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Charles C. Hughes papers, 1946-1957

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Hughes, Charles C. (Charles Campbell)
Title
Charles C. Hughes papers
Dates
1946-1957 (inclusive)
Quantity
2.75 linear feet
Collection Number
ACCN 1865
Summary
The Charles C. Hughes papers (1946-1957) consist of diaries, field and research notes, and a dissertation relating to the time that Charles C. Hughes (1929-1997) spent living with the Sivuokakhmeit Eskimos on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. Hughes received an A.B. from Harvard in 1951 and received his Ph. D. in Anthropology from Cornell University in 1958. He completed postgraduate research in Nigeria and Nova Scotia, served as director of the African Studies Center at Michigan State University and in 1973 accepted a position at the University of Utah.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Charles C. Hughes was born on 26 January 1929 in Salmon, Idaho. He entered Harvard on a national scholarship in September 1947 and graduated A.B., magna cum laude, in Anthropology in June 1951. That same year he married Jane Murphy and entered Cornell University's graduate school. Accompanied by his wife, he spent August, 1954, through September, 1955, living with the Sivuokakhmeit Eskimos, gathering field research for his dissertation. After completing his dissertation, he received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1958. He also completed postgraduate research in Nigeria and Nova Scotia. After serving as director of the African Studies Center at Michigan State University, he accepted positions in the departments of Anthropology and Family and Community Medicine at the University of Utah in 1973. Before his death in 1997, he was the director of several graduate programs in the department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Utah Medical Center.

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Content Description

The Charles C. Hughes papers (1946-1957) consist of diaries, field and research notes, and a dissertation relating to the time that Charles C. Hughes (1929-1997) spent living with the Sivuokakhmeit Eskimos on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. The diaries typically consist of typed interviews with Eskimos in Gambell, a village on St. Lawrence Island. They also contain his personal sentiments and opinions regarding the island and its people. The field notes are often exact duplicates of the diaries. However, there are some differences between the two. The field notes tend to have more research-related information, while the diaries are more personal in nature. The collection has two notebooks of older, government documents regarding the island, Gambell in particular. Two notebooks containing research questions and surveys Hughes wished to answer are also included in the collection.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Gift of Leslie Hughes in 2001.

Processing Note

Processed by Michelle Neves in 2001.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

  • Diaries

    • Description: September

      Contains information on the arrival of Charles and Jane Hughes in Alaska, a history of Gambell since 1940, an account of a walrus hunt, and the organization of the village store.

      Dates: 1954
      Container: Box 1, Folder 1
    • Description: October

      Eskimo interviews on worship rituals, marriage practices, and suicide.

      Dates: 1954
      Container: Box 1, Folder 2
    • Description: November

      An account of a seal hunt and diagrams depicting the Eskimo kinship system.

      Dates: 1954
      Container: Box 1, Folder 3
    • Description: December

      The management of the village store by the Alaska Native Arts and Crafts Organization, Eskimo interviews on cousin teasing, preparation of animal skins, suicide, punishment for murder, and diagrams of a walrus trap, sled, and boat.

      Dates: 1954
      Container: Box 1, Folder 4
    • Description: January

      An account of a walrus hunt, Eskimo interviews on rules concerning marriage into other "ramkas" (clans), kinship terms, and how to harpoon a walrus.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 1, Folder 5
    • Description: February

      An account of a fox trapping trip to the Southwest cape, the starvation of the island's sled dogs, and Eskimo interviews concerning witchcraft, kinship terminology, time periods, and natural features.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 1, Folder 6-7
    • Description: March

      List of research questions, Eskimos living outside of Gambell, and kinship terminology.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 1, Folder 8
    • Description: April

      Contains a list of teachers at Gambell since 1940, excerpt from a letter from a zoologist regarding the decline of the walrus and reindeer herds, an account of a walrus hunt, a list of kinship terminology, and Eskimo interviews on shamanism, ramkas, the ritual of naming babies, kinship behavior, life stories, ceremonies, marriage, and traditional whale hunting techniques.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 1, Folder 9-10
    • Description: May

      Kinship charts, an account of Gambell's first whale catch in two years, and Eskimo interviews on kinship behavior and life stories.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 1, Folder 11
    • Description: May

      Drawings of sea-life, notes and drawings on the method of cutting up a whale, Eskimo interviews on life stories, the division of a whale, boat crew organization, ramkas, and an account of a walrus hunt.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 2, Folder 1-2
    • Description: June

      An account of a U.S. Air Force plane shot down on St. Lawrence Island by Russian MIGs, food journals of Eskimo families, Eskimo interviews concerning the old ceremony of curing the ill, changes in eating habits and economy, kinship terminology, and whale hunting.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 2, Folder 3-4
    • Description: July

      Eskimo interviews on life histories, terminology for sicknesses, an Eskimo's hospitalization diary, and a copy of a 1921 report about Gambell.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 2, Folder 5-6
    • Description: August

      Rorschach test answers, an Eskimo's hospitalization diary, census records from 1914, school records from 1916, food journals for Eskimo families, Charles and Jane Hughes' departure from the village, and Eskimo interviews on life histories, ramkas, and ceremonies.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 2, Folder 7-9
  • Field Notes

    • Description: August-September

      Charles and Jane Hughes' arrival in Alaska, background and history of Gambell since 1940, and traditional hunting practices. Also contains duplicates of August's notes.

      Dates: 1954
      Container: Box 3, Folder 1
    • Description: September-October

      Notes on the Hughes' first week in Gambell. Also contains duplicates of September's notes.

      Dates: 1954
      Container: Box 3, Folder 2
    • Description: October-December

      An account of a seal hunting trip, kinship charts, Eskimo interviews on cousin teasing, changes in the village way of life, the past reindeer herd, a local myth, marriage rituals, and Eskimo customs.

      Dates: 1954
      Container: Box 3, Folder 3
    • Description: December, January

      Excerpt from a letter from Henry Collins concerning suicide, the Welfare Council, an account of a walrus hunt, a meeting of the Alaska Native Arts and Crafts Organization, Eskimo interviews on kinship behavior and terminology, the division of a caught whale, the four ramkas of the village, and the process of naming newborn babies.

      Dates: 1954, 1955
      Container: Box 3, Folder 4
    • Description: January

      Eskimo interviews on kinship terminology and life histories.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 3, Folder 5
    • Description: February

      Notes on the dog starvation situation, account of a fox trapping trip, Eskimo interviews on the kinship system, terminology, dog sledding, and life stories.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 3, Folder 6
    • Description: February-March

      The arrival of Dr. Alexander Leighton and journalist Gary Daitz, Eskimo interviews on witchcraft, geography, the naming of the different ramkas on the island, and terminology for kinship, months, and natural features.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 3, Folder 7
    • Description: March

      A chart showing weekly attendance and offerings collected at the Presbyterian church from 1936-1955, a list of Eskimos living outside of Gambell, Eskimos who have lived outside of Gambell at some point, births in 1954, and an Eskimo interview on kinship terminology and behavior.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 3, Folder 8
    • Description: April

      Tribal and kinship terminology, a list of teachers in Gambell since 1940, excerpt from a letter from a zoologist regarding the decline of the walrus and reindeer herds, two accounts of walrus hunting trips, Eskimo interviews on shamanism, ceremonies, the different tribes on the island, ramkas, life stories, and change in Gambell since 1940.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 3, Folder 9-10
    • Description: April-May

      Kinship terminology chart, Eskimo interviews concerning traditional whale hunting techniques, changes in Eskimo life, kinship behavior, and life stories.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 3, Folder 11
    • Description: May

      Kinship terminology charts, an account of the first whale caught in Gambell in two years, drawings of sea-life, an account of a walrus hunt, Eskimo interviews on kinship behavior, life stories, the organization of a whale crew, and the histories of the Puwowalagamet and the Sevuokakmett people.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 4, Folder 1-2
    • Description: May-June

      Eskimo interviews on ramkas, life stories, ceremonies, and various changes in Gambell.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 4, Folder 3
    • Description: June

      An account of a U.S. Air Force plane shot down on St. Lawrence Island by Russian MIG's, Eskimo interviews on change in Gambell, ceremonies, life stories, health, illness, ramkas, and whale hunting.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 4, Folder 4-5
    • Description: July

      An Eskimo's hospitalization diary, Eskimo interviews on life stories, change in Gambell, terminology for sickness, and shamanism.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 4, Folder 6-7
    • Description: August

      Rorschach test answers, ramkas, an Eskimo's hospitalization diary, census records from 1914, school records from 1916, food journals for Eskimo families, and Eskimo interviews on life histories and ceremonies.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 4, Folder 8-9
    • Description: August-September

      Rorschach test results, Charles and Jane Hughes' departure from the village, Eskimo interviews on religion, retained Native beliefs, and change in Gambell

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 4, Folder 10
  • Research Files and Writing

    • Description: Housing Checklist

      Contains checklists on houses in Gambell rated on items such as cleanliness, number of appliances, and overall "whiteness" of the home.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 5, Folder 1
    • Description: Research Planning Notebook

      Research methods of selecting Eskimos for interviews and food journals, reviews of monthly notes, and lists of high priority research questions to be answered.

      Dates: 1955
      Container: Box 5, Folder 2
    • Description: Records

      Copies of records, including the articles and bylaws of the Alaska Native Industries Cooperative Association, statistical reports on Gambell, government correspondence regarding Gambell, economic reports, and minutes of council meetings.

      Dates: 1946-1955
      Container: Box 5, Folder 3-4
    • Description: Dissertation

      Contains an analysis of change in Gambell since 1940 on topics including health, economics, and kinship of the Sivuokakhmeit Eskimos.

      Dates: 1957
      Container: Box 6

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Eskimos--Alaska--St. Lawrence Island--Sources

Personal Names

  • Hughes, Charles C. (Charles Campbell)--Archives

Geographical Names

  • Gambell (Alaska)--History--Sources

Form or Genre Terms

  • Diaries
  • Field notes
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