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Kenneth Stewart Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS-182

Scope and Content Note

The Kenneth Stewart Papers contain his ethnographic research, research articles written by various authors, articles and manuscripts written by Stewart, correspondence, Arizona State University related files, maps, broadsides and audiovisual material. The bulk of the material dates from 1946 to 1981 and consists of his research and academic writing. The papers are arranged in seven series: Research; Research Articles by Various Authors; Articles and Manuscripts by Stewart; Correspondence; Arizona State University; Maps and Broadsides; and Audiovisual.

The Research papers include field notes, note cards, bibliographies, and informant interviews on a variety of aspects of Mohave and Yuman Indian life. This series includes nine field notebooks from Kenneth Stewart's 1970-1971 field work among the Mohave Indians.

Research Articles By Various Authors includes typescripts and published copies of work done by various authors on such subjects as the Mohave Indians, the Yuman Indians, Indians of the Southwest, and the Colorado River Indian Reservation.

Articles and Manuscripts by Stewart includes typescripts and bibliographies of the Mohave and Yumans: an Introduction chapters written for Volume 10 of the Handbook of North American Indians. This section contains Stewart's notes on typescripts of chapters written by various authors for the Handbook of North American Indians. This series also contains other academic writing by Stewart including typescript copies of his dissertation The Cultural Affiliations of the Gila and Colorado River Yumans and thesis, Spirit Possession in Native America. Typescripts and published copies of various academic articles on such topics as the Mohave Indians, Chemehuevi culture, and excavations at Mesa Grande are also included. This series contains the typescript of a manuscript entitled The Southwest Indians as well as photographs, reports, interview questions, and field notes from Stewart's excavation of Mesa Grande. In the 1950's Kenneth Stewart was head of the anthropology department at Arizona State College and directed the excavation at Mesa Grande. Finally, this series contains typescripts of creative writing by Stewart.

Correspondence includes letters to Stewart regarding his academic writing, Mesa Grande, the Arizona State University anthropology department, and correspondence from Stewart.

Arizona State University contains Kenneth Stewart's curriculum vitae from 1975 and 1976, sabbatical leave applications, Hayden library guides, and a master exam on Indians of the Southwest.

Maps and Broadsides includes maps of Indian land in the Southwest including prehistoric ruins and canals, the Mohave Valley, the Navajo reservation, and the Colorado River Indian Reservation. The broadside is from the movie Mohave Girl.

The audiovisual material includes 37 audiotapes of Mohave ethnographic and informant interviews and well as Mohave ethnographic material on reel-to-reel audiotape.

Dates

  • Creation: 1946-1981

Language of Materials

Material in English

Access Restrictions

To view this collection, please contact Ask an Archivist or call (480) 965-4932 at least five days in advance. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Patrons can also arrange to view this collection at the Labriola National American Indian Data Center (rm. 305) at Fletcher Library on the West campus. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.

Copyright

The Arizona Board of Regents retains copyright to this collection for and on behalf of the Arizona State University Library. Requests to publish, display, or redistribute information from this collection must be submitted via our online application.

Biographical Note

Kenneth Stewart was the first anthropologist employed by Arizona State University and was a faculty member for 32 years. He earned his bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. degrees in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Stewart joined the ASU faculty in 1947, before the formation of the anthropology department. His first position was in the education department, where he taught various courses in sociology, ancient history, urban studies, and minority studies, but his specialty remained Southwest ethnology. He later joined the anthropology department and remained a part of the ASU faculty until his retirement in 1979.

Dr. Stewart conducted fieldwork among the Mohave Indians in 1946 and 1970-71. He published widely on the Mohave during his career, with articles in such journals as Southwest Journal of Anthropology, The Kiva, Plateau, and Ethnohistory. While professor emeritus at ASU, Dr. Stewart wrote the introductory section and a chapter on the Mohave in Volume 10 of the Handbook of North American Indians.

Following his retirement from ASU, Dr. Stewart remained active as an amateur musicologist and avid traveler.

Source: CLAS News, Arizona State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Fall 2002.

Full extent

18 Box(es)

Full extent

9.33 Linear Feet

Abstract

The Kenneth Stewart Papers contain his ethnographic research, research articles written by various authors, articles and manuscripts written by Stewart, correspondence, Arizona State University related files, maps, broadsides and audiovisual materials.

Arrangement

This collection consists of eighteen boxes divided into seven series:

  1. Series I: Research
  2. Series II: Research Articles by Various Authors
  3. Series III: Articles and Manuscripts by Stewart
  4. Series IV: Correspondence
  5. Series V: Arizona State University
  6. Series VI: Maps and Broadsides
  7. Series VII: Audio Visual Material

Provenance

The Kenneth Stewart Papers were donated by his daughter Ms. Geraldine Kay Stewart in 2002. The papers were originally given to the Arizona State University Anthropology Department who, with Ms. Stewart's permission, gave the papers to the Labriola Center (ACC #2003-02602).

Title
Kenneth Stewart Papers
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by Joyce Martin in April 2004; machine-readable finding guide created by Michael Lotstein in July 2004.
Date
2011
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding guide encoded in English.

Repository details

Part of the Labriola National American Indian Data Center Repository

Contact

Arizona State University
Tempe AZ 85287-1006 United States
(480) 965-6490