University of South Dakota (USD) Archives and Special Collections: The Institute of American Indian Studies (IAIS) Photograph Collection

In addition to IAIS files in the Archives,  I recently started cataloguing photographs associated with IAIS (or Institute) activities. For example, the image below shows Doc William O. Farber and Margaret Cash behind a cake inscribed “40^th Anniversary Institute of American Indian Studies,1955-1995”.

Margaret Cash and Doc Farber stand behind the 40^th Anniversary cake. Archives and Special Collections. IAIS photographs, Box 5, folder, 6.

Dr.  Farber, and Dr. Wesley Hurt (Director of the W. H. Over Museum and the Institute and renowned anthropologist) founded the Institute in 1955. Margaret Cash’s late husband, Joseph Harper Cash, Dean of Arts and Sciences (and a History Professor) headed the institute for four years. Cash and fellow USD historian Dr. Herbert Hoover were instrumental in recording oral histories with Native Americans (which are now archived at the South Dakota Oral History Center). Seventy-one years later, the Institute still exists.

According to its website, the IAIS has three missions: https://www.usd.edu/About/Departments-Offices-and-Resources/Institute-for-American-Indian-Studies 1) “to explore the history, languages, and traditions of Native American tribes. We also champion educational opportunities for students of Native American descent. 2) to support research that works closely with tribal communities and honors their traditions. We encourage research that uses Indigenous perspectives, leading to a deeper understanding of their experiences. 3)  to act as a central hub within the university for all things related to Native American cultures. We hold annual meetings to connect everyone working on Indigenous issues, ensuring a respectful approach that values tribal customs.”

The photographs in this collection (dating from the late 1900s to 2004) illustrate these missions, highlighting directors, Native American activities at USD, Native American leaders, student activities and achievements, and community interactions. The collection contains photographs from the IAIS publication entitled News Report (later known as the Bulletin). The Digital Library of South Dakota contains these publications from the 1950s to 2009. (https://explore.digitalsd.org/digital/collection/univ_arc/search/searchterm/Institute%20of%20American%20Indian%20Studies/field/all/mode/exact/conn/and/order/date) .

 Bush Grant faculty and IAIS personnel. IAIS Director Leonard Bruguier is the man wearing the hat. The gentleman with the crossed arms is Bruce Chandler, head of the Oral History Project. Archives and Special Collections. IAIS Photographs, Box 2, folder 17. Image is also in the August 1992 News Report.

More than a hundred photographs from 1966-1967 that commemorate Indian Community Action Projects (ICAP) activities. These include reservation outreach programs such as health care training, constructing houses, home economics, Head Start programs, and workshops. Many of the programs were based on reservations. Although ICAP at USD ended in 1972, some programs still exist.

USD student Debbie Ann Moliter with children at a Head Start Christmas party, December 1966. Archives and Special Collections IAIS Photographs, Box 6, folder 3.

To develop a pipeline for Native American high school students to attend college, in the 1960s USD initiated the Federal program:  Upward Bound. This program is still active at USD. Moreover, with the increase of Native American students on campus, newly formed clubs and organizations supported and helped students succeed in college.

In the Spring of 2001, Leonard R. Bruguier (Director of the IAIS) and Scott E. White (Director of the Oral History Center for the IAIS) wrote an excellent history about the development of the IAIS and the South Dakota Oral history Center (Indigenous Nations Studies Journal, Vol. 2, No. 1, (https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/0e90ee11-54af-479b-ae60-301bc45eb964/content). In the article, the authors reiterate the purposes of the Institute from a historical perspective. The article also mentions the directors of the Institute including Dr. Wesley Hurt, Major General Lloyd R. Moses, Joseph Cash, and Cato Valandra.

In conjunction with the IAIS collection that contains papers of directors, manuscripts, and books, the IAIS photograph collection helps researchers appreciate the IAIS history and achievements over the years. Both Native and non-Native students on the USD campus benefit from IAIS activities and the collaborations the IAIS fostered with Native Americans communities over seven decades.

Further Information about the IAIS and its Directors available in USD Archives and Special Collections:

USD Archives:

• Institute of Indian Studies Collection (ICAP, Head Start, conferences and workshops)

• Institute of American Indian Studies Collection (includes Leonard Bruguier and Patrice Kunesh papers and the Development of the Oral History Project at USD)

• Joseph Harper Cash Papers

Richardson Collection:

• Lloyd Roosevelt Moses Papers

• Cato Valandra Papers

• Charles Trimble Papers