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National Anthropological Archives
Guide to the Helen C. Rountree papers, 1969-1990
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NAA.2005-22
- Creators:
-
Rountree, Helen C., 1944-
- Dates:
-
1969-1990
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
27 Sound recordings1/4" reels and cassettes2.4 Linear feet4 boxes
- Repository:
Helen C. Rountree is emeritus professor of anthropology at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. She studied the history of the Virginia Tribes from the 17th century to the 21st century and is considered a leading expert on Pocahontas. The Helen C. Rountree papers include field notes, correspondence, and sound recordings relating to her field work among the Pamunkey, Mattaponi, Nansemond, Rappahannock, Chickahominy, Monacan, as well as the area around Nottoway Reservation and Gingaskin Reservation.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The Helen C Rountree papers contain correspondence, field notes, and sound recordings relating to her field work primarily among Virginian tribes including the Pamunkey, Mattaponi, Nansemond, Rappahannock, Chickahominy, Monacan, as well as the area around Nottoway Reservation and Gingaskin Reservation. Correspondents include Robert Y. Barham, Christian F. Feest, Samuel Proctor, C.G. Holland, Frank Porter, Marshall Becker, and Nancy Oestreich Lurie.
The sound recordings relate to Rountree's fieldwork and contain recordings of the Chickahominy Fall Festivals, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1981-1986 and a Chickahominy tribal meeting 1987; Nansemond Tribe Spring Festival, 1984, and Homecoming, 1988. Also included are recordings among the Pamumkey; Mattaponi; Shoshoni; Duck Valley Reservation, Nevada; meetings; public events, and some lectures by Helen Rountree and others. There is one unidentified sound cassette.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection contains: Correspondence, 1969-1985; Field notes, 1969-1988; Cook Books, 1981, 1983; Audio Ephemera, undated; Sound Recordings, 1969-1990.
Biographical note
Biographical note
Helen C. Rountree earned an A.B. in Sociology & Anthropology from the College of William and Mary, an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Utah, and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She joined the faculty of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia as an Instructor in 1968 and retired as a full Professor in 1999. Dr. Rountree worked initially with the Shoshone in Nevada, then began research on the Algonquian-speaking Native Americans of eastern Virginia, becoming an honorary member of the Nansemond and Upper Mattaponi tribes in Virginia. She is acknowledged as a leading researcher and writer on Virginia Indians from the 17th century to the present and is considered an expert on Pocahontas.
Administration
Author
Adam Fielding and Mary Kenney
Sponsor
Digitization and preparation of these materials for online access has been funded through generous support from the Arcadia Fund
Processing Information
The sound recordings were described by Mary Kenney in 2008.
Processed and encoded by Adam Fielding, 2014.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These papers were donated to the National Anthropological Archives by Helen C. Rountree in 2005.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Use
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Conditions Governing Access
Materials related to interview notes are restricted until June 2025.
Preferred Citation
Helen C. Rountree papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
More Information
Selected Bibliography
- 1973. Indian Land Loss in Virginia: A Prototype of U.S. Federal Indian Policy. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
- 1989. The Powhatan Indians of Virginia: Their Traditional Culture. Norman : University of Oklahoma Press.
- 1990. Pocahontas's People: The Powhatan Indians of Virginia Through Four Centuries. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
- 1993. Powhatan Foreign Relations, 1500-1722. Charlottesville : University Press of Virginia.
Selected Bibliography
Keywords
National Anthropological Archives
Museum Support Center
4210 Silver Hill Road
Suitland, Maryland 20746
naa@si.edu
