Digital Voices from the Past

Above: Dr. Timothy Powell, Director of Native American Projects at the American Philosophical Society

Penn NAIS Conference reviewed by Jim Remsen on Pennsylvanus.

"Imagine it. Three thousand hours of American Indian oral recordings, brought out of the archives after decades, digitized, and made available to the public – that means you — for free. A database of six thousand traditional Iroquois names, now searchable by clan affiliation...I knew nothing about this remarkable initiative, which was highlighted at a conference organized by the University of Pennsylvania’s Native American and Indigenous Studies program. Looking to attend a good event on the Native American Heritage Month calendar last November, I happily located this one, which showcased what it called “innovative approaches to recovering and engaging with Indigenous knowledge in the classroom and in the field.” As a sign of this native partnership with the academy, a Hiawatha Belt (shown above) was prominently displayed on the stage."

For the rest of the article, see "Digital Voices from the Past" by Jim Remsen, June 17, 2015, on the blog Pennsylvanus.