Episode Title: Native American Recordings, Community Connections, and the Federal Cylinder Project ft Judith Gray

Hosts:

• Jesse Johnston
• Evan Haywood

Guest:

• Judith Gray, Reference Librarian and Archivist at the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Overview:
In this episode, hosts Jesse Johnston and Evan Haywood discuss the Federal Cylinder Project at the American Folklife Center, focusing on its goal to reconnect Native American communities with archival audio recordings, largely recorded onto wax cylinders by various settler ethnographers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century throughout North America. Jesse interviews Judith Gray, coordinator of reference services at the American Folklife Center, about the project's history, its mission, and the ethical considerations in making these culturally significant sound recordings accessible to source communities.

Topics Discussed:

• The origins and goals of the Federal Cylinder Project.
• The American Folklife Center’s efforts in reconnecting sound recordings to Native American communities.
• Ethical considerations and methodologies for preserving and returning audio archives.
• Personal anecdotes and reflections from Judith's career at the Library of Congress.
• Specific case studies, including Frances Densmore’s Native American recordings, and the recordings of Passamaquoddy songs made in 1890 in Calais, Maine.

Highlights:

• Judith Gray’s insights into early challenges and successes in cataloging and making recordings accessible.
• Discussion on the collaboration between federal institutions and tribal communities.
• The role of Frances Densmore’s ethnographic work and recording in audio preservation.
• Community interactions with historic recordings and how they influence contemporary cultural projects.
• Excerpted archival recordings include (all digitized from original recordings preserved at the Library of Congress):
  • “Manabus Tells the Ducks to Shut Their Eyes” by Louis Pigeon of the Menominee tribe, recorded in 1925.
  • “Hethu’shka Song (‘Get Up and Dance’)” by the Host Drum at the Omaha powwow, recorded in 1983.
  • Noel Josephs and Passamaquoddy Tribe, recorded by Jesse Walter Fewkes, in Calais, Maine, 1890, performing "Snake Song."

Relevant Links:

• Federal Cylinder Project information: Library of Congress Federal Cylinder Project
• Passamaquoddy recording: “Passamaquoddy description of the Snake song and dance : Snake song”
• Archival recording in Macy, Nebraska: “Hethu’shka Song (‘Get Up and Dance’)”
• American Folklife Center information: American Folklife Center

Call to Action:

• Subscribe to the Sound Files podcast on your favorite platform.
• Rate and review the podcast to support the show.
• Follow the National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF) on social media platforms.
• Visit NRPF’s website to learn more about their programs and how to support them.

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Credits

The podcast executive producer and creator is Jesse Johnston. The podcast producer and director is Teresa Carey. Hosted by Jesse Johnston and Evan Haywood. Editing and sound design by Morse Alpha Media.  

Original music and sound designs by Evan Haywood. Recorded, edited, and mixed by Morse Alpha and Black Ram Treehouse. 

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the University of Michigan School of Information, the Library of Congress, and our generous supporters.

Support NRPF

Don't forget to look for us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and on the NRPF website. Donations can be made directly via https://www.recordingpreservation.org/donate/.

Show hosts Jesse Johnston and Evan Haywood talk with Leslie McCartney about the work of preserving oral histories at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. During the conversation, Leslie shared about the history of the tapes for the "Cuttlefish Project," undertaken in the 1970s by a class of high school students in Unalaska and their teacher Ray Hudson. We also discuss the significance of some of these recordings as documents of various Native Alaskan languages, the history of Native and Russian settlement in the remote Aleutian Islands, and the significance of recorded sound as a unique carrier of historical information. 

Sound clips were digitized with support from the National Recording Preservation Foundation and are used courtesy of the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Credits

The podcast executive producer and creator is Jesse Johnston. The podcast producer and director is Teresa Carey. Hosted by Jesse Johnston and Evan Haywood. Editing and sound design by Morse Alpha Media.  

Original music and sound designs by Evan Haywood. Recorded, edited, and mixed by Morse Alpha and Black Ram Treehouse. 

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the University of Michigan School of Information, the Library of Congress, and our generous supporters.

Support NRPF

Don't forget to look for us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and on the NRPF website. Donations can be made directly via https://www.recordingpreservation.org/donate/.

Show hosts Jesse Johnston and Evan Haywood talk with Jocelyn Robinson about the preservation of archives from HBCU radio stations. Robinson is the director of radio preservation and archives at WYSO Public Radio and working on a project to preserve radio broadcast archives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. During the conversation, she shared about the history of these radio stations and their importance to campus life, and her ongoing work to gather resources to survey and preserve the archives of about 30 stations throughout the southeast. We also talked about the content and sound of the stations, which led us into thinking about why audio archives are so unique and important, as well as some tips on how to start out on an audio archiving project.

Sound clips from the WRVS archives are used courtesy of the Elizabeth City State University (North Carolina), Archives and Special Collections, G.R. Little Library.

Credits

The podcast executive producer and creator is Jesse Johnston. The podcast producer and director is Teresa Carey. Hosted by Jesse Johnston and Evan Haywood. Editing and sound design by Morse Alpha Media.  

Original music and sound designs by Evan Haywood. Recorded, edited, and mixed by Morse Alpha and Black Ram Treehouse. 

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the University of Michigan School of Information, the Library of Congress, and our generous supporters.

Support NRPF

Don't forget to look for us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and on the NRPF website. Donations can be made directly via https://www.recordingpreservation.org/donate/.

This episode introduces Sound Files, a podcast where we talk to audio archivists and explore historic recorded audio collections! From the joys of discovering forgotten sounds, to replaying memorable examples, to the processes of inventorying and managing a collection, we will share stories of audio preservation.

Unique, endangered audio collections are at the core of the National Recording Preservation Foundation’s work. The NRPF is a non-profit, charitable organization that offers grants that help to preserve historical audio, working in alignment with the Library of Congress. This podcast is a way for us to celebrate the projects that we have supported over the years.

Sound Files presents a series of long-form conversations and stories about the work of archiving historical audio. We’re focused on giving our listeners a deep insight into archival methodologies, why these preservation projects are so important, and the people who have made it their mission to preserve  audio resources for future generations. 

We will talk with expert archivists, and ask them to share their perspectives on the important work they do. What are some of the most interesting and unique sounds they’ve encountered in the collections they work with? How do they evaluate which recordings are worthy of preservation? And what motivates them to preserve important pieces of recorded sound history?

We introduce the podcast hosts, Jesse Johnston and Evan Haywood.

We’re excited to bring you the Sound Files podcast! This podcast has been produced with support from the University of Michigan School of Information, the Black Ram Treehouse, the NRPF, and the generous support of our donors. We look forward to taking you on this journey.

Credits

The podcast executive producer and creator is Jesse Johnston. The podcast producer and director is Teresa Carey. Hosted by Jesse Johnston and Evan Haywood. Editing and sound design by Morse Alpha Media.  

Original music and sound designs by Evan Haywood. Recorded, edited, and mixed by Morse Alpha and Black Ram Treehouse. 

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the University of Michigan School of Information, the Library of Congress, and our generous supporters.

Support NRPF

Don't forget to look for us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and on the NRPF website. Donations can be made directly via https://www.recordingpreservation.org/donate/.