Contents and Arrangement
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Subseries 1: Henry S. Forbes, 1954-1981

6 boxes
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Restrictions may apply. See Access Note.

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Series 3: Personal Files, Subseries 1: Henry S. Forbes (1954-1981) consists of correspondence, notes, articles, reports, clippings, and photographs belonging to Henry Stone Forbes (1882-1968). Forbes, a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Medical School, devoted most of his medical career to research on neuropathology. Forbes became interested in the AAIA through Dr. Haven Emerson, a onetime President of the Association, who invited him to join its National Committee on Indian Health. He joined its Board of Directors in 1958. In 1961 President Oliver La Farge asked Forbes to serve as chairman of the AAIA's Committee on Alaskan Policy, to which he replied, "I don't know anything about Alaska, but I'll do what I can." Forbes rectified this situation by journeying to Alaska, travels which are well-documented in this subseries. His inaugural visit, in the company of Executive Director La Verne Madigan in the summer of 1961, was at the request of the Alaskan natives of Point Hope. The members of this community were gravely concerned about the potential effects of Project Chariot, a plan by the federal government to detonate a nuclear device as a means of blasting a new harbor. Fearing that radiation from the blast would harm the local population's food supply, the AAIA stepped in and was instrumental in derailing the plan. Madigan, the driving force behind the AAIA's involvement in Alaska, died in 1962, placing new responsibilities on Forbes. As the wealth of material relating to Alaska in this subseries attests, he shouldered this burden, playing an active role in Alaskan affairs until his death.

Forbes' most enduring legacy and one to which a significant amount of material is devoted was the Tundra Times, a newspaper published and edited by Alaskan natives. Forbes was largely responsible for its financing and was an important source of counsel to its staff. As its editor, Howard Rock, reflected on Forbes' death, "The native people have lost a great benefactor.... Dr. Henry S. Forbes, perhaps more than he realized, has done the greatest of services by making it possible for us to point out the dire needs of our people in Alaska.... Whatever will be established for the good of all of us will be a living monument to a man who exercised so much of his generosity." The files on this subject contain substantive correspondence, much of it with Rock, regarding the start-up, everyday workings, content, and financial difficulties of the Tundra Times as it strove to make the voice of Alaskan natives heard. This subseries also includes material relating to a number of groundbreaking conferences which brought together the leaders of Alaska's native communities, including the Inupiat and Dena' Nena' Henash gatherings; the Alaskan Association for Native Affairs, formerly known as the Alaska Native Rights Association; fishing, whaling, and hunting rights; land claims, including concerns over the displacement of Alaskan natives from their villages; and the abortive Rampart Dam. A small collection of photographs contains pictures taken in the course of Forbes' travels in Alaska, among other items.

Arrangement

The materials in this subseries are arranged alphabetically by subject, organization, or last name of correspondent. Prior to their transfer to Princeton University, Forbes' files were sorted and annotated by his wife, Hildegarde Forbes, whose own papers can be found in Series 3, Subseries 2. Photographs are found at the end of the subseries.

Collection History

Appraisal

No information about appraisal is available for this collection prior to the 2007 addition. Materials related to particular scholarships were separated from the August 2007 addition [ML.2007.027] and returned to the donor as requested.

No materials were separated from subsequent additions in 2008-2015. The exception is the 2014 addition [ML.2014.007]; AAIA newsletters that had already been catalogued by Princeton's Firestone Library were removed.

Approximately 1.5 linear feet consisting of routine financial information, personnel records, and other out-of-scope materials were removed from the October 2016 addition [ML.2016.034].

Sponsorship:

These records were processed with the generous support of The National Endowment for the Humanities and The John Foster and Janet Avery Dulles Fund.

Processing Information

These Records were initially arranged and described between December 1995 - June 1997 by John S. Weeren, with the able assistance of many hands and, in particular, Tom Rosko, Mitra Martin, Christina Aragon, and Shawneequa Callier. Additions received from 2005 to 2008 were processed in 2008 by Lynn Durgin. An inventory, the MARC record and the finding aid were updated at this time. Materials from subsequent additions from 2009-2016 were added to the collection as separate series. Box and folder lists for these additionss were created and the MARC record and finding aid were updated. Some materials in the May 2011, September 2012, and 2014 additions were re-housed in archival boxes or folders during accessioning. Digital materials in Series 8 were processed by Elena Colon-Marrero in July 2015.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

All records in Series 3 are open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, any copyright vested in the donor has passed to The Trustees of Princeton University and researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of donor-created materials within the collection. For materials in the collection not created by the donor, or where the material is not an original, the copyright is likely not held by the University. In these instances, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have a question about who owns the copyright for an item, you may request clarification by contacting us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

This collection contains materials acquired from an Apple iMac desktop computer and other unknown desktop computers. Researchers are responsible for meeting the technical requirements needed to access these materials, including any and all hardware and software.

Credit this material:

Subseries 1: Henry S. Forbes; Association on American Indian Affairs Records, MC147, Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Location:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
(609) 258-6345
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (mudd): Box 382-387