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The American Folklife Center contains rich and varied materials from Idaho that document the diversity of the state's folk traditions. Among its unique recordings are music and folklore from a wide range of ethnic traditions, including Finnish, Basque, Hispanic, Japanese, and American Indian. The American Indian holdings include recordings of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, collected by Alice Fletcher, on the occasions of Chief Joseph's visits to Washington, D.C., in 1897 and 1900.
The Center for Applied Linguistics Collection contains 118 hours of recordings documenting North American English dialects. The recordings include speech samples, linguistic interviews, oral histories, conversations, and excerpts from public speeches. They were drawn from various archives, and from the private collections of fifty collectors, including linguists, dialectologists, and folklorists. They were submitted to the Center for Applied Linguistics as part of a project entitled "A Survey and Collection of American English Dialect Recordings," which was funded by the Center for Applied Linguistics and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The collection includes eleven audio interviews related to Idaho. The speakers talk about a wide range of topics such as agricultural life, ethnicity, hunting, logging, and education.
The following materials link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to digital content are provided when available.
Herbert Joseph Spinden collection of Nez Perce cylinder recordingsSam Morris Nez Perce cylinder collection
College of Idaho Folklore Archive collectionAmuma Says No is among the best-known bands playing Basque music in America today. The band brings together the best of traditional trikitixa—a duo of accordion and tambourine—with a modern rhythm section and songs sung in the Basque language, Euskara. Based in Boise, Idaho, home of the largest community of Basques outside their home provinces along the French and Spanish Pyrenees. Jill Aldape, Dan Ansotegui, Sean Uranga Aucutt and Spencer Basterrechea Martin, the founders, are second and third generation Americans. They grew up dancing with the Oinkari Basque Dancers and listening to Basque artists like Jimmy Jausoro and Domingo Ansotegui. Joined in the current lineup by Rod Wray and Micah Deffries, they present a timeless traditional repertory with a touch of twenty-first century rock, pop and jazz.
