By Zachary R. Jones, Archivist
Title: Walter A. Soboleff Papers, 1920-2009
ID: MS/007
Primary Creator: Alaska Native Brotherhoood
Other Creators: Alaska Native Sisterhood, Soboleff, Walter A. (1908-2011)
Extent: 39.0 Boxes
Date Acquired: 10/10/2008
Subjects: Alaska Native Brotherhood--History., Alaska Native Sisterhood--History., Haida Indians--History., Tlingit Indians--History.
Languages: English
This thirty-nine collection consists of the official records documenting the Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB) and Sisterhood (ANS) for nearly a century of its operation. This collection’s papers, the bulk those of the organization’s Grand Camp, its top administrative branch, begin in 1915 and consist of extensive correspondence, meeting minutes, and working files documenting a wide array of Alaska Native issues. Various ANB and ANS Camps (chapters) are also represented by correspondence and meeting minutes. While the bulk of the collection concerns the three tribes of Southeast Alaska, the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian, many Alaska Native groups are represented with ANB Camps (chapters) forming across Alaska during the 1930s and 1940s. Some of the issues, though not all, documented in the collection concern ANB and ANS addressing U.S. Federal Indian policy, boarding schools, fisheries legislation, aboriginal title/land tenure, subsistence, social issues, and civil rights. The collection also contains legal papers or those addressing Federal Indian policy, including the papers of William L. Paul Sr., such as concerning his work to have the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 amended to allow Alaska Natives to create IRA governments and papers concerning Paul’s work toward various cases, including Supreme Court case Tee-Hit-Ton v. United States.
The collection has been organized into three series; Series 1: Correspondence (13 boxes), Series 2: Meeting Minutes, Resolutions, and Programs (20 boxes), and Series 3: Working Files (6 boxes). Some files have been organized chronologically and topically, such as in Series 2, while in some portions of the collection the original order kept by ANB was retained, such as with Series 1, Boxes 7-10. It should also be noted that the materials in Series 1, Boxes 11-13 are primarily papers of a legal nature, being the correspondence and papers of ANB’s lawyers.
Researcher Note: Researchers should see other ANB and ANS collections held by SHI that connect to this collection, including the Curry-Weissbrodt Papers and the Hope/Hayes Papers. Researchers should also note that the William L. Paul Sr. Papers are archived at University of Washington, Seattle.
Alaska Native Brotherhood--History.
Alaska Native Sisterhood--History.
Haida Indians--History.
Tlingit Indians--History.
Repository: Sealaska Heritage Institute Archives
Acquisition Source: Walter A. Soboleff
Acquisition Method:
The materials in the collection were donated to SHI in various batches between the period of 2000 and 2008 by life-long member and ranking ANB official Walter A. Soboleff. Soboleff signed an official deed of gift for these materials on Dec. 12, 2007. Additional donations of ANB papers were made on Sept. 3, 2008 and Oct. 10, 2008 by Soboleff. Lastly, a three box donation of W. A. Soboleff’s papers were found in ANB Grand Camp’s offices, which were donated by Brad Fluetsch, ANB Grand President, on Dec. 2, 2008. Accession numbers 2007.005 and 2008.007.
Some periodicals from this collection have been separated and cataloged; these include issues of The Voice of Brotherhood and Tundra Times.
Preferred Citation: Mss 7, Series #, Box #, Fd #, Walter A. Soboleff Papers, Sealaska Heritage Institute Archives, Juneau, AK
Processing Information: Processed by: Zachary R. Jones, Archivist, on October 24, 2012.
Fd 1: Outgoing correspondence, 1926-1930.
Fd 2: Outgoing correspondence, 1931.
Fd 3: Outgoing correspondence, 1932.
Fd 4: Outgoing correspondence, 1933.
Fd 5: Outgoing correspondence, 1934.
Fd 6: Outgoing correspondence, 1935-1936.
Fd 7: Outgoing correspondence, 1937.
Fd 8: Outgoing correspondence, 1938-1939.
Fd 9: Outgoing correspondence, 1940-1944.
Fd 10: Outgoing correspondence, 1945.
Fd 11: Outgoing correspondence, 1946-1949.
Fd 12: Outgoing correspondence, 1950-1954.
Fd 13: Outgoing correspondence, 1955-1958.
Fd 14: Outgoing correspondence, 1959.
Fd 15: Outgoing correspondence, 1960.
Fd 16: Outgoing correspondence, 1961-1964.
Fd 17: Outgoing correspondence, 1965.
Fd 1: Outgoing correspondence, 1966.
Fd 2: Outgoing correspondence, 1967.
Fd 3: Outgoing correspondence, 1968.
Fd 4: Outgoing correspondence, 1969-1970.
Fd 5: Outgoing correspondence, 1971-1976.
Fd 6: Outgoing correspondence, 1977-1978.
Fd 7: Outgoing correspondence, 1979-1989.
Fd 8: Outgoing correspondence, 1990-1991.
Fd 1: Outgoing correspondence, 1992-1993.
Fd 2: Outgoing correspondence, 1994-1995.
Fd 3: Outgoing correspondence, 1996-1999.
Fd 4: Outgoing correspondence, 2000-2005 and undated.
Fd 1: Incoming correspondence, A.
Fd 2: Incoming correspondence, B.
Fd 3: Incoming correspondence, Bartlett, E. L., US Senate, 1955-1968.
Fd 4: Incoming correspondence, C.
Fd 5: Incoming correspondence, D.
Fd 6: Incoming correspondence, Dimond, Anthony J., House of Representatives, 1933-1937.
Fd 7: Incoming correspondence, E-F.
Fd 8: Incoming correspondence, G.
Fd 9: Incoming correspondence, H.
Fd 10: Incoming correspondence, I-J.
Fd 1: Incoming correspondence, K-L.
Fd 2: Incoming correspondence, M.
Fd 3: Incoming correspondence, N.
Fd 4: Incoming correspondence, O-Q.
Fd 5: Incoming correspondence, R.
Fd 6: Incoming correspondence, S.
Fd 7: Incoming correspondence, T.
Fd 8: Incoming correspondence, U-V.
Fd 9: Incoming correspondence, W.
Fd 10: Incoming correspondence, X-Z.
Fd 11: Incoming correspondence, unknown sender.
Fd 12: Correspondence with the Office of Indian Affairs/Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1930-1959.
Fd 13: Correspondence with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1960-1979.
Fd 1: Alaska Native Sisterhood correspondence, 1931-1959.
Fd 2: Alaska Native Sisterhood correspondence, 1960-2002.
Fd 3: Correspondence with Sealaska Corporation, 1987, 1996.
Fd 4: Correspondence with the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, circa 1940s-1970s.
Fd 5: Correspondence with various Southeast Alaska federally recognized tribal governments, c. 1930s-1992.
Fd 6: Correspondence with the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), 1960s-1970s.
Fd 1: Grand President correspondence, 1970-1971.
Fd 2: Grand President correspondence, 1969.
Fd 3: Grand President correspondence, 1968.
Fd 4: Grand President correspondence, 1960-1967.
Fd 5: Grand President correspondence, 1938-1959.
Fd 6: First Grand Vice President file, correspondence, 1954-1972.
Fd 7: Second Grand Vice President file, correspondence, 1948-1967.
Fd 8: Grand Secretary correspondence, 1972.
Fd 9: Grand Secretary correspondence, 1971.
Fd 10: Grand Secretary correspondence, 1970.
Fd 11: Grand Secretary correspondence, 1969.
Fd 12: Grand Secretary correspondence, 1968.
Fd 13: Grand Secretary reports, 1968.
Fd 14: Grand Secretary correspondence, 1967.
Fd 15: Grand Secretary correspondence, 1966.
Fd 16: Grand Secretary correspondence, 1963-1965
Fd 17: Grand Secretary correspondence, 1960-1962.
Fd 18: Grand Secretary correspondence, 1957-1959
Fd 19: Grand Secretary correspondence, 1950-1956.
Fd 20: Grand Secretary correspondence, 1946-1949.
Fd 21: Grand Secretary correspondence, 1935-1945.
Fd 22: Grand Treasurer correspondence, 1970-1972.
Fd 23: Grand Treasurer correspondence and reports, 1967-1969.
Fd 24: Grand Treasurer correspondence and reports, 1960-1966.
Fd 25: Grand Treasurer correspondence and reports, 1945-1959.
Fd 26: Sergeant-at-arms, Grand Camp, 1958, 1960.
Fd 1: Yakutat Camp # 13, 1931-1972
Fd 2: Wrangell Camp # 4, 1937-1972.
Fd 3: Unalakleet Camp, 1949.
Fd 4: Tyonek Camp, 1962.
Fd 5: Tuntutuliak Camp # 42, 1961.
Fd 6: Tulusak Camp, 1961.
Fd 7: Tenakee Springs Camp, 1969.
Fd 8: Teller Camp, 1961.
Fd 9: Tanacross Camp, 1966.
Fd 10: Tanana Camp, c. 1930s.
Fd 11: St. Paul Island Camp # 28, 1952-1967.
Fd 12: Sitka Camp # 1, 1931-1972.
Fd 13: Seattle Camp # 36, 1958-1971.
Fd 14: Saxman Camp # 15, 1933-1972.
Fd 15: Petersburg Camp # 16, 1933-1972.
Fd 16: Northway Camp, 1944-1966.
Fd 17: Nome Camp, 1936.
Fd 18: Nenana Camp, 1960-1971.
Fd 19: Metlakatla Camp # 31, 1941-1972.
Fd 20: Kwigillingok Camp, 1961-1962.
Fd 21: Kwethluk Camp, 1960-1964.
Fd 22: Kotzebue Camp # 69, 1946-1969.
Fd 23: Koggiung Camp, 1940.
Fd 24: Kodiak Camp, 1939-1961.
Fd 25: Klukwan Camp # 8, 1958-1969.
Fd 26: Klawock Camp # 9, 1931-1972.
Fd 27: Kipnuk Camp, 1960-1961
Fd 28: Ketchikan Camp 14, 1931-1972.
Fd 29: Kasaan Camp, 1931-1939.
Fd 30: Kake Camp # 10, 1931-1972.
Fd 1: Kenai Camp, 1930s.
Fd 2: Juneau Camp # 2, 1959-1972
Fd 3: Hydaburg Camp # 6, 1948-1972.
Fd 4: Hoonah Camp # 12, 1932-1972.
Fd 5: Haines Camp # 5, 1932-1972.
Fd 6: Glacier Valley Camp # 70, 1971.
Fd 7: Fairbanks Camp, 1958-1961
Fd 8: Douglas Camp, 1940-1944.
Fd 9: Craig Camp # 19, 1931-1972.
Fd 10: Cordova Camp, 1936-1937.
Fd 11: Copper Center Camp # 31, 1954-1972.
Fd 12: Cantwell Camp 34, 1959-1966.
Fd 13: Bristol Bay (Dillingham) Camp # 29, 1952.
Fd 14: Bethel Camp # 37, 1961.
Fd 15: Barrow Camp # 69, 1958-1972.
Fd 16: Angoon Camp # 7, 1931-1972.
Fd 17: Anchorage Camp # 33, 1954-1972.
Fd 18: Achichak Camp, 1961.
Fd 1: Correspondence file of editors of the Voice of Brotherhood, 1950s-1960s.
Fd 2: Southeastern Native Board of Health Meeting minutes, 1970-1971.
Fd 3: Committee file, Ways & Means, 1957-1972.
Fd 4: Committee files, Talent Search, 1970-1971.
Fd 5: Committee files, “Special” committee, by William L. Paul, Sr., undated.
Fd 6: Committee files, Scholarship Fundraising, 1958-1972.
Fd 7: Committee files, Memorial, 1971-1972.
Fd 8: Committee files, Heritage Committee, 1970.
Fd 9: Committee files, Health & Education, 1957-1970.
Fd 10: Committee files, Game, 1956.
Fd 11: Committee files, Fisheries, 1970s.
Fd 12: Committee files, Credentials, 1966-1972.
Fd 13: Committee files, Committee on Committees, 1970s.
Fd 14: Committee files, Citizens Advisory Committee, 1960s.
Fd 15: Committee files, Awards, 1960s.
Fd 16: Committee files, Constitution & Amendments, 1957-1968.
Fd 17: Committee files, Audit & Finance, 1957-72 (some Alaska Native Sisterhood papers).
Fd 1: Correspondence from 1947 - 1952. Activism regarding fish traps, the establishment of reservations, and land claims. Important letters by Curry fighting against fish traps encroaching on recognized Native lands. Memorandums regarding the establishment of reservations in Alaska.
Fd 2: Correspondence from 1950 - 1951, about land claims and the Alaska Statehood bill. Very important letters by Curry leading the activism of the ANB resisting inclusions of termination language in the Alaska Statehood bill, a signature achievement of the Alaska Native Brotherhood. Folder also includes memorandums about the Tlingit people, from the US military in the late 19th century.
Fd 3: Correspondence from 1947 - 1950, including letters about land claims, establishing Native-owned pulp mills and banning fish traps. Also includes an outline of a keynote speech delivered to the ANB regarding the land claims.
Fd 4: Correspondence from 1947 - 1967 about land claims, including letters from James Curry and Lefty Weissbrodt. Letters mainly pertain to activism with the US Congress to defeat bills that were damaging to Alaska Natives and the land claims efforts.
Fd 5: Letter from Lefty Weissbrodt to John Borbridge, 1967, about the status of the Tlingit and Haida land claim suit in the US Court of Claims.
Fd 1: William L. Paul, Sr. file, ANB attorney, 1922-1959.
Fd 2: William L. Paul, Sr. file, ANB attorney, 1960-1972.
Fd 3: Patrick J. Paul, Sr. file, 1959-1963.
Fd 4: William L. Paul, Jr. file, ANB attorney, 1939-1944.
Fd 5: William L. Paul, Jr. file, ANB attorney, 1945-1949.
Fd 6: William L. Paul, Jr. file, ANB attorney, 1950-1970.
Fd 7: Sam Drucker file, 1939.
Fd 1: Outgoing correspondence of William Paul Sr., 1939-1940 (oversized/legal).
Fd 2: Copy of Frederick Paul vs. Thomas Kleppe, Vol. 1, 1969.
Fd 3: Copy of Frederick Paul vs. Thomas Kleppe, Vol. 2, 1969.
Fd 4: William L. Paul Sr. and Jr. legal file, 1930s-1940s. Includes papers investigating and petitioning claims for lots associated with the Juneau Indian Village, 1930s-1950s.
Fd 5: William L. Paul Sr. and Jr. legal file, 1930s-1960s. Includes papers from various cases including Tee-Hit-Ton v. United States and William Paul v. Pacific Fisheries Association, and petition documents for land claims for Angoon and other communities. Also contain contracts and papers concerning canneries reform.
Fd 6: Issues of ANB News, 1945-1950. (oversized)
Fd 7: Issues of Whosh-En-Ah, ANB Camp 2 newsletters, 1966. (oversized)
