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Robert W. Young Pictorial Collection

 Collection
Identifier: PICT-000-672

Scope and Content

The bulk of the collection is made up of material related to the Navajo Indians. It documents Navajo people, reservations, and various projects and programs related to education, health, industrial and resource development, and construction. The collection consists of photographs, transparencies, slides, a photograph album, and negatives. The first box contains the photographs and transparencies. The majority of the photographs are from Robert W. Young's A Political History of the Navajo Indians, including photographs by Benjamin Wittick and Milton Snow. There are negative or positive transparencies for some of the photographs. The remaining transparencies have been organized thematically according to the following subjects: Schools; Cultural Events and Representations; Farming; and Location Specific. The second box contains the slides. The slides have also been organized thematically according to the photographer when noted, and subjects similar to the transparencies. A series of slides by John Adair contains a number of photographs of Many Farms and various activities there. In addition to the above mentioned transparency subjects, the slides also depict Navajo people and dwellings; Southwestern landscapes; and buildings, on and off the reservation. The photograph album in the third box contains the original photos used for the election of 1955, including a ballot and a copy of the regulations that governed the 1955 elections. Photographic prints are 8 x 10 in. or smaller, transparencies are 5 x 6.75 in. or smaller, slides are 2 x 2 in., and the photograph album is 15 x 11.25 in.

Dates

  • 1898-1970

Creator

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Copy Restrictions

Limited duplication of materials allowed for research purposes in most cases. User is responsible for all copyright compliance. For more information see the Photographs and Images Research Guide and contact the Pictorial Archivist

Biography

Robert W. Young, linguist, was born on May 18, 1912 in Chicago. He earned his BA from the University of Illinois in 1935, then enrolled in anthropology at the University of New Mexico (UNM) where he began a career working with the Navajo language. He was employed by the BIA as a Specialist in Indian Languages, and then in Navajo Tribal Relations. He taught classes in Navajo linguistics at UNM. Young and William Morgan Sr. compiled The Navajo Language: A Grammar and Colloquial Dictionary, published in 1980. An Analytical Lexicon of Navajo by Young, Morgan, and Sally Midgette was published in 1992. Young compiled The Navajo Yearbook which was published annually during the 1950s. In 1989, Young wrote A Political History of the Navajo Tribe. Young's, The Navajo Verb System was published in 2000.

Extent

705 plus items (3 boxes) : 59 photographic prints, 122 transparencies, 524 slides, 1 photograph album with uncounted photographs ; photographic prints: 8 x 10 in. and smaller; transparencies: 5 x 6.75 in. or smaller; slides: 2 x 2 in.; album: 15 x 11.25 in.

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The bulk of the collection is made up of material related to the Navajo Indians. It documents Navajo people, reservations, and various projects and programs related to education, health, industrial and resource development, and construction.

Physical Location

B2. Shelved by Pictorial Number.

Separated Material

Pictorial material was separated from the Robert W. Young Papers.

General

Contact Information

  1. University of New Mexico
  2. MSC05 3020, 1, University of New Mexico
  3. Center for Southwest Research
  4. Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
  5. Phone: 505-277-7173
  6. Fax:
  7. Email: cswrref@unm.edu
  8. URL: http://elibrary.unm.edu/cswr
Title
Finding Aid of the Robert W. Young Pictorial Collection, 1898-1970
Status
Approved
Author
Processed by Pictorial Collections Staff
Date
© 2006
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is in English

Revision Statements

  • Monday, 20210524: Attribute normal is missing or blank.

Repository Details

Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451