National Museum of the American Indian

William F. Stiles collection of photographs and films

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAI.AC.001.014
Creators:
Stiles, William F., 1912-1980
Dates:
1938-1974
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
82 Photographic prints
242 Negatives (photographic)
211 Slides (photographs)
2 Film reels
8mm
Repository:
This collection consists of photographic views made by William Stiles in New York, Rhode Island, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Newfoundland and Quebec, among the Attikamekw (Tete De Boule Cree), Eastern Band of Cherokee, Innu, Miccosukee Seminole (Mikasuki), Mohawk [Kahnawake (Caughnawaga)], Mushuaunnuat (Barren Ground Naskapi) [Utshimassit (Davis Inlet)], Narragansett, Niantic, Onondaga, Seminole, and Seneca communities. These were made while Stiles was a staff member of the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation from 1938-1974.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The Stiles collection consists of photographs and films made by William Stiles on behalf of the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation from 1938 to 1974. More than half of these document the life of Innu peoples of Quebec, Canada, in the years 1952, 1958, 1959, and 1964. They depict Innu men, women, and children, and food preparation, dwellings, fishing, canoes, settlements, the preparation of animal skins, and ceremonials. Stiles photographed among the Seminole and Miccosukee peoples of Florida in 1939, 1940, 1941, 1966, and 1974. He also variously photographed the Narragansett and Niantic peoples of Rhode Island, the Onondaga on the Onondaga Reservation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee in North Carolina, the Seneca of New York, the Attikamekw (Tete De Boule Cree) and the Mohawk of Quebec, and the Mushuaunnuat of Labrador. He also photographed various archaeological sites in New York State, Mississippi, and South Carolina. There are also two 8mm film reels titled "Nascapi Indians at Davis Inlet, Labrador, New Foundland" that were made in the summer of 1965.
Scope and Contents
Negtatives include: N21703-N21711, N21792-N21802, N22300-N22310, N22481-N22484, N22594-N22597, N22630, N22705-N22710, N22722, N23504, N23581-N23585, N23675-N23684, N26086-N23585, N23675-N23684, N26086-N26100, N26109-N26126, N26186-N26188, N29562-N29604, N32844-N32867, N33295-N33343, N41162-N41186.
Photographic prints include: P13375-P13385, P13431-P13438, P15331-P15346, P15770-P15773, P15885-P15889, P16102, P17154, P17212-P17217, P17282-P17284, P18537-P18551, P18586, P19991-P20002)
Slides include: S02005-S02178, S02389, S04518-S04519, S04559-S04575, S04675-S04678, S04694-S04702, S04753-S04760.

Arrangement note

Arrangement note
This collection has been intelectually arranged into four series and subseries geographically and then chronologically within each subseries.
Series 1: Expedtions in New York, 1938-1973; Series 2: Expeditions in Canada, 1940-1965; Series 3: Expeditions in the Southeastern, United States, 1939-1974; Series 4: Nebraska, Rhode Island and Other Locations, 1939-1942, undated.
Physically arranged by negative "N", print "P" or slide "S" number.

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
Before joining the staff of the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation in May 1938, William F. Stiles was George G. Heye's personal driver. An employee of the Museum for almost forty years, Stiles retired in March 1978 as the Curator of Collections. Although Stiles published very little, he was an active field collector and participated in numerous archaeological expeditions. As is evident from his photographs of the Innu and Seminole peoples, he often visited individual communities more than once and over the course of several years.
Stiles Expeditions for the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation
1938 Summer
Cayuga County Expedition.
1939 October
Expedition to Pennsylvania and New York.
1939 November – 1940 January
F. K. Seward and William F. Stiles Florida Expedition.
1941
Trip to North Carolina and Florida.
1942
Trip to Putnam County, New York.
1946
Expedition to Mississippi.
1952 June
Expedition to Québec, Canada.
1953 June-July
Expedition to Québec, Canada.
1957 July
Expedition along St. Lawrence River, Canada.
1959 August
Expedition to Québec, Canada.
1960-1967
William F. Stiles Southeast Expedition.
Stiles began expeditions to the Southeastern U.S. in Spring and Fall of 1960. He returned to the Southeast each Oct - Nov. through 1966 conducting investigations and excavations in South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and North Carolina and Florida returning to some sites multiple times.
1961-1965
William F. Stiles Savannah Farms Expedition.
Preliminary investigation began in Nov 1961 and work continued each year during the fall until 1965.
1964 May-June
Expedition to Québec, Canada.
1965 June-July
Stanley R. Grant Naskapi Expedition to Davis Inlet, Labrador, Canada.
1966 June-July
Expedition to Labrador, Newfoundland, and Québec, Canada
1972 October
Expedition to Seneca Reservations, New York.
1972 October-December
Expedition to Tennessee.
1973 April
Expedition to Seneca Reservations, New York.
1974 November
Expedition to the Southeast: North Carolina and Florida.

Administration

Processing Information note
Processed by Rachel Menyuk, Processing Archivist, 2023.
Separated Materials
Correspondence and field notes from William Stiles can be found in the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation records in Box 200.13, Box 201.7, Box 274.3-275.9, Box 305.1-305.2, Box 307.21, Box 312.11-312.17.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access note
Access is by appointment only, Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment.
Conditions Governing Use note
Restricted: Cultural Sensitivity
Preferred Citation note
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); William F. Stiles collection of photographs and films, NMAI.AC.001.014, item #; National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Seminole Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Negatives Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Indians of North America -- Canada Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Indians of North America -- Florida Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Excavations (Archaeology) -- Mississippi Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographic prints Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Eastern Band of Cherokee Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Innu [Ekuanitshit (Mingan)] Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Innu [Pakuashipi (Saint Augustin)] Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Indians of North America -- New York (State) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Indians of North America -- Rhode Island Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Excavations (Archaeology) -- New York (State) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Excavations (Archaeology) -- South Carolina Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Seneca [Tonawanda] Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Innu [Uashat-Maliotenam (Seven Islands)] Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Innu [Moisie] Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Color slides Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Innu [Unaman Shipit (Romaine)] Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mushuaunnuat (Barren Ground Naskapi) [Utshimassit (Davis Inlet)] Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Attikamekw (Tete De Boule Cree) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Seneca [Allegany] Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Seneca [Cattaraugus] Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Niantic Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Narragansett Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Onondaga Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Miccosukee Seminole (Mikasuki) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Attikamekw (Tete De Boule Cree) [Weymontachie Band, Saint Maurice River, Quebec] Cree Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mohawk [Kahnawake (Caughnawaga)] Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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