HISTORY NEBRASKA MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG4798.AM: Nebraska Folklife Center
Records: 1970s-1980s
Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska
Size: 1.5 cu.ft.; 3 boxes
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
This collection consists of three boxes of records relating to the Nebraska Folklife Center. This collection is arranged in four series: 1) Nebraska ethnic groups; 2) Folk crafts; 3) Folk activities and traditions; and 4) Administrative materials. The materials reflect the many origins of Nebraska settlers and more recent immigrants, emphasizing the cherished objects and traditions that link them to the lands from which they or their ancestors came.
Series 1 includes clippings, publications, and some correspondence related to twelve ethnic groups represented in Nebraska. Clippings and articles about the creation of folk crafts ranging from the practical (wagon making) to the decorative (needlework) and the experimental (a “healing machine”) are in Series 2. Folk activities and their practitioners are the subject of Series 3. Accounts of activities considered traditional, like food preparation and music making, are supplemented by articles about activities still very current, like chain letter writing and tattooing. Series 4 holds papers collected by Lynne Ireland regarding the administration of the Nebraska Folklife Center. It includes information on the history of Lincoln and its museums as well as on Nebraska historical sites; there is also material on theories of folklife studies and contact information for those involved in folk crafts and activities.
Note: See the audio, moving image and photo components of this collection for related materials.
INVENTORY
Series 1 – Nebraska ethnic groups
Box 1
Folder
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- Ethnic diversity
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- Czech origin
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- German origin (includes Germans from Russia)
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- Greek origin
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- Hispanic origin
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- Native American origin
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- Irish origin
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- Jewish origin
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- Latvian origin
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- Scandinavian origin
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- Southeast Asian origin
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- Ukrainian origin
Series 2 – Folk crafts
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- Doll and toy making
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- Egg decoration
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- “Healing machine”
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- Horseshoeing
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- Leatherworking
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- Needlework
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- Painting and pottery
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- Paper crafts
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- Quilting
Box 2
Folder
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- Spinning and weaving
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- Stained glass and neon sign making
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- Stone crafts
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- Tattooing
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- Taxidermy
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- Wagon making
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- Water witching (dowsing)
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- Woodworking
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- Interviews with crafts specialists and repairers
Series 3 – Folk activities
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- Chain letter writing
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- Contemporary folk life (urban legends, graffiti)
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- Dance
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- Food preparation
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- Gandy dancing and train hobbies
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- Hairdressing
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- Holiday activities
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- Hunting, trapping, and fishing
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- Language
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- Medicine and cures
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- Music making
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- Rituals and ceremonies
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- Rope twirling
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- Rural sports
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- Storytelling
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- Arts and crafts demonstrations/conferences
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- Festivals and celebrations (centennials, reunions)
Series 4 – Administrative materials
Box 3
Folder
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- Clippings re the Nebraska State Historical Society
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- Clippings re Lincoln museums, c. 1950-c. 1970
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- Clippings re Lincoln history
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- Clippings re Nebraska state historical sites
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- Clippings re Nebraska towns vanishing
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- Travel arrangements for fieldwork
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- Theories of folk life studies
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- Folk life contact lists
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- Folk life contact lists, cont.
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- Folk life survey questionnaires
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- Copies of folk life photographs housed in Photo Dept
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- John Carter’s correspondence re Chautauqua
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- Lynne Ireland’s Northeastern Crafts Project materials
BQ 2005