



Collections
(Special Collections Research Center)
Click here to read a blog by SHI Archivist Zach Jones The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) houses more
than 3,000 publications, approximately 20,000 photographic images,
roughly 300 cultural objects, nearly 2,500 media items, and more than 750 linear
feet of manuscript material that document the history, culture,
heritage, and language of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people of
Southeast Alaska. Below is a sample of some of the center's special
holdings, including digitized photograph and manuscript collections and
views of artifacts:
Dr.
Walter A. Soboleff ANB Papers: In 2007, Dr. Walter A. Soboleff
officially donated to SHI his papers, which document his time as a
ranking official within the Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB). Funded by
IMLS from 2005-2007, SHI staff arranged and scanned a significant
portion of Soboleff's ANB papers. The scanned papers are now available
online and consist of over 1,000 pages of material that span 1929 to
1995. Scanned papers include issues of the ANB periodical "The Voice of
Brotherhood," ANB meeting minutes, correspondence, working files, camp
files, and papers that show how ANB fought to improve the lives of tens
of thousands of Alaska Natives. (New!)
Digital
Photo Collections
This link takes researchers to a selection of online photographs from
the Special Collections Research Center's holdings. These images date
from 1880 to the present and document various aspects of the Tlingit,
Haida, and Tsimshian life. This web album will continue to grow as
materials are added by Special Collections staff. (New!)
Digital
Celebration Photo
Archive: This digital interface is a searchable database of historical photographs from
the institute's collection showcasing select photographs from SCRC’s
Celebration Photograph Collection. The database includes images of the
first Celebration festival in 1982 and from various festivals that
followed. The creation of this photo database was funded by a two-year
grant from the Institute of Museums and Library Services.
Bowlsby
Collection: In July 2002, a private collector donated more than 50
Alaska Native cultural objects and a slide collection to Sealaska Heritage
Institute. It is the largest private collection of cultural objects ever
given to SHI. The collection includes baskets, halibut hooks, carving
tools, spoons, a rattle and a number of stone objects that appear
prehistoric, said SHI President Rosita Worl, a Tlingit anthropologist.
William
Paul, Jr. Photos: This photography collection features Southeast
Alaska Native people during the 1940s through the 1950s, and they are a
joy to view. However, much of the information identifying people, places
and events depicted in the photographs has been lost. We are hoping you
will help! We are interested in anything you have to say about the photos
-- perhaps you remember some of these events and have stories or memories
to share?
Tlingit
Fighting Pick: An old, stone artifact received by Sealaska
Heritage Institute in 2003. The object was
discovered in the early 1950s in the village of Kake by Lloyd Davis during
a construction project and later presented to SHI by Davis' son, John
Davis. The artifact measures 16 inches in length and weighs about 5
pounds. SHI is trying to determine the age of the artifact and the type of
stone used. SHI asked Native elders, museum personnel and academic experts
to view the artifact and to consult with the institute about the object’s
potential historical use. Two theories have emerged.
Curry-Weissbrodt
Collection: In 1981 a wealth of Alaska Native
land-claims documents were donated to SHI by I.S. Weissbrodt and James E.
Curry, tribal lawyers who represented the Tlingit and Haida Indians from
the 1940s. SHI has scanned and digitized a selection of key documents from
this collection and they are posted on our website for public use. The
project was funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library
Services.
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