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Preliminary Guide to the Loran Olsen Papers, circa 1958-2009
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Olsen, Loran
- Title
- Preliminary Guide to the Loran Olsen Papers
- Dates
- circa 1958-2009 (inclusive)19582009
- Quantity
- 25 Boxes
- Collection Number
- MSSM.054 (collection)
- Summary
- This collection consists of teaching and research materials of Loran Olsen, former professor of Music at Washington State University.
- Repository
-
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
This collection is open and available for research use, but some materials may have access and/or reproduction restrictions.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
From 1970 to 1993, Loran Olsen, then a member of the Washington State University Music faculty, did extensive research on the music of the Native peoples, chiefly of the American northwest. His varied activities included field trips to document Native traditions in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana; the production of educational media in close collaboration with Native tradition bearers; the scholarly examination of published and unpublished written materials; collecting, editing, organizing, and documenting his own and previously existing sound recordings; developing and teaching courses in Native music at Washington State University; and giving lectures and workshops in various public forums. In addition to producing a body of primary source material, he also collected a variety of secondary materials that more broadly document the culture and life of North America's native peoples.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection consists of materials related to Loran Olsen's teaching, and to his research as an ethnomusicologist specializing in the music and culture of Native American peoples. It was received in multiple installments, and detailed transmittal lists for each are on file in the collection.
MS.2010.29: Mainly collected research materials and audiovisual media, about Native American peoples of the Puget Sound area, the Southwest, California, and Alaska.
MS.2011.16: This installment includes audiovisual media (reel-to-reel audio recordings, 8 mm film recordings); and clippings and issues of the Peninsula Daily News (Port Angeles, WA) covering the 9 tribes of the Olympic Peninsula (Suquamish, Twana/Skokomish, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Jamestown S'Klallam, Lower Elwha Klallam, Makah, Quileute/Queets, Hoh, Quinault). Loran Olsen used these materials in his research and teaching.
MS.2011.18: Most of the materials in this accession are audiovisual media related to Loran Olsen's research and teaching about Pacific Northwest American Indian culture. The main groups represented are Swinomish, Tulalip, and Nez Perce, with a small amount of Plains material. There is a substantial amount of material related specifically to two individuals, Vi Hilbert and Johnny Moses, and the Lushootseed language.
MS.2015.05: Primarily materials related to Loran Olsen's "Music and Dance" contribution to the Handbook of North American Indians, and his work on the Sacred Encounters exhibit (music committee). Also includes collected research materials (mainly reproductions) and audiovisual media.
Dr. Olsen provided detailed transmittal lists for each installment, and copies of these are filed in the collection.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Copyright restrictions may apply.
Preferred Citation
[Item description]
Preliminary Guide to the Loran Olsen Papers, circa 1958-2009 (MSSM.054)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
This is an unprocessed collection. Arrangement reflects a pre-existing order from the records’ creators or previous custodians.
The materials are generally grouped by subject, source, or physical format. Each entry in the preliminary inventory below includes a reference to the original box number assigned by the donor, to provide a cross-reference to the detailed transmittal lists on file with the collection.
Location of Collection
(MASC STAFF USE) MS.2010.29: 1-38-5-3, MS.2011.16: 1-38-10-3, MS.2011.18: 1-38-15-2, MS.2015.05: 1-38-11-5.Acquisition Information
Loran Olsen donated these materials to the Washington State University Libraries in multiple installments beginning in 2010 (MS.2010.29, MS.2011.16, MS.2011.18, MS.2015.05). MS.2011.18 was initially donated to the WSU Plateau Center for American Indian Studies, and was transferred to MASC in 2011.
Related Materials
Loran Olsen Papers, 1960-1993 (Cage 658)
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
MS.2010.29, circa 1974-2005Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 1 | Lewis and Clark. Includes conference
material and ephemera. (Olsen box 32) |
|
| 1 | Northwest Coast. Collected material.
(Olsen box 27) |
|
| 1 | Southwest. Collected material. (Olsen box
36) |
|
| 1 | Library and archive collections. Includes
archives catalogs, collection lists, and other research material. (Olsen
box 38) |
|
| 2 | Makah. Collected material and media.
(Olsen box 31) |
|
| 3 | Media. Kwakiutl songs "Robert Gardner
tapes" (dubs), 7" reel-to-reel. (Olsen box 1) 3 Indian Music on 5"
reel-to-reel tapes. (Olsen box 2) |
|
| 4 | Film case, containing "Sla-hal, the Bone
Game" (Olsen box 31-A) |
|
| 5 | Northwest Coast (Olsen boxes 26,
28) |
|
| 5 | Eskimo, Aleut, Athabaskan (Olsen box
34) |
|
| 5 | California (Olsen box 25) |
MS.2011.16, circa 1958-2008Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 1 | Audio recordings (5-inch reel-to-reel;
7-inch reel-to-reel). May include materials with reproduction
restrictions. (Olsen boxes 51 and 52) |
|
| 2-3 | Newspapers: Peninsula Daily News (Olsen
box 53) |
1998-2005 |
| 4-5 | Newspapers: Peninsula Daily News (Olsen
box 54) |
2006-2008 |
| 6 | 8 mm (Super-8) film (Olsen boxes
55-56) |
MS.2011.18, circa 1965-2009Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 1 | Plains (Olsen box 45) |
|
| 2 | Vi Hilbert (Olsen box 46) |
|
| 3-4 | Johnny Moses, Swinomish Indian
Reservation, Tulalip Indian Reservation (Olsen box 47) |
|
| 5 | "Blue slide show units" (Olsen box
48) |
|
| 6 | Audio recordings (7-inch reel-to-reel)
(Olsen box 49) |
|
| 7-8 | Swinomish and Tulalip Indian Reservations;
includes slides with digital reproductions (Olsen box 50) |
|
| 9-10 | Nez Perce. Collected materials: pamphlets,
reproductions of selections from books, and Nelda Williams thesis with
audio recording (Olsen box 24) |
MS.2015.05, circa 1970-2004Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 1 | Sacred Encounters material, related to
Olsen's work on the exhibit's music committee. Includes background
research material, musical syncretism at the missions (Olsen and
Connolly), bibliography sources (reproductions), interviews by Larry
Johnson, and grant documentation. (Olsen box 57) |
|
| 2 | Handbook materials (Music and Dance).
Includes correspondence, photographs (copies), handbook preparation,
Plateau grid, "Doing research on Native Americans" guide, grant
applications, bibliography cards, and audio recordings (3 compact
discs). Also "Styles by area" files. (Olsen boxes 58-59) |
|
| 3 | "Styles by area" (continued); video
recordings (5 VHS cassettes) by Lawrence Johnson Productions; collected
materials copied from museums and archives; Handbook contribution on
"Music and Dance" (several versions). (Olsen boxes 60-61) |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Ethnomusicologists -- Archives.
- Indians of North America -- Music.
- Indians of North America -- West (U.S.) -- Music.
- Indians of North America -- West (U.S.) -- Social life and customs.
- Puget Sound Salish languages -- Study and teaching.
Personal Names
- Hilbert, Vi.
- Moses, Johnny.
- Olsen, Loran -- Records and correspondence.
Corporate Names
- Swinomish Indians -- Social life and customs.
- Tulalip Indians -- Social life and customs.
- Washington State University -- Faculty -- Archives.
Finding aid prepared by Cheryl Gunselman
2020
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
