Dauenhauer Tlingit Oral Literature Collection, 1899-1999 | Sealaska Heritage Institute Archives

This collection contains approximately 500 audio recordings on CD, which were collected or created by scholars Nora Marks Dauenhauer and Richard Dauenhauer. These recordings date from 1899 to 1999, contain speaking in English and Tlingit (the bulk in Tlingit), and document a vast array of subjects and topics concerning Tlingit history, culture, subsistence, land issues, language  and other aspects of importance relative to the Tlingit. The recordings capture the words of Tlingit elders, orators, activists, cultural specialists, and others, as well as the audio from various conferences, Tlingit gatherings and events, and other cultural programs. These recordings are very rich with content and contain important information about the Tlingit people.

The CDs that comprise this collection were obtained from the Dauenhauers, after University of Alaska Southeast staff migrated these recordings to CD format per grant funding. The Dauenhauers retain the original format recordings (reels, cassettes, etc.). The CDs contained a numbering system kept by the Dauenhauers, found on these CDs upon donation to SHI, and SHI archival staff has retained this numbering system, which is reflected in the inventory. Descriptive information about the content of the recordings, which are labeled on individual CDs, has also been retained. When requesting a recording from this collection, please include the Item number and the Tape number to assist staff in locating the recording.

From 2011 to 2013 via an IMLS Enhancement Grant, recordings in this collection with limited to no descriptive information were reviewed by fluent Tlingit speakers, who provided detailed feedback. Item descriptions were updated from this feedback, providing a better documentation of this collection for the public. These fluent speaking reviewers primarily included David Katzeek (Shangukeidí Clan) of Klukwan, Fred White (Shangukeidí Clan) of Yakutat, and Marsha Hotch (Gaanaxteidí Clan) of Klukwan. The final box in the collection contains documents from some their reviews, which can greatly assist researchers in understanding additional details of the recordings.

In 2012 SHI received a document from the Dauenhauers that detailed the contents of part of the collection, with recordings description primarily from Nora Marks Dauenhauer. Description by Nora has been noted as ‘content by NMD’.