Collection is open for research.
Materials found in collection. Some materials were donated, which is recorded in a note on the folder. Other donation information may be available in the archives' retro accession files, while other materials may have been purchased by an archivist or librarian.
The collection is arranged into two series: "Images," and "Documents, articles, and research files." The "Images" series is divided into sub-series for individual tribal nations as well as a "Miscellaneous" sub-series and a sub-series for Lee Moorhouse prints.
The Native American collection was compiled by archivists in the Whitman College and Northwest Archives, possibly in the 1960s or 1970s, and largely reflects settler viewpoints about Indigenous Peoples. Materials were likely being added to the collection up until the late 1990s or early 2000s. New descriptive information was created by archivists for the collection in 2023, in an effort to more comprehensively and respectfully represent the materials.
The collection was redescribed in 2023, and materials in original housing were rehoused in acid-free folders. No arrangement or weeding was conducted at this time.
Official websites of tribal nations were used, where available, to determine both the traditional and legal names of tribes. Sub-series were renamed in accordance with this information. Research was conducted to find the names of individuals who were previously unidentified, which also led to some individuals having multiple versions of their names used. Finding aids published by other instutitions which contain similar materials were especially helpful in identifying reproductions.
Previous versions of this finding aid are available upon request.
Researchers interested in the Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific Northwest may also be interested in the Cushing Eells collection (WCMss033), the Myron Eells collection (WCMss137), the Spalding family collection (WCMss103), the Edward Latham photographs (WCMss558), the Sam Pambrun papers (WCMss723), the Stevens Treaty Council of 1855 centennial celebration records (WCMss009), Confluence Project records (WCMss444), and the Lapwai Mission Press collection (WCMss752), among others.
The collection contains photographs, postcards, illustrations, ephemera, research files, correspondence, and newspapers.
The "Images" series contains photographs, illustrations, and other visual depictions of Indigenous Peoples. The majority of images relate to tribal nations in the Pacific Northwest, particularly to the Nimíipuu (Nez Perce Tribe), the Skokomish Tribe, and the Imatalamthláma, Walúulapam, and Weyíiletpuu Peoples (the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla Peoples, today the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation). Many of the images in this collection are reproductions, prints, or copies of widely published images. Types of images include portraits, staged photographs, candids, postcards, and stereoscopic photographs. Photographs taken by Major Lee Moorhouse and his contemporaries are present in the series.
The "Documents, articles, and research files" series contains two sub-series: "Documents and research files" and "Newspapers."
The "Documents and research files" sub-series contains materials related to the Treaty of 1855, the so-called Yakima War (1855-1858) and Nez Perce War (1877), biographies of noted individuals, and research files on the Spokane Tribe compiled by author and historian Jerome A. Peltier. This sub-series dates from 1859 to 2005 and includes correspondence and articles.
The "Newspapers" sub-series contains newspapers from reservation communities across the United States, usually published by the agency or mission. The content of the newspapers varies, but most include some details of local life. Several newspapers include examples of Indigenous languages in written form, such as