Summer 2003 Newsletter
Volume XI No. 2
Labriola National American Indian Data Center
University Libraries
Arizona State University
Box 871006
Tempe, Arizona 85287-1006
www.asu.edu/lib/archives/labriola.htm
Patricia A. Etter, Curator
Joyce Martin, ReferenceLabriola Center Celebrates 10 Years
The Labriola Center celebrated its 10th Anniversary on March 26, 2003. In addition to honored guests, Frank and Mary Labriola, the Center welcomed faculty, students, and donors. Gilbert Innis (Pima), from the Center of Indian Education, ASU, gave a moving blessing, while Dean Sherrie Schmidt officially welcomed the assembled guests. We were pleased to have Lattie Coor, ASU President (1990-2001), introduce Frank Labriola.
On exhibit, were a number of articles and publications written by students, faculty, and visiting scholars who had used material from the Center’s collections.
LAB FILM S104:559 Sherrie Schmidt, Dean of University Libraries, ASU
LAB FILM S104:558 Lattie F. Coor, ASU President (1990-2001)
LAB FILM S104:572 Labriola ReceptionFrank and Mary Labriola want the Center to be a source of education and pride for all Native Americans. In addition, it is also a place where the non-Indian can learn about the indigenous populations of North America.
The Labriolas have endowed a renewable scholarship for Native students and three recipients came to help celebrate. They were: Ashley Beck, Broadcast Journalism; Makalika Naholowaa, Mathematics; and Cassandra Scott, Public Administration & Education.
LAB FILM S104:565 Frank Labriola, Ashley Beck, and Mary LabriolaYoungest Donor Presents Winning Panels to the Center
Arizona celebrates its history annually at the Arizona History Convention, which is held in various locations around the state. There are always scholarly presentations and field trips.
In addition, the convention sponsors a contest for high school students, who submit papers on Arizona history. Generous checks are awarded to the first place winner and one who receives honorable mention. The contest is spearheaded by ASU professor, James McBride, and he encourages all Arizona high school students to enter. The 2003 convention was held at the Fiesta Inn in Tempe.
Jason Francisco (Pima) from the village of Bapchule and a Junior at Hamilton High School in Chandler, received honorable mention for his ambitious project, a series of triptychs depicting the history of the Pima Indians
LAB FILM S104:544 Jason Francisco with panels 1-4 LAB FILM S104:544
The panels, measuring 36" tall by 48" wide, feature a history of the Pima people from the Gila River Indian Community, located some 25 miles southeast of Phoenix. Jason used photographs, drawings, and printed material to illustrate the Creation story, traditions and art, along with past and modern history of his tribe. Jason wrote that “being Native American is a special thing” and that they are “the next generation that will rise up to show the world who we are, and what we can make of it.”
Teachers, Debbie Raebur and Sarah Burgess and 35 classmates applauded as Jason donated his work to the Labriola Center. Professor McBride talked about the importance of studying history and using primary source materials.
LAB FILM S104:548 Teacher Sarah Burgess, Jason Francisco, and teacher Debbie Raeber
Patricia Etter talked about archival materials and showed examples, including photographs from the Center’s collections. She then invited all to adjourn for brownies and lemonade.
LAB FILM S104:547 Patricia Etter and Jason FranciscoAmerican Indian Literature & Poetry Archives
Laura Tohe, Associate Professor of English at ASU, has made arrangements with the Labriola Center, to deposit some of the best work by her students in the Labriola Center.It will come from three classes: Navajo Literature and Cultural Studies (494/547); American Indian Literature (359); and American Indian Poetry (461/547). New items will be added each semester. A Finding Guide is available describing each paper on deposit. The call number is LAB MSS-170.
Dr. Tohe (Navajo), and Heide E. Erdich (Ojibwe), recently contributed to and edited a volume that explores the roles of Native women in the modern world. The Center for the Book at the Library of Congress sponsored a discussion and book signing on March 4, 2003 for their book, Sister Nations: Native Women Writers.
Wicazo Sa Review Finds New Home at ASU
Wicazo Sa Review, one of the most reputable journals for Native American studies, has moved from its editorial offices at the University of Minnesota to the American Indian Studies program at ASU.
Elizabeth Cook-Lynn founded the journal in 1984, which is geared toward an international audience for refereed articles by Indian and non-Indian scholars. James Riding In, associate professor for Justice Studies and American Indian Studies, becomes the new editor. Assistant professor, Susan Miller, American Indian Studies, has been named associate editor.
Riding In notes that for many years, non-Indian scholars have been doing the writing about Indians. The editors plan to encourage Indian scholars to submit articles reflecting the Native point of view. To this time, Wicazo Sa Review has been published twice a year on a variety of topics. Future plans call for a quarterly journal.
Kenneth Stewart Papers Come to the Labriola Center
Geraldine Kay Stewart, daughter of Dr. Kenneth Stewart, donated his papers to Arizona State University in 2002. Dr. Stewart was the first anthropologist employed by ASU in 1947, before formation of the Anthropology Department. Ultimately, he joined the faculty of the anthropology department when it was founded in 1960.
Dr. Stewart conducted field work among the Mohave Indians in 1946 and 1970-1971. He published widely on the tribe during his career, with articles in The Kiva, Plateau, Southwest Journal of Anthropology, and Ethnohistory. While professor emeritus at ASU, Dr. Stewart provided the introductory section and a chapter on the Mohave in volume 10 of the Handbook of North American Indians.
Following his retirement, Dr. Stewart remained active as an amateur musicologist and avid traveler. – Joyce Martin
Vocabulary Series Added to the Labriola Collection
The Center is currently adding volumes from the American Language Reprint series published by Evolution Publishing. The small books fit nicely with our aim to add to our collection, dictionaries, grammars, linguistics’ materials, language work books, hymnals and bibles in the native language, along with tapes and video recordings. These reprints are a timely addition, since Native languages are fast disappearing.
For example, in 1995, some 46 Native languages were spoken by a significant number of children; adults are the main speakers of 91 Native languages; while some 72 Native languages are spoken by a very small number of elders. The list of extinct languages totals 120, and growing (Handbook of North American Indians: Language, volume 17, Smithsonian Institution, 1996).
A good example is the Roanoke dialect of the Carolina Algonquian. The first words were collected by Thomas Hariot, who was among the British settlers sent by Sir Walter Raleigh to establish a colony on Roanoke Island , North Carolina. He returned to England in 1856 following two years in the colony. Upon his return, he published A Briefe and true report of the new found land of Virginia (London 1588). A second source of words was provided by artist and cartographer, John White, who arrived on the Island with a second group of Raleigh colonists. Before returning to England in 1587, he produced watercolors featuring Native people, flora, and fauna, which he described with Algonquian names. Hariot included these in his report, which preserved a total of 39 words. Two of the important indigenous foods of the Americas are listed: macócqwer can be pumpkins, melons, and gourds, while okindgíer translates to beans. The language died out in the 1700s, according to the series editor.
Publication of the ALR series began in 1996 and was conceived expressly for the preservation and promotion linguistic records of several hundred entries or less. The aim is to achieve accurate transcription organized for easy reference. Some examples of the ALR Series in the Labriola Collection are: Tutelo; Etchemin; Huron; Wyandot; and Minsi Delaware dialects.
LAB FILM S104:528 National Museum of the American Indian on the Mall, Washington, D.C. - Construction North WallBuilding of the National Museum of the American Indian, on the last open site on the Mall in Washington, D.C., has progressed considerably in the year since we last photographed the site. Construction workers who specialize in concrete, are now being replaced by steel, mechanical, electrical, stone, and masonry trades. The grand opening is planned for Fall, 2004.
LAB FILM S104:531 South Wall at Independence Avenue
Nunavut Throat Singers Entertain at the Heard
LAB FILM S104:526 Teena Kakee, Rebecca Ann Kilabuk, Meeka KilabukCurator, Patricia Etter, photographed two young ladies, who traveled all the way from the Arctic Circle to the Heard Museum last March, to demonstrate the ancient art form. Though called singing, it is not exactly. It must be performed by two women facing each other. It is a vocal game in which they make breathing noises emanating from the throat. They each produce short rhythmic sounds to show their vocal ability. It is a kind of friendly competition as they try not to run out of breath or lose the rhythm. When this happens, the one who does so, ends with a giggle, and is soon joined by her partner.
Among other items dealing with the Nunavut in the Labriola Center, is the Nunavut Atlas, a spectacular publication illustrating the extent of Inuit land along with photographs.
Aboriginal Know-How
Mostly unrecognized until recently, are the hundreds of contributions Native North and South Americans have made to the world. These may include agriculture, medicine, architecture, philosophy, language, government, and more. For example, 70% of the food eaten in the world today is native to the Americas. Just think of corn, the tomato, potato, and avocado; chocolate, chile peppers, peanuts, cranberries, and the turkey to name a few.
In this and future newsletters, we will include a few of their inventions and innovations. Most are taken from the Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World (Facts on File, 2002).
We were intrigued by the fact that prehistoric babies wore biodegradable and disposable diapers. Before being strapped to the cradle board, baby was rubbed with tallow and placed in a soft leather sack, which was filled with absorbent material found in the various environments. It could be the downy fibers of puff balls or cattails, dried moss, cedar fibers, or dried and powdered buffalo chips.
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The Paleo-Indians living in the area of the Great Lakes area (ca. 5000 B.C.-4,000 B.C.) fashioned copper PAN PIPES as well as tubular beads. In addition, they produced copper tubing and were thought to be the first metalworkers in the world. Some might think it hard to believe that the Inca, in what is now Peru, used copper tubing to transport hot and cold water to the sunken tubs in their bath houses.
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When Columbus arrived in the Caribbean, he found the Native people sleeping in hammocks and wrote in his journal that he was impressed by the cool, comfortable, and clean way of sleeping. Gonzoalo Fernandez de Oviedo was the first European to draw a picture of the hammock and described the ones he found on Haiti. It was knitted with cotton with ties made from the agave plant. Hammocks were used throughout the tropics and also served as easily-rocked cradles for infants. It wasn’t long before Europeans adapted the hammocks for use on naval and merchant ships.
Labriola Center Seeks Newsletters
The Labriola Center is building a nice collection of Native-oriented newsletters. Since most are gifts or come individually, we do not have complete runs. However, they have been indexed to and listed in our on-line American Indian Index, which can be reached from the Labriola web page. Examples are:
Serpent Staff & Drum: Indians Into Medicine Programs
The Wind Messenger
Tuba City Indian Awareness News
American Indian Libraries Newsletter
Wicaho - The Voice
Alaska Native Education Newsletter
Dartmouth News
K’noowenchoot Aboriginal Adult Education Newsletter
Tlin Tsim Hai: Local Native News
Native American Express
The Sun Child
Indianotes
DNA Newsletter
Young Native America
ERIC CRESS Bulletin
Kui-Tak: Newsletter of the Native American Science Education Association
Bishinik, official publication of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Whispering Winds
Western Shoshone Defense Project
Messenger: Newsletter of the Native Arts Circle
Society of Indian Psychologists
Tribal Environment News
Smithsonian Institution News
Order of the Indian Wars
Tribal Expressions: Tribal Tales Newsletter
Earthsong: Newsletter of the Heard Museum
Native American Press Association
Mustang Roundup
