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National Anthropological Archives
John Reed Swanton photographs of Southeastern Native Americans, circa 1900s-1910s
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NAA.PhotoLot.76
- Creators:
-
Swanton, John Reed, 1873-1958
- Dates:
-
circa 1900s-1910s
- Languages:
-
Multiple languages.
- Physical Description:
-
175 Lantern slides415 Printsduplicates not countedsilver gelatin601 Negativesnitrate
- Repository:
Scope and Contents note
Scope and Contents note
Photographs of Southeastern Native American people, homes, ceremonial grounds, and events made circa 1900s-1910s by John Reed Swanton. The lantern slides include images of southeastern rivers and bayous and historical maps. Additionally, there are a number of slides with notes and charts relating to linguistic comparisons.
Arrangement
Arrangement
Swanton's original order has been maintained. The photographs are in alphabetical order by language group or tribe. Lantern slides are listed at the end.
Biographical/Historical note
Biographical/Historical note
John Reed Swanton (1873-1958) was an ethnologist and ethnohistorian with the Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE) from 1900 until his retirement in 1944. Swanton spent his first few years at the BAE conducting research among the Haida and Tlingit communities of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and published a number of significant articles on the language, ethnography, and folklore of Northwest Coast Tribes. His focus then shifted to Native Americans of the Southeastern United States.
In addition to conducting ethnographic fieldwork in the Southeast, Swanton studied the history of the area in order to better understand its indigenous cultures and is considered a pioneer in the field of ethnohistory. During his career Swanton published numerous articles and several major works on Southeastern Native Americans, including the reference work The Indians of the Southeastern United States, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 137, 1946.
Administration
Author
Sarah Ganderup, Gina Rappaport
Existence and Location of Copies note
The lantern slides and some prints have been digitized and are available online.
Copy negatives have been made for the nitrate negatives.
Custodial History note
The photographs came to the archives during Swanton's tenure at the Bureau of American Ethnology.
The negatives, contact prints, and lantern slides were separated over time in the BAE collections and stored by format. At some point a small number of prints were removed from the collection and filed by subject in Photo Lot 24. These are the prints that were digitized, and they have since been reunited with Photo Lot 76.
Processing Information
The collection was processed by Gina Rappaport, 2010. Copy negatives were made circa 1980s. Not all negatives have associated prints, and some prints do not have associated negatives; therefore, both the prints and the negatives may need to be consulted to view all of the images. Swanton's original negative numbers have been maintained, and assigned to the associated prints. The original order of the lantern slides has been maintained, and "LS" numbers assigned by the archivist.
Collection and image descriptions provided in this finding aid were compiled using the best available sources of information. Such sources may include the creator's annotations or descriptions, collection accession files, primary and secondary source material (i.e. documents, publications, and websites), and subject matter experts. While every effort is made to provide accurate information, it is understood that errors may reveal themselves following review by other subject experts, and new information is welcome.
Digital Content
More …Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access note
The original nitrate negatives are in cold storage and require advanced notice for viewing.
Conditions Governing Use note
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Preferred Citation note
Photo Lot 76, John Reed Swanton photographs relating to Southeastern Native Americans, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Location of Other Archival Materials
Location of Other Archival Materials
The National Anthropological Archives holds more than 200 manuscripts created or collected by Swanton.
Photographs relating to Swanton's work with the Tlingit are held in National Anthropological Archives Photo Lot 24.
The anthropology collections of the National Museum of Natural History hold objects collected by Swanton, including potsherds from various sites in Southeastern United States (accessions 111748, 113252, 122679, 129788, 165802, and 062577).
More Information
Selected Bibliography
- "Indian Tribes of the lower Mississippi Valley and adjacent coast of the Gulf of Mexico," Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 43
- "The Indians of the Southeastern United States," Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 137
- "Social organization and social usages of the Indians of the Creek confederacy," 42nd Bureau of American Ethnology Annual Report, 1924-1925
Selected Bibliography
Addl. KW Subj
Addl. KW Subj
Nuyaka Mission school
Creek (Muskogee)
Hillabi
Tuskegee
Tukabatchee
Alibamu
Chiaha
Eufaula
Kealedji
Hilibi; Hillabi
Laplako
Liwahali
Okfuskee
Okchai
Ofo
Keywords
Repository Contact
National Anthropological Archives
Museum Support Center
4210 Silver Hill Road
Suitland, Maryland 20746
naa@si.edu
