Folklife Center News, Volume 6 Number 2

April-June 1983 The Library ofCongress, Washington, D.C. Volume VI, Number 2 NewJersey's Pinelands National Reserve Cowboy Exhibit Opening Working Cowboy Symposium Ellen Lovell on State Folk Arts Programs tion meetings. He had visited the afternoon at the Nebraska State Choctaw community in Philadel Historical Society researching early FOLKLIFE CENTER NEWS phia, Mississippi, and noticed an Omaha Indian photographs. The old Bureau ofAmerican Ethnology next morning folklorist Roger a quarterly publication ofthe report on the bookshelf. Inquiring, Welsch drove me up to Macy, a ride American Folklife Center he found that they were enthusias of about two hours through the tic about having the report in their flat-to-rolling countryside of east atthe community. But they had no more ern Nebraska. We pulled into Library ofConr;ress enthusiasm than the present gen Macy, a small community near the eration ofscholars for the volume's Missouri River, and walked into the AlanJabbour. Director turn-of-the-century theories about Omaha Tribal Administration Choctaw culture. Rather, they were Building to find Dennis Hastings, Ray Dockstader. Deputy Director grateful for the carefully described the young Omaha who has been Elena Bradunas and transcribed ceremonies, which working on cultural projects for Carl Fleischhauer would have been lost but now are Mary Hufford the tribe. He was bustling about Folklife Specialists being relearned. getting ready for our presentation The documentation, one might to the Tribal Council. We were in PeterT. Bartis. Folklife Researcher say, had outlived the theories for troduced to a few people, then Eleanor Sreb. Executive Assistant which it had been accumulated, ushered into the Council's meeting Brett Topping. Writer-Editor and had been put to cultural uses room. Doris Craig. Administrative Secretary Lisa Oshins. StaffAssistant the earlier collectors never im Dennis Hastings gave an initial agined. Though such collectors talk, then I made a fairly lengthy Tel: 202 287--{j590 might have expected that future presentation describing the proj researchers would use earlier field ect, the Fletcher/La Flesche collec Archive ofFolk Culture data to develop fresh conclusions, tion, and the Folklife Center's Joseph C. Hickerson. Head they can hardly have foreseen that publication plans. The Council Gerald E. Parsons.Jr.. Reference Librarian the fieldnotes, photographs, sound members seemed interested but Patricia M. Markland. Indexer-Secretary Sebastian LoCurto. StaffAssistant recordings, and published descrip were curious to hear for them tions they painstakingly created selves. At that point I excused my Tel: 202287-5510 would re-enter the very cultural self to run out to the car and Washington. D.C. 20540 process they described, would be retrieve my cassette recorder. prized, studied, and at times When I came back, I discovered readopted by the very people they that the Council had sent for two Managing Editor: Brett Topping had studied. To the later 20th cen old men tojoin us. One ofthem was tury was reserved the gradually 80-year-old John Turner, whom I dawning realization that we are a later recorded. I played examples part ofand thus affect all we study. from the cylinder recordings, con The efficacy of documentation centrating on the helushka (warrior Director's Column was powerfully brought home to songs) category. When John me during a recent trip to Ne Turner began singing along with braska. The Federal Cylinder some of the 1896 recordings, I This column has been devoted to Project, with the assistance of the knew we were home free. After a the subject of documentation be L. J. and Mary C. Skaggs Founda few pieces we stopped and Mr. fore. I have been a bit preoccupied tion, has recently plunged into its Turner offered supportive com with the subject of late, partly be dissemination phase with plans to ments. The Council members cause of its place in the Folklife issue published recordings (in LP closed the meeting with a resolu Center's mission, partly because it disc and cassette form) selected tion for the Vice Chairman, Mark has emerged as a theme in our Cul from the early cylinders. Our first Merrick, to draft a letter of sup tural Conservation Report, and published recording will feature port. partly from an anxiety that profes Omaha Indian music recorded by After the meeting we adjourned sional students of culture had Alice C. Fletcher and (Omaha In to the school across the street, grown so enamored of theory that dian) Francis La Flesche about where we had lunch in the gym/ "mere" documentation was in 1896. My Nebraska mission: to pre cafeteria. Then Dennis packed us danger of being neglected. This sent these historical recordings to into the car and drove us to the el last concern-that we understand the Omaha tribe and to ask their derly center. They were having a the efficacy ofdocumentation itself support for the idea of the re gathering and had been alerted in the larger workings of our civili corded publication. that we would be coming. I was in zation-was wonderfully pointed I left town on Washington's troduced to the group leader, who up by folklorist Henry Glassie dur Birthday, flew westward to Lin in turn translated my description ing one of the Cultural Conserva coln, Nebraska, and spent the of the cylinder recordings into 2 FOLKLIFE CENTER NEWS Omaha. I played the same batch of lection. The tapes I recorded with an etiological story about the helushka songs, and they seemed to Mr. Turner include the original re Omaha flute, using as its hero the make quite an impression. I cordings together with his transla ubiquitous Orphan about whom noticed two old men near the back tions, interpretations, spontaneous many Omaha stories are told, and whose hands were beating along songs, stories, and other commen shared some of his repertory of with the drum rhythm; they began taries. A singer, player of the jokes. But events prevented our talking to one another and pulled traditional Omaha flute, and launching another recording ses cassette tapes out of their pockets. traditionalist in cultural matters, he sion. John Carter of the Historical It was a fascinating session for me clearly enjoyed the session, joking Society, representing my ride back and a good start in our efforts to and singing spontaneously as the to Omaha, arrived on the scene, share the recordings with the tribe. case presented itself. His interpre and the next thing I knew I was say Then we went over to the hospital tations (as well as his cautionary ing a round ofgoodbyes. and-after Roger Welsch regret words regarding certain sacred or Two months later, I find myself fully took his leave- repeated the secret ceremonial songs) represent still mulling over the experience. It performance for a group gathered invaluable supplementary docu certainly confirmed all my beliefs for the occasion. I saw that the re mentation for the cylinders. I was about the cultural power of turn of the cylinder recordings to thrilled at his interest and secretly documentation. The interest and the Omaha was shaping up as quite began to scheme about recording enthusiasm of the Omaha people a community event. him again. was electric, and the recording ses Next Dennis took me to a hous The next morning we encoun sion with John Turner dramatized ing project where we visited Char tered Mr. Turner again at the the fact that the cylinders are not lie Edwards, a 91-year-old man Administration Building and ex simply documents a/the past, but a who had been an active singer for pressed a vague hope that we could legacy from the past. My personal much of his life. We played the record him again. We got into a presence may have helped--one same helushka songs for him, and I lively conversation where he told cannot satisfy the responsibility for used a Nagra tape recorder to re dissemination simply by mailing cord his responses. off some tapes. Yet we could not The next day after lunch we have created such interest if the stopped by the Tribal Building in cylinders were not inherently inter hopes of finding John Turner BOARD OF TRUSTEES esting. The recording session with there. Sure enough, there he was John Turner in many ways sym waiting in the lobby. I asked if he Janet Anderson, Oregon and California, bolized the whole effort. It yielded would be interested in a recording Chairman precious information about the session where he would comment Ronald C. Foreman, Jr., Florida, Vice 1896 recordings, and, as a semi on the cylinder recordings. He Chairman public event, it dramatized the seemed quite willing, so we started Raye Virginia Allen, Washington, D.C., "living" quality of the traditions looking for a room to appropriate and Texas preserved on the cylinders. Mr. for recording purposes. Most of Edward Bridge Danson, Arizona Turner provided the symbolic link the rooms had ambient noise from David E. Draper, California between past and present as he lis the air circulation system, and be Jeanne Guillemin, Massachusetts tened, laughed, interpreted, and fore we knew it our search became William L. Kinney,Jr., South Carolina sang. The turning tape-reels, re a major project involving several St.John Terrell, NewJersey cording the cylinders side by side administrators. Finally we selected with his commentary, attested to an office which seemed to have less the symbolic importance of the ambient noise, at which point the event as a contemporary effort to Vice Chairman authorized shut Ex Officio Members ward cultural conservation. ting off the air system altogether In early April John Turner Daniel J. Boorstin, The Libtarian of Con for a while. I set up the Nagra and passed away.

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