Scope and Contents: This collection consists of 79 audio recordings primarily concerning Tlingit Indian, Henry Denny Jr. (1903-1979), also known as Gashéiksh IV (Chief Kashakes IV), and his mother Bessie Johnson Denny (1870-1973) dating to circa 1952-1979. These recordings primarily concern the history of the Tlingit people of Saxman and Cape Fox Village, Alaska, as well as general southern Tlingit history and culture. The topics discussed on these recordings are broad, ranging from clan histories, stories about war and politics, knowledge on subsistence lifestyles, Tlingit spiritualism, and other. The recordings were made primarily by Henry Denny Jr., who spoke into a recording devise, giving oral narratives, history, and other information. On some occasions in the recordings Bessie Denny spoke in Tlingit and Henry Denny Jr. then translated. Overall, these recordings provide a wealth of information on the Cape Fox/Saxman people and the Tlingit in general. Both Henry and Bessie were well trained in clan history, storytelling, and fluent speakers of the Tlingit language.
The collection focuses on the audio recordings on CD housed in Box 1 of the collection, though additional CDs are found in the remaining boxes (some have been migrated from reel to CD). Box 2 contains the original 29 cassette tapes which consist of the recordings that comprise those in Box 1, previously migrated from reel to cassette and then to CD. The cassette tapes in Box 2 correspond with items in Box 1, as noted in the inventory.
The last four boxes in the collection, Boxes 3-6, contain 38 open reel recordings. Subjects of recordings listed in the inventory were taken directly from a preliminary inventory given by the donor, and some recordings have unknown subjects or were unlabeled. Recordings without boxes have been placed in plastic sleeves for preservation purposes. Plans to have the content migrated from reel to CD format are forthcoming. In 2011 six reels from these boxes were migrated to CD, which enhanced description of these six items, which are detailed in the inventory. Some recordings in these boxes seem to be unconnected to Tlingit culture, and contain Christian sermons, though some appear to be recorded sermons at Saxman. In July 2014 a transcription of the migrated recordings was completed by Bruce Kelley and Gregory Kelley, the collection donor and grandson and great grandson of Henry Denny Jr. This transcription is a companion to the collection to assist researchers.
Researcher Note: Those also interested in Cape Fox Village history and the Denny family should also see SHI MC 8: The Cape Fox Recordings Collection.
Subjects (links to similar collections)
