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Loran Olsen Papers, 1960-1993

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Olsen, Loran
Title
Loran Olsen Papers
Dates
1960-1993 (inclusive)
Quantity
25 containers., (18 linear feet of shelf space.)
Collection Number
Cage 658
Summary
Personal and professional papers, correspondence, clippings, audio and video recordings, printed items, and teaching and research materials that document Native American culture and music.
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 for research use.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

From 1970 to 1993, Loran Olsen, then a member of the WSU 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of educational media in close collaboration with Native tradition bearers; the scholarly examination of published and unpublished written materials; collecting, editing, organizing, and documenting his own and previously existing sound recordings; developing and teaching courses in Native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. The collection also contains records of Olsen's scholarly activities. Loran Olsen retired from Washington State University in December 1992. Since 1993 he has lived in Port Angeles, Washington, where he continues his involvement with Native Music of North America. This collection forms part of The Pacific Northwest Native American Music Archives.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Item Description]. Cage 658, Loran Olsen Papers . Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Loran Olsen collection is arranged into six series, chiefly by subject, material type and then chronologically, where possible.

Series 1, Media Projects, consists of documents relating to two media productions and is divided into subseries 1.1, Nez Perce Music, 1970-1992, and subseries 1.2, Native Music of the Northwest, 1977-1990.

Series 2, Periodical Clippings, includes regional newspaper articles on Native Americans and is divided into subseries 2.1, Nez Perce, 1970-1993, and 2.2, Miscellaneous Subjects, 1970-1993.

Series 3, Printed Material, consists of maps, sheet music, ephemeral literature, and biographical documents relating to the Nez Perce.

Series 4, Teaching and Research Material, includes research notes, classroom materials, biographical papers and Washington State University Music Department documents.

Series 5, Videotapes, consists primarily of videotape recordings of Native American cultural events, including dance, music, lectures, museum openings, and miscellaneous material. Subseries 5.1-5.12 are chiefly National Endowment for the Humanities-funded studio and field projects originally intended for broadcast and classroom use. These subseries are listed alphabetically by program, event, tribal affiliation, or geographical and anthropological affiliation, according to Dr. Olsen's taxonomy. Additional videotapes in subseries 5.13 are listed separately because this material constitutes a distinct accession. Where available, entries include location, dates, and length of recording (in brackets, in minutes and/or seconds). Some of the same tapes appear in different subseries because they were produced and used for a variety of purposes. Entries for duplicate recordings in Series 5 are noted with an asterisk.

Series 6, Audio Recordings, includes "soundsheet" duplicates of Nez Perce songs sung by "Sol" Webb and a cassette tape recording that relates to the "Nez Perce Music Archive Guide."

Acquisition Information

This archive of material relating to the culture, history, and music of the native people of Northwestern North America was donated by Dr. Loran Olsen to Washington State University in various accretions (MS 93-35, MS 93-44, MS 96-08, and MS 96-45).

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Personal Names

  • Olsen, Loran --Archives (creator)

Corporate Names

  • Indians of North America--West (U.S.)--Social life and customs
  • Inuit--Social life and customs
  • Lummi Indians--Social life and customs
  • Nez PercĂ© Indians--Social life and customs
  • Skokomish Indians--Social life and customs
  • Tulalip Indians--Social life and customs
  • Eskimos--Social life and customs
  • Indians of North America--West (U.S.) -- Music
  • Kwakiutl Indians--Social life and customs
  • Makah Indians--Social life and customs
  • Pacific Northwest Native American Music Archives. waps (creator)
  • Salish Indians--Social life and customs
  • Swinomish Indians--Social life and customs

Finding aid prepared by Judy Jones and Lisa Kliger
2012

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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