Full Description
Over the first half of the twentieth century, scientist and scholar Frances Densmore (1867-1957) visited thirty-five Native American tribes, recorded more than twenty-five hundred songs, amassed hundreds of artifacts and Native-crafted objects, and transcribed information about Native cultures. Her visits to indigenous groups included meetings with the Ojibwes, Lakotas, Dakotas, Northern Utes, Ho-chunks, Seminoles, and Makahs. A "New Woman" and a self-trained anthropologist, she not only influenced government attitudes toward indigenous cultures but also helped mold the field of anthropology. Densmore remains an intriguing historical figure. Although researchers use her vast collections at the Smithsonian and Minnesota Historical Society, as well as her many publications, some scholars critique her methods of "salvage anthropology" and concepts of the "vanishing" Native American. Travels with Frances Densmore is the first detailed study of her life and work. Through narrative descriptions of her life paired with critical essays about her work, this book is an essential guide for understanding how Densmore formed her collections and the lasting importance they have had for researchers in a variety of fields.
Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface
Introduction: Traveling with Frances Densmore
Joan M. Jensen and Michelle Wick Patterson
Part 1. Frances Densmore's Life and Work
1. She Always Said, "I Heard an Indian Drum"
Michelle Wick Patterson
2. Becoming Two White Buffalo Woman
Michelle Wick Patterson
3. By Train, by Boat, by Model T
Joan M. Jensen
4. Getting the Depression Blues
Joan M. Jensen
5. Cut, Paste, Delete, Preserve
Michelle Wick Patterson
6. Gone but Not Quite Forgotten
Joan M. Jensen
Part 2. Conversations
7. Miss Densmore Meets the Ojibwes: Frances Densmore's Ethnomusicology Studies among the Grand Portage Ojibwes in 1905
Nancy L. Woolworth
8. Songs of Healing: Music Therapy of Native America, a Medical Ethnomusicology Study
Stephanie Thorne
9. Familiar Faces: Densmore's Minnesota Photographs
Bruce White
10. Collection with a Mission: Frances Densmore's Chippewa Artifacts
Carolyn Gilman
11. An Archival Dilemma: The Densmore Cylinder Recording Speeds
Judith Gray
12. Frances Densmore's Chippewa Music
Thomas J. Vennum Jr.
Conclusion: A Picture Is Worth Deconstructing
Joan M. Jensen and Michelle Wick Patterson
Note on Sources: How to Continue Traveling with Densmore
Index
