Wayne T. Pratt Papers

The Wayne T. Pratt Papers consist primarily of publications, correspondence, transcripts, photographs, and other materials documenting issues facing Native American communities and educators of Native American children. Among the subjects shown are the Bureau of Indian Affairs, schools for Native children, the education of future teachers of Native children, the sensitivity of educators to cultural issues, mid to late twentieth century trends in Native education, and the Johnson-O'Malley plan to aid local schools. Although the materials in the collection date from 1903 to 1990, the bulk of the collection was created between 1953 and 1988.

Series I: Personal Files contains a cartoon, chapters from books possibly written by Pratt, information on resources for Native American communities, and a short story.

Series II: Government Files contains information on some of the programs and initiatives that Pratt worked on while in the service of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Series III: Education details some of the Navajo Nation's educational efforts in addition to documenting topics of interest to educators of Native American students from other communities. The documents in this series show contemporary thought on education for Native Americans as well as counseling approaches and age considerations in Native American education.

Series IV: Speeches contains notes and transcripts from various speeches made by Wayne T. Pratt. Included are notes from a speech given to the Rotary Club, a transcript of a speech entitled How a Culture Seeks Equilibrium, and a speech entitled Toward a Better Understanding of the Indian.

Series V: Reports and Papers documents academic thought on Native American educational issues during the late 1960s and 1970s. It is arranged into three subseries. The first contains papers given at the NDEA Institute on Educating Pueblo Children. The second pertains to the Navajo Social Studies Project, which attempted to influence the way students studied the Navajo Nation and its history. The third contains reports and papers given at various conferences and workshops on a variety of Native American topics.

Series VI: Newspaper Clippings contains clippings that Pratt and others collected between 1962 and 1990 on subjects relating to Native American issues, including the Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute.

Series VII: Photographs and Slides contains photographs and slides relating to Wayne Pratt's professional life.