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Finding Aids to Collections Organized by Topic in the Archive of Folk Culture
MONTANA COLLECTIONS IN THE ARCHIVE OF FOLK CULTURE
Compiled by: Camila Bryce-Laporte and Rachel L. Mears
Series
Editor: Ann Hoog
Publication Date: February 2004; Web Revision March 2006
Series Number: LCFAFA No. 35
ISSN 0736-4903
For additional information about Archive
of Folk Culture collections, contact the Folklife
Reading Room. To request copies, see our webpages regarding audio
materials and photographic materials.
Please refer to the AFC and/or AFS numbers when requesting information.
All indications of time duration listed in this finding aid are estimates.
The editor would like to thank Joseph C. Hickerson, who supervised
the compilation of the majority of this finding aid, and to Judith
Gray for her assistance in identifying names of performers.
Multiformat Collections
AFS 751-819: Helen H. Roberts American Indian
and Pacific Island Recordings Collection
Sixty-nine 12-inch discs of music
and spoken word recorded originally on wax cylinders in California,
East Africa, Hawaii, Jamaica, Montana, New Mexico, Samoa, Tahiti,
and Tonga by Martha Beckwith, Henry E. Crampton, Frank Hurley,
Bernice M. King, Walter McClintock, Helen H. Roberts, Claude Schaeffer,
and others. Donated by Helen H. Roberts, 1936. The collection includes
42 pages of lists and notes.
AFS 801-810: Ten discs containing Blackfeet
songs and spoken word performed by Cream Antelope, Duck Head,
Big Moon, Whitegrass, Dog Ears, Jim White Calf, Blood Jim, Dandy
Jim, Stingy, Moonik, Big Top Knot, Big Moon, Bear Shoe, Mad Wolf
(Siyeh), Many Tail Feathers, Running Crane, Mountain Chief, Hairy
Coat, Makes Cold Weather, Rides to the Door, and Russell. Recorded
in Montana by Walter McClintock, 1898. (1 hour and 30 minutes;
tape copy on LWO 4872 reel 57; tape copy of a slightly different
version of the cylinders donated by McClintock, 1936, on AFS
20,327-20,329 [RWA 3339-3341])
AFS 814-816: Three discs containing Blackfeet
songs and spoken word performed by unidentified persons. Recorded
in Montana by Clark Wissler, summer 1904. (25 minutes;
tape copy on LWO 4872 reel 58A)
AFS 9543B6-9562: Willard Rhodes / Bureau of Indian
Affairs Duplication Project
Twenty 16-inch discs of American Indian music recorded in Montana,
North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington by Willard Rhodes,
summer
1947, for the
Bureau of Indian Affairs. The collection includes 32 pages
of concordances and lists and 1 article. [There are 10-inch and
12-inch disc copies of this collection on AFS 12,204-12,262.]
AFS 9553A5-9556A5: Four discs containing 40
songs (probably Blackfeet) performed by Henry Butterfly, Joseph
Old
Chief, William Buffalo Hide, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Morning Gun,
and Henry Morning Gun. Recorded in Browning, Montana, August
17-19, 1947. (1 hour and 10 minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111
reels 236B-237A).
AFS 9556A6-8; B3-5; 9557B1-2: Two discs containing
8 songs (possibly Assiniboine or Sioux) performed by Alvin
Warrior and Matthew Eagle Bay. Recorded at the Fort Peck Reservation,
Poplar, Montana, August 22, 1947. (20 minutes; tape copy
on LWO 5111 reel 237A)
AFS 9829-9868: National Folk Festival, 1938
One 12-inch and 39 16-inch
discs of instrumentals, radio programs, and songs recorded primarily
at the National Folk Festival in Washington, D.C., by the U.S.
Recording Company, May 6-8, 1938. The collection includes 3/4
linear inch of lists, newspaper articles, and programs.
AFS 9864A3; 9864B5: One 16-inch disc containing
a dance and "farewell song" performed by members of
the Blackfeet Tribe of Montana. (3 minutes; tape copy on
LWO 5111 reel 271)
AFS 9864B6-8: One 16-inch disc containing 3
western songs sung with guitar and harmonica by "Powder
River" Jack and Kitty Lee of Deer Lodge, Montana. (8
minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reel 271)
AFS 11,307-11,309; 11,334-11,444: Sidney Robertson
Cowell Collection
Fourteen 10-inch
tapes of music recorded in California, Canada, Cape Breton Island,
Iran, New England, New York, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Texas,
Utah, and Wisconsin primarily by Sidney Robertson Cowell, 1952-56.
The collection includes 43 pages of correspondence, lists,
notes, and a published article.
AFS 11,309A4-5;A9: One tape containing 2
songs and discussion spoken and sung by Willard Peck of Butte,
Montana. Recorded in Los Angeles by Sidney Robertson Cowell and
Wayland D. Hand, August 11, 1951. (5 minutes; LWO 2496 reel
3A)
AFS 11,403: Billy Beard Interview
One 7-inch tape of an interview with
Dewey Beard, the last Sioux survivor of the Battle of Little Big
Horn (Custer's Last Stand). Recorded in Rapid City, South Dakota,
by Bates Littlehales, June 18, 1955. (1 hour; LWO 4028)
AFS 11,917-11,918: Colonel Elwood L. Nye "Custer's
Last Stand" Collection
Two 7-inch tapes of a discussion
of the Battle of Little Big Horn (Custer's Last Stand) spoken by
Col. Elwood L. Nye, a cavalryman who investigated the battle and
interviewed the last survivors. Possibly recorded at Colorado A & M
College, Fort Collins, Colorado. Accessioned June 1962. (1 hour;
LWO 3532).
AFS 12,350-351; 14,032-14,033: Duncan Emrich
/ Recordings of "Powder River" Jack E. Lee
Four 12-inch discs
of 8 songs and stories sung and spoken by "Powder River" Jack
H. Lee of Deer Lodge, Montana. Recorded in Virginia City, Nevada,
by Duncan Emrich, September 4, 1942. (33 minutes; tape
copy on LWO 5111 reels 403A and 430B)
AFS 12,353-12,357: Wayland D. Hand / Mining Songs
from Montana
Five 8-inch discs of 12 mining songs performed by George Prescott,
Ralph Wortman, Wilfred Davis, Kyle Pugh, Jack Gaffney, Jim Gallagher,
Willard Peck, and
Father Eamonn O’Sullivan. Recorded in Butte, Montana, by
Wayland D. Hand, 1948. The collection includes a 1-page log.
(1 hour; tape copy on LWO 5111 reel 403)
AFS 13,992-14,021: National Federation of Music
Clubs Archivists / Folk Music Materials
Nine 3-inch tapes, 3 5-inch
tapes, 17 7-inch tapes, and 1 10-inch disc of instrumentals,
songs, and stories, including examples from African American, Mexican
American, Native American, and Norwegian American traditions. Recorded
at various locations in the United States by regional archivists
and contributors of the National Federation of Music Clubs, 1961-63.
Donated by Annabel Morris Buchanan, Folk Music Archivist of the
National Federation of Music Clubs. The collection includes 6
linear inches of correspondence, lists, and musical and textual
transcriptions.
AFS 14,005: One 7-inch tape containing 11
songs, including 8 cowboys songs, performed with commentary
by Brad Spear and Torrey Johnson. Recorded in Kirby, Montana;
Story, Wyoming; and Sheridan, Wyoming, by Steve Woodward, 1958
and 1960. Coordinated by Alice and Ross Witmire for the Wyoming
Federation of Music Clubs. (40 minutes; LWO 5712 reel 14)
AFS 14,241: Gene Berger / "Custer's Last
Stand" Related by Col. Willard Webb
One 7-inch tape of Col. Willard Webb
relating the events of the Battle of Little Big Horn (Custer's
Last Stand) and describing General Custer. Includes a Sioux song
written in celebration of the American Indian victory. Interviewed
by Gene Berger and recorded in Washington, D.C., by WOL-AM, ca.
November 1951. (9 minutes; LWO 1833; tape copy on LWO 8011 reel
34)
AFS 17,995: Thurlow Liuerance / American Indian
Recordings One ten-inch tape of Apache, Cheyenne,
Crow, Gros Ventre, Sioux, and Taos music recorded originally on
cylinders in Montana and other locations, by Thurlow Lieurance,
ca. 1911-12.
AFS 17,995A2-7, 19: One tape containing 9
Cheyenne songs sung by Turkey Legs and other unidentified singers.
Recorded probably in Lame Deer, Montana, early 1912. (16
minutes; LWO 7852)
AFS 17,995A8-21: One tape containing 22
Crow songs sung by Mortimer Dreamer and other unidentified singers.
Recorded probably at Crow Agency, Montana, ca. December 1911-early
1912. (30 minutes; LWO 7852)
AFS 17,995A22-B2: One tape containing 3
Gros Ventre songs sung by William Sylvester. Recorded in Montana,
1912. (7 minutes; LWO 7852)
AFS 17,999: Ralph McFaddon / Blackfoot Indian
Songs
One 7-inch tape of 37 Blackfeet
Indian songs sung by Clarence Whitegrass, Rose Walters, and others.
Recorded on wire in Browning, Montana, by Ralph McFadden, ca. 1950.
The collection includes 5 pages of concordances and notes. (1
hour; LWO 8857).
AFS 20,519-20,520: Truman Michelson Collection
of Fox, Sauk, Kickapoo, Shawnee, Piegan and Cheyenne Indian Music
on Cylinders
Three 10-inch tapes copied
from 10 wax cylinders of Blackfeet songs and spoken word performed
by Yellow Calf, Eagle Child, David C. Duvall, White Elk, Horn,
Big Moon, Little Young Man, and unidentified others. Recorded by
Truman Michelson in Browning, Montana, June-July 1910. (1 hour
and 15 minutes; RWA 3380-3381)
AFC 1948/009: Wayland Hand / Irish Songs Recorded in Butte,
Montana
Seven 12-inch discs of 18 Irish songs sung by Eamonn and Sean O'Sullivan. Recorded
in Butte, Montana, by Wayland D. Hand, 1945. (45 minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111
reel 82A). [includes AFS 8035-8041]
AFC 1948/045: Wayland Hand / Irish Songs Recorded in Butte,
Montana
One 16-inch disc of 11 mining and other songs performed by Kyle Pugh, Jack Gaffney,
George Prescott, Ralph Wortman, Father Eamonn O’Sullivan, Jim Gallagher,
Wilfred Davis, and Willard Peck. Recorded in Butte, Montana, by Wayland D. Hand,
1946. (25 minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reel 157A). [includes AFS 8892]
AFC 1950/004: Wayland Hand / Montana Silver Miners Songs
Sixteen 12-inch and 4 10-inch discs of poems, Serbian church songs, songs in
Gaelic and Welsh, and songs of silver miners. Recorded in Butte, Montana, by
Charles R. Cutts, Wayland D. Hand, and Robert C. Wylder, July 10-29, 1948.
The collection includes 13 pages of correspondence, concordances, lists, and
a receipt; and 45 pages of textual transcriptions.
AFS 9719-9720A: Two 12-inch discs containing
6 Serbian songs sung by the Young People's Choir recorded at
the Serbian Orthodox Church by Charles R. Cutts and Robert C.
Wylder, July 22, 1948. (15 minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reel
254A)
AFS 9720B: One 12-inch disc containing 2 Serbian
songs sung with accordion by Katherine Finch, Lonnie McKenzie,
and Katherine Shea, recorded by Charles R. Cutts and Robert Wylder,
July 17, 1948. (5 minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reel 254A)
AFS 9721-9722: Two 12-inch discs containing
9 Welsh songs sung by John Jones and Evan Roberts, recorded by
Charles R. Cutts and Robert C. Wylder, July 10-11, 1948. (20
minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reel 254B)
AFS 9723-9724: Two 12-inch discs containing
10 mining songs recorded by Charles R. Cutts and Robert C. Wylder,
July 15-28, 1948. (17 minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reel 254B)
AFS 9725; 9733-9738: Three 12-inch and 4 10-inch
discs containing 24 mining and other songs, recorded by Charles
R. Cutts, Wayland D. Hand, and Robert C. Wylder, July 21-29,
1948. (50 minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reels 254B-255)
AFS 9726-9732: Seven 12-inch discs containing
2 poems and 14 songs in English and Gaelic recorded by Wayland
D. Hand, July 21-28, 1948. (45 minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111
reels 254B-255A)
AFC 1970/008: Kenneth Croft Cheyenne wire recordings
Ten wires of Northern and Southern Cheyenne conversations, instructions to children,
songs, and stories performed by Blue Elk, Run Away, Charles Redbird, William
Guerrier, and John Standing Timber. Recorded in Montana and Oklahoma by Kenneth
Croft, 1948-49. Acquired from the American Philosophical Society. The collection
includes three pages of lists and notes. (8 hours; tape copy on LWO 6256 reels
16B-20) [includes AFS 14,358-14,367]
AFC 1981/005: Montana Folklife Survey Collection,
1979
One hundred and forty-four 7-inch tapes,
2 audiocassettes, 4 ½ linear inches of contact sheets, 187
rolls of black and white negatives, 181 holders of color photographs,
and 1 videotape of traditional life in Montana, including conversations
and interviews about agricultural techniques and practices, American
Indian traditions, foodways, Hutterite life, the Milk River Wagon
Train, music, rodeos, trade crafts, vernacular architecture, and
other reminiscences and stories about life in Montana. Recorded
in Montana as part of the Montana Folklife Survey under the direction
of Barre Toelken, July 19-September 9, 1979. The project was sponsored
by the American Folklife Center and the Montana Arts Council. The
collection includes 4 linear feet of fieldnotes and logs. (73
hours; RXA 844-987, RYA 91-92) [Includes AFS 20,358-20,503]
AFC 1997/012: Montana Heritage Project The materials in this collection
document the administration of the Montana Heritage Project and
include many samples of student projects along with documentation
of annual visits to the Library of Congress by selected students
and teachers participating in the project. This multi-year project
was begun in 1995 and funded by a grant from the Liz Claiborne
and Arthur Ortenberg Foundation via the Library of Congress’s
Madison Council, and operated under the American Folklife Center’s “K-12
Folklife in Education Initiative.” The project developed
a one-week accredited teacher-training institute during which time
teachers were instructed on methods for developing student- and
teacher-designed classroom projects involving documentation and
research in their respective communities. It also supported the
implementation of the projects during the school year, providing
necessary financial and academic support.
AFC 1998/029: John "The Yank" Harrington Collection
Eighty discs and 2 audiocassettes of recordings of John "The
Yank" Harrington and friends. Plus an interview with Harrington
conducted in Butte, Montana, by Alan Jabbour on June 23, 1998.
Jabbour plays fiddle along with Harrington's accordion-playing.
The collection includes a list of song titles.
AFC 2000/001: Local Legacies Collection
Four hundred and five linear feet
(approximately 90,000 manuscript pages, 475 sound recordings, 13,270
graphic materials, 335 electronic media, and 75 artifacts) of documentation
of local festivals, fairs, parades, and other community-based events
from each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories
and trusts. The Local Legacies Collection was donated through the
efforts of individuals, organizations, and institutions asked to
participate by members of Congress. This project was part of the
Library of Congress Bicentennial celebration in the year 2000.
An online presentation of this collection, entitled Community Roots,
is available at http://www.loc.gov/folklife/roots/ . The
following
is a list of Local Legacies from Montana, arranged by congressional
sponsorship:
Senator Max Baucus: The Metis Project - When
They Awake; History of Farming and Ranching: A Study of the Local
Culture by St. Ignatius High School; Montana Horse Story; Native
Reign; Montana Is... .
Senator Conrad Burns: Libby High School
- Documenting Local History; Missoula, Montana.
Representative Rick Hill (At Large): Montana
Heritage Project.
AFC 2001/025: John Well-Off-Man / Photography: An Image of Each Other
One book of photography designed by John Well-Off-Man with texts
by Manuela Well-Off-Man titled Photography: An Image of Each Other.
Photographs by students from Rocky Boy Indian Reservation and Havre,
both in Montana.
AFC 2003/020: Pat Kennedy / Starr School Singers
One CD of Pat Kennedy and the Starr School Singers
recorded live at the Last Chance Community Powwow, September 21
and 22, 2002 in Helena, Montana. Kennedy is part of a Chippewa-Cree
family of singers. Sponsored by the Montana Folklife Program, the
Montana Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Microfilm Collection
Wylder, Robert C. "A Comparative Analysis of Some Montana
Folksongs." Missoula: Montana State University, 1949. Thesis
for degree of Master of Arts. 132 pages. Contains musical and textual
transcriptions for numerous songs with introduction and annotations.
(Request in the Music Division: MUSIC 814)
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