a login and password. Please see our Audio Access Page for information on how to request these materials.)

Collection:Tuscarora material (Mss.Rec.2)