Guide to the Indigenous Materials at the American Philosophical Society

Description: 13 notebooks recorded by Ethel Aginsky. The first 11 notebooks document Aginsky's research with mostly Puyallup people between November 1935 and January 1936. Puyallup (Washington) is the only location identified - the location is thought to be Tacoma. Consultants include: Mary Adams, Henry Allen, Emily Hawk, Annie James, Anthony James, Nancy Sherwood, Kimball Sherwood, Joseph Sparr, Annie Wilbur, Jimmy (or Jimmie) Wilbur, Willy Wilbur, Mrs. Willy Wilbur, and Marcel Williams. The notebooks include texts (histories, conversations, etc.) and wordlists. In addition to Lushootseed, there is Chehalis and Twana language identified, and one text in notebook 10 is of Klallam cultural origin (but in Lushootseed). Notebooks 12-13 are Aginsky's unrelated classroom notes.

Collection:Ethel Aginsky Notebooks Collection (Mss.SMs.Coll.127)

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Fanggui Li Collection

Culture:

Mattole includes: Bear River

Denesuline includes: Dënesųłiné, Chipewyan

Hupa includes: Natinixwe, Na:tinixwe, Natinook-wa, Na:tini-xwe, Hoopa

Language:English | Denesuline (ᑌᓀᓱᒼᕄᓀ)

Date:1928-1982

Contributor:Li, Fanggui | Mandeville, François | Ferrier, Baptiste | Thompson, Laurence C. | Thompson, M. Terry

Type:Text | Sound recording

Extent:1.5 linear feet

Description: The heart of the Fanggui Li Collection is comprised of ten notebooks kept by the linguist Fanggui (Fang-Kuei) Li relating to his research on the Denesuline "Chipewyan" language in 1928. Recorded in the field, these texts consist of phonetic transcriptions of stories elicited from François Mandeville in Denesuline, and, in one instance, Baptiste Ferrier) in July 1928, with interlinear English translations. The topics of these stories include myths, folklore, and tribal history as well as activities like fishing, tanning a moose hide, or making a canoe. The balance of the collection consists of an extensive slipfile for Denesuline language, and two audio cassettes of oral history interviews conducted by Laurence C. Thompson and M. Terry Thompson in 1982, concerning Li's memories of Edward Sapir and other colleagues in linguistics. Interview topics include Li's early education, experience at the University of Chicago, Leonard Bloomfield, Edward Sapir's influence on his course of study, Li's fieldwork on the Mattole language in Northern California in the late 1920s, discrimination against Chinese in that region at that time, Li's work with Sapir on the Hupa reservation, and various aspects of linguistic methodology of the times, including recording with wax cylinders. See the finding aid for more information, including more details on the contents of each notebook and the two audio cassettes, and for related material.

Collection:Fanggui Li Collection (Mss.Ms.Coll.119)

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Ktunaxa materials, Paul Garvin Papers

Culture:

Ktunaxa includes: Kootenai, Kootenay, Kutenai, Tonaxa

Language:English | Kutenai

Date:1946-1950

Type:Text

Genre:Stories | Oral histories

Extent:1 linear foot (11 reel-to-reel tapes, 24 folders)

Description: The majority of the Paul Garvin Papers is from fieldwork conducted by Garvin in 1946 and 1950 in Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, Cranbrook, B.C., Creston, B.C., Elmo, Montana, Premier Lake, B.C., Tobacco Plains, B.C., and Windermere, B.C.. The first 11 tapes (Series I) are Ktunaxa, as are all the transcripts (Series II). Tapes may correspond to transcripts.

Collection:Paul Garvin Papers (Mss.Ms.Coll.281)

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Ojibwe materials, Charles E. Fiero Papers

Culture:

Ojibwe includes: Ojibwa, Chippewa, Ojibway

Anishinaabe includes: Anishinaabeg, Anishinabe, Nishnaabe, Anishinabek

Language:English | Oji-Cree (ᐊᓂᔑᓂᓂᒧᐏᐣ) | Ojibwa, Northwestern | Ojibwe | Ojibwa, Western

Date:1957-2017

Type:Text | Sound recording | Cartographic

Extent:2.75 linear feet

Description: Almost all of the Charles E. Fiero Papers reflect varieties of Ojibwe/Anishinaabemowin. Fiero, a missionary linguist, is best known within the field for creating the double-vowel orthography. Series I (the bulk) contains manuscripts, while Series II contains a small volume of digital media that has yet to be transferred. The collection represents fieldwork originally done between 1957 and 1993 (bulk 1957-1970s), chronologically arranged by date of first fieldwork, and contains many retranscriptions and reanalyses by Fiero from subsequent decades, illustrating his understanding of the material. The fieldnotes mostly comprise lexica and texts, and individual folders typically contain detailed background information. Fieldwork was mostly conducted in Ontario. Place names include: Berens River, Deer Lake, Pauingassi, Pikangikum, Poplar Hill, Red Lake, White Earth, Cat Lake, Doghole Bar, Fort Hope, Grassy Narrows, McDowell Lake, North Spirit Lake, and Pickle Lake.

Collection:Charles E. Fiero Papers (Mss.Ms.Coll.187)

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Reminiscences of Franziska Boas : oral history, 1972

Language:English

Date:1972

Contributor:Boas, Franziska, 1902-1988

Subject:Anthropology | Linguistics

Type:Text

Genre:Biographies | Interviews | Oral histories

Extent:76 pages

Description: Franziska Marie Boas was the youngest of six children of anthropologist Franz Boas and Marie Krackowizer. These reminiscences of her father, Franz Boas (1858-1942), were the result of an interview by John R. Cole of the Oral History Research Office at Columbia University in 1972. Portions of her life are highlighted but the primary focus is on her father, Franz Boas, with numerous comments on his students and colleagues. This is a typed transcript of the original interview reels in the Oral History Research Office of Columbia University, now the Columbia Center for Oral History.

Collection:Reminiscences of Franziska Boas : oral history, 1972 (Mss.B.B61re)

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Round Valley materials, Amelia Susman Schultz Papers

Culture:

Wailaki

Nomlaki includes: Noamlakee, Nomelaki, Central Wintun

Maidu

Konkow includes: Concow

Language:Maidu, Northwest | English | Wailaki | Nomlaki

Date:1930s-1970s

Type:Text | Cartographic

Extent:1.5 linear feet

Description: During the late 1930s, Amelia Susman Schultz conducted fieldwork on acculturation at the Round Valley Indian Reservation, California, for a Ph.D. thesis eventually published in 1976. Series II of the Amelia Susman Schultz Papers reflects both periods of research, though mostly the late 1930s. Of particular interest are: ten field notebooks from 1937, most containing some language data (undetermined as yet which languages) in addition to ethnographic notes from discussions with consultants; ethnographic notes arranged by subject (see items titled "Ethnographic notes by subject" in addition to "Notes on full sheets" and "Notes on half sheets"); descriptions of Round Valley's chronology, population history, genealogy, and socioeconomic surveys; and Schultz's works-in-progress, including the original dissertation.

Collection:Amelia Susman Schultz Papers (Mss.Ms.Coll.171)

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Sahaptin field notes

Culture:

Walla Walla includes: Waluulapam, Natítayt

Yakama includes: Yakima

Umatilla includes: Natítayt

Tayx

Sahaptin includes: Shahaptin

Molala includes: Molalla, Molale

Nez Perce includes: Niimíipu

Colville includes: sx̌ʷyʔiɬpx

Date:ca. 1953-1969

Type:Text

Extent:2 reels; 18 notebooks and ca. 380 loose pages

Description: Fieldnotes across the Plateau region, especially in Pendleton OR (near the Umatilla Reservation), Nespelem WA (in the Colville Reservation), and Toppenish WA (Yakama Reservation), between 1963 and 1969, supplemented by materials collected from other recent secondary sources. Copies held by the APS were privately microfilmed by Bruce Rigsby; the APS does not possess the originals. Notebooks 1-8 mostly represent work at and around the Umatilla Reservation in 1963, and notebooks 9-18 were recorded mostly near the Colville and Yakama reservations, 1964 onwards. The notebooks contain elicited lexica, with some texts, and details on the knowledge and use of languages by specific individuals. The loose notes at the end are mostly texts. A full inventory of the notebooks and notes, with individual contributor, place and language information, is in the collection finding aid.

Collection:Sahaptin field notes (Mss.Film.1261)

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Sahaptin materials, Virginia D. Hymes Papers

Culture:

Tenino

Sahaptin includes: Shahaptin

Language:Tenino | English

Date:1950s-1980s, bulk 1970s-1980s

Type:Text

Extent:10 linear feet

Description: The majority of the Virginia D. Hymes Papers relate to her work on the Warm Springs Reservation. This includes all or most of Series I, II, III and V. Series V (Card Files) contains around 35000 lexical files compiled by Hymes as well as David and Kay French and an unidentified researcher. Series III (Research Files) contains fieldnotes, texts and dictionary files. Series I (Correspondence) and IV (Works by Others) also mostly relate to Sahaptin research by others, including Bruce Rigsby (Yakima and Umatilla Sahaptin), Virginia Beavert, and Eugene Hunn.

Collection:Virginia D. Hymes Papers (Mss.Ms.Coll.189)

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Shawnee materials, Bruce L. Pearson Papers

Culture:

Shawnee

Language:Shawnee | English

Date:bulk 1980s-2000s

Subject:Linguistics | Oklahoma--History | Indiana--History

Type:Text

Extent:ca. 1.5 linear feet (2 boxes manuscripts, 1 box card files)

Description: The Shawnee materials in the Bruce L. Pearson Papers reflect his work with the Absentee Shawnee Tribe in Oklahoma on the Shawnee language. Most significant is a field notebook in Series IV (begun in 1969 and continuing through the 1980s and 1990s), all of Series II, and a partially arranged index card file in Series IX. Series II contains a wide range of materials including lexica (variously published and unpublished sources), collected research by others, correspondence, research notes, and materials produced by the Absentee Shawnee tribe. There is also Shawnee material scattered in Series V (one of the "Southeastern Conference On Linguistics" folders), Series VI (see under Bierhorst, Price, and Taukchiray), and VIII (Amoena Norcross's dissertation).

Collection:Bruce L. Pearson Papers (Mss.Ms.Coll.265)