REFERENCE CODE: AkAMH

REPOSITORY NAME:
Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center
Bob and Evangeline Atwood Alaska Resource Center
625 C Street
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: 907-929-9235
Fax: 907-929-9233
Email: resourcecenter@anchoragemuseum.org

Guide prepared by: Sara Piasecki, Photo Archivist

TITLE: Margaret Lantis Collection

COLLECTION NUMBER: B2010.023

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Dates: circa 1939-1978

Extent: 2.75 linear feet

Language and Scripts: The collection is in English.

Name of creator(s): Margaret Lantis, Hans Himmelheber, Norman A. Chance, William B. Page,
Mary Selden, Edwin B. Crittenden, Hewitt’s Drug Store

Administrative/Biographical History:
Born 1906, Margaret Lantis died in Dayton, Ohio, on September 8, 2006, a few days after her
100th birthday. She was educated at University of Minnesota (BA, 1930) and the University of
California Berkeley (1939, PhD). She was the first anthropologist to focus on Alaskan Eskimo
ceremonialism, completing her dissertation on the topic. She served with the U.S. Public
Health Service from 1954-1963, including time spent at the Arctic Health Research Center in
Anchorage. Before joining the Health Service, Lantis conducted four sessions of field work in
Alaska, beginning as early as 1933. From 1965-1974, she was professor of anthropology at the
University of Kentucky, specializing in North America and especially the circumpolar north. She
was the author of numerous articles and reports on Alaska Native ethnography. Some of her
field notes and photographs were used in the publication of Nunivak Island Eskimo (Yuit)
technology and material culture, written by James VanStone. In 1987, Lantis won the Society
for Applied Anthropology’s Malinowski Award.

Scope and Content Description:

The collection consists of slides, photographic prints, negatives, moving image film, and
research notes created by Margaret Lantis during her time in Alaska. For more information,
see Detailed Description of Collection.

Arrangement: Arranged by format into five series: 1. Slides. 2. Prints. 3. Negatives and
transparencies. 4. Research notes and other papers. 5. Moving image films.

CONDITIONS GOVERNING ACCESS AND USE

Restrictions on Access: The collection is open for research use. Research notes with identifying
information restricted until 2050.

Physical Access: Original items in good condition. Lightbox may be used for slides and
negatives.

Technical Access: No special equipment is needed to access the materials.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use:
The Anchorage Museum is the owner of the materials and makes available reproductions for
research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the
Anchorage Museum before any reproduction use. The Anchorage Museum does not
necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission
for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation:
Margaret Lantis Collection, Anchorage Museum, B2010.023

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Acquisition and Appraisal Information
Donated by Margaret Lantis via Nancy Dineen, in November 2002.

Processing Notes
Approximately 570 non-Alaskan slides were not accessioned into the collection. Set numbers
taken from original slide sheets; slide sheets included in B4. Slide identifications taken from
slide sheets when applicable. Unnumbered slides filed with like subjects when possible. 16mm
films rehoused on archival cores in late 2011, and housed with ARC film collection.

Separated Materials
Approximately 195 objects and one sketch by Lantis transferred to Collections.

RELATED MATERIALS
2002.43


SUBJECTS
Lantis, Margaret, 1906-2006
Crittenden, Edwin B.
Jesse Lee Home (Seward, Alaska)
Alaska Native Health Service
Mt. Edgecumbe Orthopedic Hospital (Sitka, Alaska)
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Robert G. White Large Animal Research Station (LARS)
Yupik Eskimos--Material culture
Aleuts – Alaska – Unalaska
Alaska Native art
Architecture, Domestic – Alaska
Log cabins – Alaska
Mekoryuk (Alaska)
Nunivak Island (Alaska)
Mountain Village (Alaska)
Kwigillingok (Alaska)
Chignik (Alaska)
Dutch Harbor (Alaska)
Unalaska (Alaska)
Seward (Alaska)
Susitna, Mount (Alaska)
Anchorage (Alaska)
Port Graham (Alaska)
Talkeetna (Alaska)
Juneau (Alaska)
King Salmon (Alaska)
Akiachak (Alaska)
Aniak (Alaska)
Bethel (Alaska)
Iliamna Volcano (Alaska)
Chefornak (Alaska)
Barrow (Alaska)
Wainwright (Alaska)
Barter Island (Alaska)
Sitka (Alaska)
Prince Rupert (B.C.)
Ketchikan (Alaska)
Fairbanks (Alaska)

Detailed Description of the Collection

Series 1: Slides
B1
 1 —.29 Set 1 Mekoryuk, Lantis, clothing, food preparation, skin preparation, household equipment, boats, Chignik, Dutch Harbor, Unalaska, Church of the Holy Ascension, children
 30 —.186 Set 2 Flight from Seward to Anchorage, Mount Susitna, Seward, Jesse Lee Home, [Rachel?] Simmet Collection of Alaska Native art, Anchorage, Cook Inlet, Port Graham, Palmer Road, Knik Bridge, Anchorage housing, snow scenes from winter 1955-56, ice fog, Talkeetna, Juneau B2
 187 —.275 Set 3 Tables for NTA paper, maps, King Salmon, Bethel tundra fire (July 1957), Akiachak, fish camp, Aniak, Bethel, Mt. Iliamna, Alaska Native Health Service Hospital (Anchorage), Chefornak
 276 —.346 Set 4 Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital, Yupik masks, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Anchorage, Barrow, Wainwright, Barter Island B3
 347 —.446 Set 7 Sitka, Anchorage, housing
 447 —.477 Set 9 Anchorage, Prince Rupert, Ketchikan, University of Alaska Fairbanks Miscellaneous slides
 478 —.483 Arctic Health Research Center Nunivak 1955
 484 —.524 Modern Eskimo art, mostly Canadian Series 2: Prints B4 F1
 525 —.568 Nunivak illustrations, fig.1-50
542a — Catching tomcod at ice hole on river, Nunivak Island (jigging) [stamp:] Hans Himmelheber [boy ice fishing. At AFN 2015, tentatively identified as Michael Snare. Fig. 23 in VanStone (1989) with caption: “Boy fishing (jigging) for tomcod with hook and line (1937)”]
545a — [woman holding large net, child in background. Fig. 26 in VanStone (1989), with caption: “Dip net for trout and other fish.” In 2015, identified as Nash Harbor, woman holding fish net for salmon]
550a — [man sitting on fish trap in water. Fig. 31 in VanStone (1989), with caption: “A fish trap in place in the dam opening.” In 2015, described as sinking river fish net for catching chum and coho salmon, man wearing seal skin raincoat] F2
 569 —.586 Nunivak illustrations, fig. 50-69
578a — [man and child standing in pit, other people standing around edge of pit, supplies on ground. Fig. 60 in VanStone (1989), with caption: “House excavation.” In 2015, man in pit identified as Qiawig’ar Kay Hendrickson, boy as Kapuran Martin Kapokun, woman outside pit at left as Nussaalarpag with young boy Caniiral’ria George King, man at left as Kinguiral’ria Luke King, digging for sod house]
579a — [elder man in pit snorting powder, tool or drum on ground, young boy standing next to him, woman leaning against house post at left. Fig. 61 in VanStone (1989), with caption: “House excavation, showing low height of doorway at left. House owner stops to take snuff as child watches.” In 2015, woman identified as Nussaalarpag, powder being snorted as possibly opium] F3
 587 —.617 Nunivak illustrations, fig. 77-107
607a — [young woman standing outdoors in winter, wearing fur parka. Fig. 97 in VanStone (1989), with caption: “Young woman’s squirrel skin parka cut up the sides in the old style, with wide layered ruff, many furstrip tassels encircling the parka, and both border and fringe around the bottom.” In 2015, identified as Anman Josephine Shavings]
613a — [portrait of man wearing fur parka. Fig. 103 in VanStone (1989), with caption: “Elderly man wearing squirrel skin parka and sealskin pants (1937). Pieces of brown and white fur and squirrel tails decorate the upper sleeve. Nunivak boots were generally soft and loose, not holding their shape well. Photograph by Hans Himmelheber.” In 2015, identified as Nan’ur Luke Smith]
615a — [portrait of young girl wearing headdress and print parka with fur trim. Fig. 105 in VanStone (1989), with caption: “Girl wearing dance headdress. The long white hairs across the top are from under the neck of a reindeer. Hanging at each side are long strands of beads.” In 2015, identified as Acacar Clara Davis] F4
 618 —.638 Nunivak illustrations, Sleds .637 – [man, woman, and child with freight sled on tundra. In 2015, identified as Cape Etolin, looking back towards old Mekoryuk, man as Ayaperal’ria Herman hauling water from pond] F5
 639 —.655 Nunivak illustrations, Kayaks
640b — [man working on wooden hoop. In 2015, man tentatively identified as Zacchaeus working on a kayak opening]
641 — [man wearing billed cap working on kayak on shoreline. At AFN 2015, identified as father of Richard Davis] F6
 656 —.673 Nunivak illustrations, Clothing
663 — [four young boys posed outside, standing against wall of building. In 2015, boy second from left identified as Joe Moses; at AFN 2016, boy second from right tentatively identified as Walter Amos]
671 — (The rare airplane, both men wear traditional fur caps and boots otherwise modern clothing, ML) [two men and young boy standing next to Pilgrim 100-B airplane tail number NC709Y. In 2015, man at left identified as Manignar Johnny Maniqinuq, man in center as Cikulqaar Fred Weston] F7
 674 —.681 Nunivak illustrations, Fishing and fish traps F8
 682 —.685 Nunivak illustrations, Food preparation F9
 686 —.703 Nunivak illustrations, Skin preparation and sewing F10
 704 —.705 Nunivak illustrations, Tools and manufactures F11
706 —.711 Nunivak illustrations, Household equipment
707 — [two young boys on porch outside building, one wearing print parka with fur ruff and holding large grass basket, one wearing knitted cap and fur parka and playing with folding chair. In 2015, boy at left identified as Larry Float, boy at right tentatively identified as Earl Ernest] F12
 712 —.730 Nunivak illustrations, Housing
713 — [young woman sitting in entrance to sod house, man standing at right. In 2015, girl tentatively identified as Susie Brown Williams. At AFN 2015, man at right tentatively identified as Mr. Brown]
720 — [woman wearing parka sitting in pit near boards going in for new house. In 2015, identified as Nussaalarpag]
729 — [view down row of sod houses in winter, man sitting on house at right, woman in front of other houses in background. In 2015, identified as Nash Harbor, man aat right as Nan’ur Luke Smith] B5 F1
 731 —.743 Nunivak illustrations, Not used F2
 744 —.747 Unlabeled photos
745 — [villagers assembled to greet Ernest Gruening, 1961. Gruening standing at right. In 2015, several residents identified, including: Jesslyn Williams, Floyd Moses, Kay Hendrickson, Laura Kolerok, Jack Williams Sr., Bertha Andrew, Nussaalar Muriel Amos, Evelyn, Dorothy Kiokun, Stella Amos, Nona Amos, Ray Christiansen, Alice Smith, Nick Shavings. Location identified as old Evangelical Covenant Church, with bell on roof that still stands next to new church building] F3
 748 —.754 Anchorage ice frost, December 1955, by Bill Page Series 3: Negatives and transparencies F4 Fig. 1-30 F5 Fig. 31-60 F6 Fig. 48-90 F7 Fig. 91-107 F8 Figs. not used Series 4: Research notes and other papers F9 Pages from George Vranesh, Alaskan horizons, 1980 F10 Reproduction of figure from E.W. Nelson, The Eskimo about Bering Strait, 1899 RESTRICTED B6 [Typed research notes on 5 x 8 cards] - Initial visits with mothers – Mountain Village - Drawings, talk with parent, visit II – Mountain Village - Doll play, talk with child, visit III – Mountain Village - Rorschach, naming places – Mountain Village - Visits with local whites – Mountain Village - Discussions with non-local whites – Mountain Village - Talks with Mary Lou Hanson, Vista girls, Mrs. Mandigo, Father Fox, regarding general information about each family - Specimen records 1 – Mountain Village RESTRICTED B7 - Specimen records 2 – Mountain Village [Small label “Mary Selden Kwigillingok records, 1967” separated from cards] - My evaluations, thoughts, miscellaney [sic] – Kwig. - BIA school records, grades one through five – Kwigillingok - Talks with teachers, oversvations [sic] of teachers – Kwig. - Visits with non-local whites – Kwigillingok - Talks with and observations of adult Eskimos – Kwig. - Rorschach, naming places, etc. – Kwig. - Talk with parent, Jean Cook interpreter – Kwig. - Drawings, visit I – Kwig. - Specimen records and miscell. obsv. - Kwigillingok Series 5: Moving image films B8 VHS: “Eskimo children”; “They never asked our fathers” 16mm: 13 reels, silent, color or monochrome, each approximately 100 feet, no identifying information on canisters Guide updated: October 26, 2016