National Anthropological Archives

Franz H. Michael and Eugene I. Knez photographs and sound recordings relating to Tibetan Buddhism in northeastern India, 1979

Summary

Collection ID:
NAA.PhotoLot.80-13
Creators:
Michael, Franz H.
Dates:
1979
Languages:
Undetermined
.
Physical Description:
2 Sound tape reels
Sound recordings :
7 inches
35 Negatives
acetate
441 Color slides
Repository:

Scope and Contents note

Scope and Contents note
Photographs made during celebrations of the 800-year anniversary of the founding of the Drikung monastery, from June through August 1979. They document Buddhist structures, religious dignitaries and Tibetans, dances, and various religious events. Franz H. Michael and Eugene I. Knez made the photographs in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir; Rumtek and Gangtok, Sikkim; Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh; and one photograph each in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand and Rajpur (probably in Uttarakhand). The audio recordings, which may have been made by NAA, are recordings of Franz Michael commenting on the photographic slides in this collection and an associated film depicting the ceremony at the Ga-ngon Monastery in Ladakh, India.

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
Franz H. Michael (1907-92) was a specialist in nineteenth-century China and in Sino-Soviet relations. He taught at the National Chekian University in China, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Washington, and the George Washington University (GW). Born in Freiburg, Germany, he served as an attache in the German diplomatic service until 1933, at which point he began working at the National Chekiang University in Hangchow, China. In 1938, he came to the United States, where he taught Chinese affairs and European history at Johns Hopkins University (1939-1942). From 1942-1964, he taught and served as assistant and acting director of the Far Eastern and Russian Institute at the University of Washington, and then taught and served as associate director and director of GW's Institute for Sino-Soviet Studies (1964-1972). Michael retired from GW in 1977.
Eugene I. Knez (1916-2012) was an ethnologist with a special interest in the culture of Korea. In 1945, he made his first trip to Korea as part of the United States Army; there, he served as the military chief of the Bureau of Culture in the Department of Education and assisted in the reestablishment of the National Museum of Korea and the founding of the National Museum of Anthropology (now the Museum of Korean Folklore). After serving in the United States on the staffs of the Peabody Museum at Yale University and the Washington State Museum, Knez returned to the Far East in 1949-1952 as a cultural affairs officer attached to the American embassy. He was later director of the United States Information Service office in Pusan and American regional public affairs officer for southern Japan. In 1959, Knez joined the Smithsonian's Department of Anthropology as its specialist in Far Eastern ethnology. In the 1960s he undertook an East China Seas program, which involved the study and comparison of the material culture in villages in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the Ryukyus. He retired in 1978.

Administration

Author
Sarah Ganderup
Custodial History note
The slides were probably donated with or shortly before the audio tapes were made, circa 1980. The tapes were then transferred to the Human Studies Film Archives, circa 1986. They were transferred back to NAA in 2015.
Processing Information note
The slides were previously cataloged under Photo Lot 91-1 and Photo Lot 91-29. They were determined to be part of accession 80-13 and numbered accordingly in 2015.
Processing Information note
This collection was previously filed as MS 80-13. It was changed to a photo lot when the photographs were added in May 2015.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access note
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Conditions Governing Use note
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Preferred Citation note
Photo lot 80-13, Franz H. Michael and Eugene I. Knez photographs and sound recordings relating to Tibetan Buddhism in northeastern India, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Location of Other Archival Materials

Location of Other Archival Materials
Related film footage of the 800th anniversary celebrations, shot by Franz H. Michael, is held in the Human Studies Film Archives in HSFA 86.11.6.
Location of Other Archival Materials
The National Anthropological Archives holds the Eugene Irving Knez Papers.
Location of Other Archival Materials
The University of Washington Special Collections and George Washington University Special Collections hold Franz H. Michael's Papers.

More Information

Local Call Number(s)

Local Call Number(s)
NAA Photo Lot 80-13

Bibliography

Bibliography
Photographs published in Franz H. Michael, Rule by Incarnation: Tibetan Buddhism and Its Role in Society and State, Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1982.

Other Finding Aids note

Other Finding Aids note
An inventory of the slides, prepared by Franz Michael, is available in repository.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Ladākh (India) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rumtek (India) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Buddhism Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dance Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tibetans Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Buddhists Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gangtok (India) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Monasteries Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Knez, Eugene I. (Eugene Irving), 1916-2010 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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