Introduction

American Folklife Center collections from the state of Washington document the diversity of its expressive culture. Among its unique collections are recordings are the Chehallis, Clayoquot, Klallam, Lummi, Makah, Nooksack, Nisqualli, Puyallup, Quileute, Samish, Skagit, Snohomish, Skokomish, Squamish, and Yakima tribal groups. Between 1988 and 1993 the American Folklife Center conducted the Italian Americans in the West Project documenting the traditions of Italian Americans. A portion of this field study was conducted in eastern Washington.

In this video folklorist Jens Lund discusses traditional poetry among other occupational groups and is still found among workers in the Pacific Northwest such as loggers, commercial fishers, and miners. The majority of the poets live or work in Washington. September 12, 2013.

Collections of Interest

The following materials link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to digital content are provided when available.

Frances Densmore collection of Makah cylinder recordings
Call Number: AFC 1948/132
Published/Created: 1923,1926
Collection of field recordings of Makah songs, three of which are also listed in the Clayoquot collection since they each contain one Clayoquot and one Makah song. These recordings were made by Frances Densmore in Neah Bay, Washington, in July 1923 and in July-August 1926.
Frances Densmore collection of Quileute cylinder recordings
Call Number: AFC 1948/126
Published/Created: 1926
Collection of field recordings of Quileute songs sung by Mrs. Gilbert Holden, some with drum accompaniment recorded at the Makah Reservation, Neah Bay, Washington, in August 1926 by Frances Densmore.
Morris Swadesh collection of Nootka and Makah wire recordings
Call Number: AFC 1970/010
Published/Created: 1949
Collection of field recordings of Nootka music, group singing, historical stories, and stories in Makah recorded by Morris Swadesh in 1949 in Neah Bay, Washington and Port Alberni, British Columbia. Includes a Christmas song recorded in Port Alberni (B.C.). Includes some songs in English with guitar and story fragment in English.
Willard Rhodes 1950 field recordings collection
Call Number: AFC 1950/027
Published/Created: 1950
Collection of field recordings of American Indian music recorded in the summer of 1950 by Willard Rhodes. Songs are labeled as Puyallup, Canadian/Vancouver Island, Nisqually, Lummi, Snahomish, Skokomish, Snoqualmi, Samyama, Fraser River, Nooksack, Skagit, Samish, Nitinat, Makah, Clayoquot, Quinault, Kwakiutl, Quileute, Chinook, Twana, Chehallis, Bannock, Shoshone, and Arapaho. Included are Indian Shaker songs. Recordings were made at Auburn, Shelton, Marietta, Everson, La Conner, Marblemount, Neah Bay, La Push, Union, Washington; and at Fort Hall, Idaho.
Seattle Folklore Society collection
Call Number: AFC 1995/006
Published/Created: 1965-1973
Collection of sound recordings of events, including concerts, sponsored by the Seattle Folklore Society between 1965 and 1973; some recordings are undated. Recordings include a Seattle Folklore Society benefit; Mance Lipscomb Lessons in Blues; a jam session and square dance.
Italian Americans in the West Project collection, 1988-1993
Call Number: AFC 1989/022
Published/Created: 1988-1993
The collection consists of manuscript materials, sound recordings, graphic materials (including color slides, black-and-white negatives, and photographic prints), and moving images collected during a field research project documenting Italian American occupational, cultural, and religious traditions in several locations in the western United States. Fieldwork was conducted in Gilroy, California; San Pedro, California; Pueblo, Colorado; Carbon County, Utah; Walla Walla, Washington; and several mining and ranching communities in Nevada by staff of the American Folklife Center. This collection is available online

Public Programming

In this Ruže Dalmatinke performs Croatian songs at the Library of Congress. Binki Franulovic Spahi (lead voice) and Alma Franulovic Plancich (second voice) lead Ruze Dalmatinke in singing, and are responsible for the group's adherence to traditional purity in their music. From the town of Vela Luka on the island of Korcula, Dalmatia, Croatia, they immigrated with their family to the United States after World War II. July 18, 2012.

American Folklife Center Collections: Washington

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Introduction

Collections of Interest

Public Programming