Human Studies Film Archives

Guide to the John F. Beck Film of Navajo Reservation, 1953

Summary

Collection ID:
HSFA.1992.03
Creators:
Beck, John F.
Dates:
1953
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
Film reels
black-and-white sound; 1,144 feet
16mm
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Roughly edited film shot on the Navajo Reservation in 1953 for CBS' See It Now. The show was never completed and thus never aired.
Assembled footage intended for television broadcast was shot in the northwest region of the Navajo reservation near Chilchinbito, Arizona. Footage documents aspects of early implementation of the Navajo-Hopi Improvement Act (1950) and its impact on health care, education, improved roads and communications, and the upgrading and expansion of local industries. Scenes include a local radio station, women visiting clinics and dispensaries, work in tribal industries (including lumber, coal, and uranium mining), and domestic life in and around hogans. Also included is silver smithing at the only site where this work was conducted as a collective tribal effort. Sound records dialogue of the Navajo tribal council at Window Rock, Arizona, on issues such as mandated universal education.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or Anthropology Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.

Administration

Sponsor
Cataloging supported by Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee
Custodial History
Previously titled "Navajo Reservation 1953."
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Received from John F. Beck in 1992.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research. Please contact the archives for information on availability of access copies of audiovisual recordings. Original audiovisual material in the Human Studies Film Archives may not be played.
Conditions Governing Use
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Preferred Citation
John F. Beck Film of Navajo Reservation, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution

More Information

General

General
HSFA 1992.3.1


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
North America Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Arizona Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Diné (Navajo) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
tribal government Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound films Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Human Studies Film Archives
Museum Support Center
4210 Silver Hill Road
Suitland 20746
hsfa@si.edu