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William Beynon Tsimshian manuscripts

William Beynon Tsimshian manuscripts, 1930s

Summary Information

Abstract

William Beynon (1888–1958) was a Tsimshian chief and ethnographer. From 1932 to 1939, Beynon sent the anthropologist Franz Boas approximately 250 transcribed narratives, compiled from interviews with tribal elders. These are known as the Beynon Manuscripts. The texts are mostly interlinear Sm'algyax and English, i.e. each line of Sm'algyax is followed by a line of literal English translation. The entire corpus is about 8,000 pages.

At a Glance

Call No.:
MS#2145
Bib ID:
17712803 View CLIO record
Creator(s):
Beynon, William, 1888-1958; Boas, Franz, 1858-1942
Repository:
Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Physical Description:
5 Linear Feet (10 letter-sized manuscript boxes)
Language(s):
English , Tsimshian .
Access:
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection is located onsite.

Description

Scope and Contents

The texts are mostly manuscript interlinear Sm'algyax and English, i.e. each line of Sm'algyax is followed by a line of literal English translation. The entire corpus is about 8,000 pages.

Arrangement

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection is located onsite.

Related Materials

William Beynon papers at American Philosophical Society. https://search.amphilsoc.org/collections/view?docId=ead/Mss.B.B467-ead.xml Beynon correspondence in the Franz Boas papers at the American Philosophical Society. https://search.amphilsoc.org/collections/view?docId=ead/Mss.B.B61.inventory02-ead.xml

Existence and Location of Copies

In the late 1970s, requests from Tsimshian tribes and museums led to the materials being microfilmed by UMI. Copies of the microfilm were distributed to about 30 museums and archives around the United States and Canada. Per a press release from Columbia in 1982 about the microfilm project, the material was copyrighted by Columbia, at the urging of the tribes, to protect it from commercial exploitation. Around the same time, the Metlakatla Indian Community of Alaska produced two paperback volumes of tales drawn from the manuscript texts. 4 reels of microfilm. Master number 0240.

Custodial History

Previously cataloged under call number: X898C442 B468. Materials are also known as the Beynon Tsimshian (Tsimshean) Manuscripts.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Franz Boas gave the manuscripts to Columbia University around 1940, where they were stored in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML).

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Stories 1-118: Items were removed from spring-load binders, individually foldered, and placed in manuscript boxes, May 2023 Stories 119-252: Notebooks rehoused into individual folders and manuscript boxes, April 2023.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

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Subject
Ethnology -- North America CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Tsimshian Indians CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Tsimshian language CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID