A Research Guide to the Native American

A
RESEARCH GUIDE
UIDE
to the
in the
N
A
ATIVE
MERICAN
C
OLLECTIONS
NATIONAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL ARCHIVES
&
Human Studies Film Archives
A Research Guide to the
Native American Collections
he
t
in
&
National Anthropological Archives
Human Studies Film Archives
Gayle Yiotis
with a
Preface by Gillian Flynn
Smithsonian Institution Native American
Repatriation Review Committee
&
National Anthropological Archives
& Human Studies Film Archives
National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, D.C.
2002
Cover (from left to right):
Blue Eagle Trademark
painting by Acee Blue Eagle
Acee Blue Eagle Papers 1935-1959
(NAA INV 08765100)
Indian Beating Drum in Front of Fire; Bird Flying Overhead
painting by Stephen Mopope
Acee Blue Eagle Papers 1935-1959
(NAA INV 08798600)
Leaping Deer and Two Birds
painting by Acee Blue Eagle
Acee Blue Eagle Papers 1935-1959
(NAA INV 08759100)
ii
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments.......................................................................................iv
Preface...........................................................................................................v
Introduction...................................................................................................1
Research Tools..............................................................................................5
SIRIS..............................................................................................................5
The National Anthropological Archives Webpage..................................6
Guide to the National Anthropological Archives....................................7
Catalog to Manuscripts at the National Anthorpological Archives......7
Card Catalog................................................................................................8
Registers and Lists.......................................................................................8
Vertical File....................................................................................................8
File Prints and Original Photographs........................................................9
Artwork.........................................................................................................10
NAA Library.................................................................................................11
Caveats.......................................................................................................11
The Human Studies Fillm Archives.........................................................12
The John Wesley Powell Library of Anthropology...................................13
Opportunities for Native Americans........................................................14
Guide to Using SIRIS...............................................Insert in back of book
iii
Acknowledgments: Thank you to Gillian Flynn, the Repatriation
Review Committee Coordinator whose idea it was to initiate this
project, for her continuing support, and to the Smithsonian
Institution Native American Repatriation Review Committee for their
sponsorship of this project and strong positive encouragement
throughout. Thank you also to John Homiak, Paula Fleming, Susan
McElrath, and Vyrtis Thomas of the National Anthropological
Archives, and to Daisy Njoku, Pam Wintle, and Mark White of the
Human Studies Film Archives for their invaluable advice and critique throughout the many revisions. My appreciation also goes to
Marit Munsen who wrote the sections on the “Human Studies Film
Archives” and the “Artwork,” and who chose the particular artwork
included here.
iv
PREFACE
Please Enjoy This Complimentary Copy of the Research Guide
This complimentary copy of A Research Guide to the Native American
Collections in the National Anthropological Archives & Human Studies Film
Archives has been provided for your library’s use. Additional copies may be
viewed and downloaded from the Smithsonian Institution Native American
Repatriation Review Committee website at:
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/anthro/rrc
How Can the Guide Help You?
This Guide was developed for Native American repatriation coordinators, community scholars, and students, as well as the general public. It is
designed to be a first step in undertaking research with primary sources. It
introduces the National Anthropological Archives and the Human Studies
Film Archives and explains how to use their research tools. We encourage
people to browse through the Guide and the web-based search engine
(SIRIS) to uncover the wealth of information available. Use the instructions
to identify the resources you are looking for. Once you have identified the
resources you wish to review, make an appointment to visit the National
Anthropological Archives to take advantage of your opportunity to discover
the past and revitalize the future.
This Guide to the National Anthropological Archives and the Human
Studies Film Archives can assist the researcher in:
Preparing a repatriation claim
Undertaking genealogical research
Identifying resources prior to conducting research in the archives
Finding old photographs of tribal and family members
Preparing research papers on Native American history and cultural
topics
Finding old films and audio recordings to rejuvenate traditional
dances, ceremonies, songs, and languages
Gillian Flynn
August 2002
v
BLANK
1
I NTRODUCTION
The National Anthropological Archives (NAA) includes one of the oldest
and most comprehensive manuscript and photographic collections of
Native American materials in the world. These materials include ethnographic, linguistic, archeological, folkloric, and ethnomusicological information collected among North American Native peoples from the mid-19th
through the first half of the 20th century.
The NAA is the successor unit to the oldest archival repository in the
Smithsonian Institution, the archives of the Bureau of Ethnology. In 1879, the
Bureau of Ethnology was created by the U.S. Government and placed in the
Smithsonian under the direction of Major John Wesley Powell. In 1897 the
name was changed to the Bureau of American Ethnology. The BAE operated as a major research and collecting unit, focused almost exclusively on
the culture and history of Native North Americans until 1965. At that time, the
BAE was merged with the Department of Anthropology in the National
Museum of Natural History, and the archival repository of the former BAE
and the Museum’s Department of Anthropology became the National
Anthropological Archives. Since 1968, the NAA has collected research
materials on Native North American cultures from both Smithsonian and
non-Smithsonian scholars. It also holds the records of several important
Native American organizations.
On an annual basis, the NAA is host to approximately 1,000 on-site visits
and responds to an average of 2,000 written requests for information.
Between 15 and 20 percent of the archives’ service to the public focuses on
Native Americans. This includes tribal representatives, community scholars,
and individual Native Americans who visit the archives to conduct research
on their tribal, cultural, and family histories. These individuals come to the
2
DR. IVES GODDARD HOSTS THE
MESKWAKI UNITY COUNCIL
AT THE NATIONAL
ANTHROPOLOGICAL ARCHIVES
M ESKWAKI V ISIT
Dr. Ives Goddard hosts members of the Meskwaki UNITY Council in
Washington to attend the annual national conference of UNITY, June, 1998.
While visiting the National Anthropological Archives they were able to view
photographs of their tribe, and to study the work of Truman Michelson, an
ethnologist with the Bureau of American Ethnology from 1910 to 1938. His
specialty was Algonquian linguistics and culture.
archives through a variety of means, including contact with other Smithsonian
programs which serve the Native community. Delegations to the Repatriation
Offices of both NMAI and NMNH often visit the NAA to gather information about
their tribes, explore family and tribal histories, and search for relevant photographic and linguistic materials.
Other programs that rely heavily upon the NAA include the American Indian
Programs in both the National Museum of Natural History and the National
Museum of American History, the Arctic Studies Program, and the National
Museum of the American Indian. Through the American Indian Program, the
NAA has made historical, cultural, and linguistic materials available to various
Native American heritage centers and tribes across the nation. Linguistic manuscripts and recordings at the NAA have played an important role in language
revitalization programs particularly among California Indian tribes. In recent
3
years the Acoma Language Retention Program has drawn extensively upon linguistic resources in the NAA as has the Coquille Tribe through the Southwest
Oregon Research Program (SWORP) at the University of Oregon. In addition,
native filmmakers and independent documentary filmmakers working in collaboration with tribes have drawn upon the archival film resources of the
Human Studies Film Archives, the film and video component of the NAA.
Archival footage shot in 1908 at Crow Agency, for example, served as an inspiration for the film, Warrior Chiefs in a New Age (1992) by Dean Bearclaw. More
recently, the documentary film Return of Navaho Boy (2000) used archival
footage of the Cly family who had been filmed in 1954 in Monument Valley.
A PACHE V ISIT
In 1996 the NAA hosted seven visitors from
three western Apache tribes: Tonto,
White Mountain, and San Carlos.
They visited NAA to view the
photographs of their tribes, and to
study the ethnological and linguistic
material on the Apache. They were
able to recognize and identify
many people in the old
photographs. For example,
one visitor found an old
photograph of her
grandparents.
THE SAN CARLOS,
WHITE MOUNTAIN,
AND TONTO
APACHES VISIT NAA
TO RESEARCH INTO
THE ARCHIVAL
MATERIAL RELATIVE
TO THEIR TRIBES .
THEY RECOGNIZE
MANY OF THE PEOPLE
IN THE
PHOTOGRAPHS AS
ANCESTORS .
4
BLANK
5
RESEARCH TOOLS
The National Anthropological Archives is located in the Smithsonian
Museum Support Center, 4210 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, Maryland. It is
open to the public four days a week, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and
Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Research is scheduled by appointment
only. Telephone (301) 238-2873 or email naa@nmnh.si.edu to schedule an
appointment or (301) 238-2872 for recorded information.
The National Anthropological Archives (NAA) is the repository for the
records of the Bureau of American Ethnology, the Department of
Anthropology as it existed under the United States National Museum and
the present-day Department of Anthropology, and also hundreds of collections from internal and external sources as well as the professional papers
and field notes of anthropologists and archeologists, many of whom worked
extensively in North America. NAA is one of the largest repositories for original linguistic, ethnological, archeological, and other information on North
American Native cultures in the country and quite possibly in the world.
There are various finding aids in place to assist visitors in conducting
research in the Archives; some of these can be accessed online. The following information will assist the researcher in using them.
SIRIS
The Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) is the
online catalog of resources held by the Institution’s libraries, archives and
other specialized research centers. For detailed instruction on how to use
SIRIS, please see the insert in the back of this booklet.
6
T HE N ATIONAL A NTHROPOLOGICAL A RCHIVES W EBPAGE
(www.nmnh.si.edu/naa)
Whenever possible, researchers
should begin at the NAA web site.
The site provides access to the
online catalogs, instructions for
ordering photographs, and copies
of permission forms. The site is
updated on a regular basis and
includes background information
on the archives, articles on new collections, news from NAA, and
advice on visiting NAA.
Finding aids to collections can
be found online. These include:
American Anthropological Association; John Lawrence Angel;
Department of Anthropology,
USNM/NMNH, Manuscript and
Pamphlet File; Alice Cunningham
Fletcher and Francis La Flesche;
Esther Schiff Goldfrank; Herbert
William Krieger; Raoul Weston La
Barre; Otis Tufton Mason; William
Duncan Strong.
7
G UIDE
TO THE
N ATIONAL A NTHROPOLOGICAL A RCHIVES
The Guide to the National Anthropological
Archives, revised and enlarged in 1996, is an
excellent starting point for conducting
research in the archives. The Guide provides access by collection name, culture
group, personal name, and/or subject. The
index refers to entry numbers not page
numbers. For collections acquired after
1996, researchers will need to search
SIRIS and consult archives staff. Users
should be aware that this is not a transparent key to the collections. There are
several idiosyncracies. See Appendix C
in the Guide.
At the very end of each entry it says FINDING AID. This will
guide you to the next step in the research process which will involve SIRIS
or any of the finding aids listed below.
An electronic version of the Guide is available on the NAA website
(www.nmnh.si.edu/naa). The electronic version does not include the index
or all of the appendices. Limited copies of the Guide are available to individuals upon request.
C ATALOG
TO
M ANUSCRIPTS
AT THE
N ATIONAL A NTHROPOLOGICAL A RCHIVES
In 1975, G.K. Hall published a reproduction of the NAA card catalog in a
four volume set. For collections received after 1975, researchers should consult the guide and SIRIS. Researchers wishing to consult this guide prior to
coming to the Archives, may find it in some public and educational libraries.
Sorted alphabetically, the catalog is a compendium of main entries and
cross references to the manuscript collection in NAA. The catalog is divided into:
1. manuscripts relating to North American Indians north of Mexico;
2. a smaller number of manuscripts about peoples in other regions of
the world;
3. a numerical file indicating the subject under which the main entry
cards have been filed in the other two described above; and,
4. a section on drawings in the Archives.
8
C ARD C ATALOG
The NAA maintains an inactive card catalog. The cards are filed alphabetically by names of tribes or linguistic groups, or names of individuals, and
by manuscript number. There are also some subject entries, as for example,
“Archeology” (primarily of the U.S., arranged by state), “BAE History,” and
“Pictographs.”
The cards refer to a specific manuscript number which generally
appears in the upper left-hand corner. This is the number researchers will
use to request the material. For collections received after 1975, reserachers
should consult the Guide and SIRIS.
R EGISTERS
AND
L ISTS
Registers are detailed guides to collections.
Most registers contain descriptions of the collection, biographical information on the collector,
and a box and folder list. There are registers for
both manuscript and photograph collections.
The NAA Guide indicates which collections
have registers. Some collections will have a
draft register or a simple list of folders. The
register should allow researchers to narrow and facilitate their search by identifying the desired material and its location.
NAA will provide copies of finding aids
to select collections upon request.
V ERTICAL F ILE
The vertical file is available to researchers in the search room. It is an
alphabetically arranged reference file maintained by the Archives to provide
preliminary information for reference and project work. To consult this file
researchers should request the alpha list. It is primarily a collection of miscellaneous information on a subject. It is particularly useful for biographies,
bibliographies, and obituaries of people, especially 19th century anthropologists.
Not all subjects are covered and sometimes the information is minimal. At
the same time, researchers should be advised that the vertical file often contains unique information of interest to a given subject or person.
9
F ILE P RINTS , O RIGINAL P HOTOGRAPHS ,
& D IGITAL R ESOURCES
The National Anthropological Archives
holds over 400,000 photographs in a variety of
formats. Many are 19th-century glass negatives, but there are also photographs, stereographs, lantern slides, a few early non-paper
formats, 35mm slides, and file prints. The vast
majority of these prints are in black and white.
However, there are a very few, primarily of art
work and photos of more recent vintage, which
are in color. File prints are reference copies of
original prints and glass negatives. The file print collection consists largely
of early BAE negatives; however, it also contains a random selection from
various photo lots. Digital copies are now available for over 40,000 NAA
images. If one is interested in an overview of a particular tribe, it is recommended that a careful review of the file prints be done prior to in-depth
research.
One of the largest collections of original photographs is Photo Lot 24,
commonly known as the “Source Print Collection.” The photographs in this
collection were received from a variety of sources in the Bureau of American
Ethnology and the United States National Museum, and external sources. It
is indexed primarily by geographical location and then by tribe; however,
when doing a search on SIRIS it is important to note the entire citation under
“Cite As” for this collection, as there are also subcategories which will help
the archivist find the photographs you want. Two other large collections are
the USNM: Division of Physical Anthropology (DPA, Photo
Lot 8) and the USNM: Division of Ethnology (DOE,
Photo Lot 97).
Another collection of significant interest is the
Library of Congress Copyright Deposit
Collection (Photo Lot 59). Duplicates of some of
this collection are also available at LOC. These
are photographs of Native Americans which
were submitted to the Library of Congress for
copyright registration from 1860s to 1930s.
Many are individual or group portraits of
Native Americans (some named, some
unknown), but there are also pictures of baskets, structures, artifacts, burials, arts and crafts,
scenery, transportation, etc. These are indexed
first by size, next by tribe, and then by subcategory
10
(e.g., “Individuals,” “Groups,” “Habitations”). So once again, it is important
to note the entire citation under “Cite As” not only for this collection but for
any in which you are interested.
A RTWORK
The Artwork Collection in the National Anthropological Archives consists of
over 20,000 drawings from diverse cultures around the world; more than
16,000 are from North America. Many of the drawings were done by Native
American artists to record and illustrate their history. Two examples are the
Innu and Inuit hunting and dancing
scenes and the
drawings by the
Apache
artist
Frederick Gokliz. The
NAA collection is
especially rich in
Plains winter counts
and ledger art, such
as Sitting Bull's pictorial autobiography;
Silverhorn's illustrations of the adventures of the Kiowa trickster, Saynday; and pictures by Plains prisoners at Fort
Marion, Florida, ca. 1875-1878. Other artwork, such as James Otto Lewis's
paintings of Chippewa lodges or
J.G. Swan's depictions of Haida
art, was produced to document
Western expeditions before photography became commonplace.
More recent artwork includes the
1960s Inuit drawings from the
Cape Dorset print shop; hundreds
of paintings, sketches, and drawings by Acee Blue Eagle, as well
as works that he collected by other
Native artists, such as Stephen
Mopope and Allan Houser.
Much of the artwork can be found in SIRIS (see insert in back of this
book). Some SIRIS entries include digital images of the art, and researchers
visiting the archives have access to images of all of the artwork on a computer in the NAA.
11
N A A L IBRARY
NAA holds a small collection of books which can be used while visiting the
search room. Included are the Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletins and
Annual Reports, in which is published much of the Native American research
done by the BAE fieldworkers, and the American Anthropologist, among others.
These are not available for loan. However, they may also be found in other public or university libraries. A few other books which may be helpful in your
research are:
•List of Publications of the Bureau of American Ethnology with Index to
Authors and Titles. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American
Ethnology Bulletin 200 (End of Series). Washington: Smithsonian
Institution Press, 1971.
•Forty-eighth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1930-31. Washington, D.C.:
Government Printing Office, 1933.
•Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico. Frederick Webb Hodge,
editor. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 30.
Washington: Government Printing Office, 1907. Two volumes.
•The Indian Tribes of North America. John R. Swanton. Smithsonian
Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 145. Washington:
Government Printing Office, 1952.
•Ethnographic Bibliography of North America. George Peter Murdock.
New Haven: Human Relations Area Files, 1960.
•An Author, Title, and Subject Check List of Smithsonian Institution
Publications Relating to Anthropology. Mamie Tanquist Miller. University
of New Mexico Bulletin, 405. New Mexico: University of New Mexico
Press, 1946.
C AVEATS
•The collections in the Archives consist chiefly of original material or material in an original language; much is handwritten and may require
patience and care to decipher. Also, there could be a variety of spellings
or even different names used in the 19th-century names than those used
today. Finding material and reviewing it can be very time intensive.
Visitors are alerted to plan their schedule accordingly, keeping in mind
that it may take several days to search and go through the material in
which they are interested. It is recommended that any possible library
research be done first.
•A small amount of the material in the Archives is restricted. Researchers
are therefore advised to inform the archivist of their interests at the time
of scheduling an appointment.
12
•Although there may be a small amount, NAA is not the repository for
Native American genealogical, census, or treaty material. The National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the repository for those
documents.
T HE H UMAN S TUDIES F ILM A RCHIVES
The Human Studies Film Archives is an internationally recognized center devoted to collecting,
preserving, documenting, and disseminating a
broad range of ethnographic and anthropological moving image materials. The HSFA holds
film and video materials in archival and study
collections, along with related audio tapes,
stills, texts, field notes, camera and sound
logs, and production logs.
Edited films--both sound and silent--in the
HSFA collection include documentaries,
ethnographic and educational films, television broadcasts, and even a few fictional
films placed in the collections because of
their content. Many films about Native
Americans such as Richard Tomkins' Ishi
in Two Worlds (1967) and Robert Flaherty's
Nanook of the North (1922) are well known, but there are
many other films in the archives that relate to Native America.
Amateur films of fieldwork or travel are a surprisingly rich source of information
about cultural and historical activities. The HSFA collections include Franz
Boas' 1929 film of the Kwakiutl at Fort Rupert, British Columbia, Scudder
Mekeel's footage shot on the Lakota Sioux Rosebud Reservation in 1930, and
film shot by Joseph Dixon in 1908 at the Crow Agency in Montana. Several films
documenting the events of the early Gallop Fairs are also found in the HSFA.
These old films have been finding new life recently: Dixon's footage was the
inspiration for Dean Bearclaw's 1991 film Warrior Chiefs in a New Age, and historical film from Alaska has been used for oral history projects by the King
Islanders.
Like the NAA, the HSFA has a Guide to its collections available in print and
on the NAA website (www.nmnh.si.edu/naa) under "Guide to the Collections." It
provides an introduction on how to use the Guide as well as a history of the film
archives. Both the print and electronic versions of the Guide index the films and
videos by geographic and political terms, ethnic groups, and subject matter.
On the website, the titles can also be searched by keyword and browsed by
13
region of the world. However, for more up-to-date information on holdings
please check SIRIS.
The HSFA is located in the Museum Support Center, 4210 Silver Hill Road,
Suitland, Maryland. It is open by appointment only. The Archives permits reproduction of the collections for presentations, study, research, and production
purposes, in accordance with any donor/depositor restrictions and existing
copyrights. There is a charge for this service. To schedule a visit, discuss donating film or video, or request further information, contact the archives at (301)
238-2875, or email hsfa@nmnh.si.edu. The HSFA online catalog can be
accessed at www.nmnh.si.edu/hsfa.
T HE J OHN W ESLEY P OWELL
L IBRARY OF A NTHROPOLOGY
In addition to its specimen collections, the Department of Anthropology
houses a specialized library. Like other Smithsonian facilities, it is open to qualified scholars. Administratively part of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries system, the John Wesley Powell Library of Anthropology consists of approximately
85,000 volumes, including more than 400 serials, a large number of microform,
and smaller collections of CD's, audio cassettes, etc. The core of the collection
is the library of the Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE) established by
Congress in 1879 within the Smithsonian to conduct "anthropologic researches
among the North American Indians." In 1965, when the BAE was eliminated, its
library was joined with those of the museum anthropology divisions.
The coverage of today's library collection is broad, including all four subfields of American anthropology, and research-oriented with an emphasis on
material culture. Holdings are especially strong in Native American culture, history, and linguistics for all of North America and the Arctic Rim, with additional
materials focusing on indigenous cultural development in Central and South
America. The history of anthropology, especially during its early years in the
United States, is covered on the Anthropology Library Home Page
(www.sil.si.edu/Branches/anth-hp.htm), which also features SI resources in
anthropology as well as a selection of other important electronic resources.
Visitors are encouraged to pursue independent research projects using the collection under the guidance of Librarian Dr. Margaret Dittemore.
The library is located in the
National Museum of Natural History
10th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20560-0112
Tel: 202-357-1819
Fax: 202-357-1896
14
O PPORTUNITIES
FOR
N ATIVE A MERICANS
All interested individuals and groups are welcome to use the materials of
the National Anthropological Archives and Human Studies Film Archives.
However, certain Smithsonian Institution programs are designed specifically to
provide support to Native Americans. These programs assist in the careers of
young individuals and help to bolster pride in their cultural heritage.
American Indian Program, National Museum of Natural History: The American
Indian Program was established in 1986 to encourage participation of Native
Americans in Smithsonian activities and to support research, exhibitions, and
public programming as they relate to Native peoples. Internships and research
grants are available for work at the Museum under the direction of the program
director. The program has hosted more than 125 fellows and welcomes
inquiries from interested individuals, tribally-affiliated museums, colleges, and
other cultural and educational institutions.
For more information contact:
American Indian Program
National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC 20560-0112
Office of Fellowships and Grants, Smithsonian Institution: Native American
Community Scholar's Awards are available for Native Americans who are formally or informally related to a Native American community to undertake individually designed research projects related to Native American topics and
using Native American resources at the Smithsonian.
Native American Visiting Student Awards. Appointments are available for
currently enrolled advanced Native American graduate students who are formally or informally related to a Native American community. Visiting Students
pursue independent research in association with Smithsonian staff.
For more information contact:
Office of Fellowships and Grants
Smithsonian Institution
750 9th St. NW, Suite 9300
Washington, DC 20560-0902
American Indian Museum Studies Program, Center for Museum Studies: Each
year the Center for Museum Studies provides Native American students with an
orientation to archival repositories in Washington, DC, including NAA.
For more information contact:
American Indian Museum Studies Program
Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC 20560-0427
15
Graphic Credits:
Page 1:
Book of Kiowa Drawings, 1875-78
Unknown Author
(NAA MS #98-54)
Page 5:
Two Caribou, Two Caterpillars, and Spider
(Drawn by Cumberland Island Eskimo) Feb 1878
Manuscript Eskimo: Wrichtau, Artist
(Drawing: NAA INV 0853200)
Page 9:
Wolf Plume, Curly Bear, & Bird Rattler (Blackfoot) Feb. 1916
(Glass Negative: BAE GN 00424A 06130000)
Billy Bowlegs (Mikasuki Seminole) 1858(?)
(BAE NEG. NO. 1175)
Page 10:
Sitting Bull on Horseback, 22 Years Old, Killing Crow Chief
Autobiography of Sitting Bull and Jumping Bull 1882
(Drawing: NAA MS 1929B(011); INV 08590800)
Mounted Indian Man Capturing Wild Horses 1875-77
Drawing by Buffalo Meat
(NAA MS 4656; INV 08680400)
Please be advised that the online environment may change. The information here should be used for guidance purposes only.
2
SIRIS
(Smithsonian Institution Research Information System)
SIRIS can be accessed from the Internet anywhere in the world. It is the primary catalogue for all of the archival and library collections in the Smithsonian
Institution museums. It can be accessed online by going to: www.siris.si.edu.
For more information about SIRIS, click on “More About SIRIS” to the right
of the screen. Another window will pop up which will provide information on
SIRIS and the separate libraries and archives.
For information about the archives, click on “About” under Archives &
Manuscripts. A list of the individual archives will show to the right. You can then
click on each of the archives to learn more (see red box below right).
To search the collections in NAA, click on “Search” under Archives &
Manuscripts (see red box below left). This will take you to a search window
(see next page) which will be discussed in more detail below.
Select Repository. Select the “National Anthropological Archives” or
“Human Studies Film Archives” as the Repository.
Select Search Type. See Keyword Terms and Browse Terms Help for an
explanation of search types.
You can search by Keywords Anywhere, Name, Title, Subject,
Form/Genre, Notes, or Electronic Resources. Use Keywords Anywhere when
you want to find a specific word or words anywhere in the record. It is the
3
4
broadest search you can do. To improve response time, use the most distinctive
words in your search and exclude common words, such as “national, united,”
etc. Limiting your search to name, title, subject, form/genre, notes, or electronic resources keywords will also reduce response time. These additional keyword options are listed in the drop-down box to the right of the Keyword
Searches box. It is not necessary to include “and” between terms.
It is also helpful to search for all possible variations of the subject you are
researching. For example, if you are seeking a particular Native American,
search for both the English and Native American name as he (she) could be listed by one or the other or both. Also, try any variety of the spelling of the name.
Browse. You can browse by name, subject, title, or collection numbers.
Sorting. Results of Keyword Searches can be sorted by name, title or date.
A drop-down box among the optional choices enables a user, prior to entering
a search, to sort the results by name, title or date.
Results will show brief lists of basic information. You can view the entire
description by clicking on the View Long Record link.
Long Record
5
6
When requesting materials from the NAA you will be asked to supply the
information in the Cite As field from the long record.
If you have questions about using SIRIS call the National Anthropological
Archives at (301) 238-2873 for assistance.
The following page is a summary of detailed instructions from SIRIS on
searching by Keyword and Browse.
Keyword Searching: Use Keyword Anywhere searching when you want to find a specific
word or words anywhere in the record. It is the broadest search you can do. To improve
response time, use the most distinctive words in your search and exclude common words
(e.g., National, United, etc.) Limiting your search to name, title, subject, form/genre, notes, or
electronic resources keywords will also reduce response time. These additional keyword
options are listed in the drop-down box to the right of the Keyword Searches box. It is not necessary to include AND between terms.
Other Search Techniques:
Combine words with OR to broaden a search.
Truncation or Wild Card Characters: An asterisk (*) is used to search for a term and its
various forms. A question mark (?) can be used to find terms where one letter might be
different.
Sorting and Limiting Keyword Searches: Results of Keyword Searches can be restricted
to specific archival repositories within the Smithsonian Institution. A drop-down box
among the optional choices enables a user, prior to entering a search, to restrict results
to those materials held at a specific location. Results of Keyword Searches can be sorted by name, title or date. A drop-downbox among the optional choices enables a user,
prior to entering a search, to sort the results by name, title or date.
Browse Names: To search by name, select Browse Names from the drop-down box in the
search menu. Enter the person's last name or name of an organization in the box at the bottom of the screen. It is not necessary to include persons' first names or initials. SIRIS will take
you to a list of names most closely matching to the name you entered and will display the
number of items retrieved for each name. When the surname is common, the person's first
name or initial can be included but do not include any punctuation.
Browse Subjects: A collection's subject describes what the collection is about. A collection may have several subjects assigned to it. To search by subject, select Browse Subjects
from the drop-down box in the search screen. Type the appropriate subject term in the
search box at the bottom of the screen. Enter only the initial portion of a term if you are not
sure of the exact heading.
The display will bring you to a list of subject headings that most closely match the one
entered. "See" references direct you to the correct form of a heading. "See Also" references
direct you to related subject headings.
Subdivisions in Subject Headings: Subject headings may be divided into parts called
subdivisions. To search for a subject with subdivisions, separate each part of the heading
with two hyphens (--).
Browse Titles: To search by title, select Browse Titles from the drop-down box in the
search menu. Enter the title in the box at the bottom of the screen. Exclude initial articles (e.g.
A, The, An) but include articles within a title (e.g. Cranes of the World.) Apostrophes are
ignored by the system. When searching hyphenated words, either include hyphens or leave a
space between the two words. SIRIS will display search results as a list of titles closest to the
word(s) you enter. Where the exact order of the title words is not known, try a keyword title
search (see Keyword Searches).
Browse Collection Numbers: To search by collection number select Browse Collection
Numbers from the drop-down box in the search menu. Enter the number in the search box at
the bottom of the screen.
7
SIRIS MISSION
"The Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) is an interactive, integrated system applying established national standards to manage, describe, and provide
access to research resources held primarily by the Institution's libraries, archives, and
research units in support of the Institution's mission. SIRIS supports the Smithsonian research
community by providing a gateway to and from other Institution information resources and to
external information resources."
SIRIS MEMBER UNITS
The following Smithsonian offices contribute data to the SIRIS catalogs. Click on the
name of the office to visit their web site and find out more about their collections and services.
Library Catalog
Smithsonian Institution Libraries (21 branches)
Note: The Freer Gallery of Art Library has a separate catalog located at:
http://www.sackler-freer-library.si.edu/
Archives & Manuscripts Catalog
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Archives of American Art
Archives of American Gardens
Eliot Elisofon Photograpic Archives
Human Studies Film Archives
NASM Archives Division
National Anthropological Archives
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Smithsonian Institution Archives
Art Inventories Catalog
Research and Scholars Center, Smithsonian American Art Museum
Research/Bibliographies Catalog
Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History
Department of Invertebrate Zoology - Mollusks, National Museum of Natural History
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives
Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Smithsonian Chronology Catalog
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives
Peter A. Juley & Son Collection Catalog
Peter A. Juley Collection, Smithsonian American Art Museum
If you have questions or comments about the SIRIS catalogs, please send them to
siris@oit.si.edu. If you have any other questions or comments for the Smithsonian, you can
send them to viarc.info@ic.si.edu.