Indiana University Folklore Institute’s Columbian Project records, 1977-1995, bulk
1987-1990
A Guide to the Records at the Indiana University Archives
Finding aid prepared by Chad Edward
Buterbaugh
Summary Information
Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives
Creator
Indiana University, Bloomington.
Folklore Institute.
TitleIndiana University Folklore Institute’s
Columbian Project records, 1977-1995, bulk
1987-1990
Collection No.
C587
Extent
.4 cubic foot (1 box)
Language
Most materials are in English; some are in Spanish or Portuguese.
Abstract
The Columbian project was a
grant-funded, multi-sited, ethnographic research project organized by Indiana
University’s Folklore Institute and undertaken between 1987 and 1990. Titled
"Hispanic Folk Poetry in Performance," the project focused on the influence and
persistence of Spanish forms of folklore in Latin America five centuries after the
landing of Christopher Columbus and subsequent conquests. Folklore researchers from
IU and elsewhere completed fieldwork for the project, which occurred in tandem with
the quincentenary of the Columbian voyage.
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.
Administrative History
The Columbian project was a grant-funded, multi-sited, ethnographic research project
organized by the Folklore Institute and undertaken between 1987 and 1990. Titled
"Hispanic Folk Poetry in Performance," the project focused on the influence and
persistence of Spanish forms of folklore in Latin America five centuries after the
landing of Christopher Columbus and subsequent conquests. Folklore researchers from
Indiana University and elsewhere completed fieldwork for the project, which occurred
in tandem with the quincentenary of the Columbian voyage.
According to a press release included in the collection, specific foci included “the
Brazilian
romance, the
décima in Panama, and the
corrido and
pastorela in Mexico.” The same report notes that
“previous research on these genres has been primarily text-centered and historical
in focus. The current project, based on prior and ongoing research, will examine the
continuing appeal and social utility of these poetic forms to the people among whom
they have remained living forms of experience.”
The Folklore Institute—as well as the associated Ethnomusicology Institute, which is
housed in the adjoining Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology—has a strong
history of supporting the study of Latin American expressive culture. Retired
faculty like Richard Bauman, along with current faculty like John Holmes McDowell,
have completed significant portions of their research among Latin American and
indigenous populations. McDowell, who was involved with this project, was a student
of Américo Paredes, the folklorist whose ballad studies along the Texas-Mexico
border proved instrumental in identifying the folkloric value of existing expressive
culture in that region. Paredes served as a consultant on this project.
This collection represents the persistence of Latin American folklore studies at the
Folklore Institute. As it did not lead to a discrete volume or conference, but
rather a variety of works used in scholars’ various individual projects, the
materials included here are one of a kind. Fieldwork reports illustrate researchers'
initial impressions of their ethnographic experiences. These could serve as
standalone observations or as complements to works that came later.
Arrangement
This collection is organized into two series: Project proposal and correspondence,
and Fieldwork materials.
Scope and Content Note
The collection is organized into two series: Project proposal and correspondence, and
Fieldwork materials. The Project proposal and correspondence files, spanning
1977-1995, detail the project's movement from proposal to budgeting to advertising.
Correspondence among project personnel illustrate how the project was revised and
publicized in various media outlets. This series is organized to reflect the
progress of the project. The fieldwork materials files, spanning 1987-1990, include
written reports of researchers' trips to the field, along with metadata regarding
their activities there. This series is organized in alphabetical order by the
researcher's last name. It also includes a folder including a summary report of all
fieldwork. Most materials are in English; some are in Spanish or Portuguese.
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Indexing Terms
-
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
IUCAT, the IU Libraries'
online catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by
searching the catalog using these terms.
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Related Material
Additional records such as newsletters, annual reports, bulletins, and publications
may be accessed in the
Archives of Institutional Memory.
Archived web sites for this unit may be included in
Archive-It.
Related photographs may be available in the
University Archives
Photographs Database
.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Accession: 2003/055, 2010/065
Usage RestrictionsCopyrights for records originating with Indiana University administrative units, departments, and other offices are held by
the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.
The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for
non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility
for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials.
Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these
materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.
Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational
and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its
inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.
Preferred Citation
[Item], Indiana University Folklore Institute’s Columbian Project records, Collection C587, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Provenance
Transferred from the Indiana University Folklore Institute, May 8, 2003 and July
12, 2010.
Appraisal
One file listing travel expenses and reimbursement information has been recycled.
No files pertaining to the project’s proposal process, methodology, or reports,
have been removed.
Processing InformationProcessed by Chad Edward Buterbaugh.
Completed in 2015
Container List
Series:
Box 1
Project proposal and correspondence, 1977-1995
Columbian Budget Drafts, 1977-1989
Columbian: Correspondence, 1988-1995
Columbian Meeting Notes, 1977-1989,
undated
NEA reviewers comments, c. vitas, 1987
Columbian Initiative, 1987-1990,
undated
Columbian Publicity, 1988,
undated
Columbian Quintcentenary Drafts, 1987,
undated
Columbus 92, 1989
Series:
Box 1
Fieldwork materials, 1987-1990
Gross, Joan manuscript, 1990,
undated
McDowell, John, 1989-1990,
undated
Fieldwork report, 1991
Seeger, Judith - Preliminary Report & Materials, 1987-1989
Smith, Ronald, undated