Contents and Arrangement
Online

Series 5: Audiovisual Material, 1961 April 17-1987 November 13

9 boxes
Restrictions may apply. See Access Note.

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Series 5: Audiovisual Material (1961-1987) numbers 71 reel-to-reel tapes, 23 audio cassette tapes, and seven black and white or color 16 mm films, which, together, provide a distinctive entree to many of the individuals and issues which defined the AAIA over a 26-year period. While much of this ground is covered elsewhere -- even, at times, in the form of transcripts -- the sounds and images contained in this subseries serve to vivify the printed word. Half the audio tapes are recordings of Board and Executive Committee Meetings, which assisted the Secretary -- an office held by Hildegarde Forbes during most of this period -- in preparing minutes. These can be found in Series 1, Subseries 1 (Administration), accompanied, in some instances, by laborious transcripts. While the recordings in this subseries constitute a fuller account of the AAIA's administrative deliberations than even the most detailed minutes, they contain unintelligible moments and, it is important to note, were subject to interruption when particularly sensitive matters were broached. A vast amount of verbiage has, however, been preserved, ranging from routine reports to intense discussions. A particularly revealing mix of the prosaic and portentous can be found in the recording of the Board Meeting of May 9, 1967, at which internal differences arising from the Pueblo of Taos' struggle to recover its sacred Blue Lake came to a head.

The other audio tapes in this subseries were recorded in a variety of settings and encompass a diversity of issues. Among them can be found broadcast interviews with such figures as Executive Director William Byler and General Counsel Arthur Lazarus, Jr., proceedings of meetings such as the Point Barrow Conference on Native Rights, the discussion and exposition of major issues such as child welfare and federal recognition of tribes, and the documentation of tribal life, as in case of the Devils Lake Sioux. Especially evocative in this regard is an Indian woman's testimony concerning the plight of her people, including their "slow termination" through the removal of children to non-Indian homes. Another voice which can be heard, albeit briefly, is that of Oliver La Farge, on the occasion of Pueblo of Taos Governor Severino Martinez's address to the membership of the AAIA in 1961.

The films included in this subseries consist of television documentaries and newscasts, a majority of which were produced by the Columbia Broadcasting System. Their tone is critical of the white man's treatment of Native Americans, though, in surveying the contemporary socioeconomic landscape, their optimism varies. The picture which emerges from these films is a mixed one. Instances of self-assertion, such as the recruitment of industry by the Pueblo of Laguna or the reclamation of ranch lands by the Sioux of South Dakota, are documented. On the other hand, attention is compellingly drawn to the poverty and disorientation which haunt too many Native American communities. The AAIA does not go unmentioned, and Oliver La Farge is prominently featured in a film about the Hopi. Among the images likely to linger in viewers' minds is one of Hopi children, a ceremonial rattle in one hand, a geography text book in the other: an image emblematic of the cultural duality to which these films attest.

Arrangement

The audiovisual material is arranged into groups according to media format (e.g. 7" Reel-to-Reel tapes). Within each media format group the recordings are arranged alphabetically by title of the content (e.g. "Navajo interview" or "Sixty Minutes").

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 5 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:

Series 5: Audiovisual Material; 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 419-427