Soaring Eagle -- REVEREND EMMETT HOFFMANN HERITAGE PROJECT COLLECTION: Scope and Content Note

ACCESS NOTE: This collection is undergoing re-evaluation in collaboration with representatives from the Cheyenne Tribe and from St. Labre Mission. Material is not accessible at this time.

Primarily oral history recordings in Cheyenne and meetings in English at St. Labre Mission School, Ashland, Montana, with select transcripts in English regarding Cheyenne Indian life, history, and culture in Montana, South Dakota, and Oklahoma. Related publications and motion pictures included; also scenes at Mount Calvary and St. Anthony Hospital/ St. Benedict the Moor Mission, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which served African Americans. Some restrictions apply.

The Heritage Project recordings and transcripts includes 672 recordings of Northern (and Southern) Cheyenne oral history and business meetings with selected translated transcripts; biographies of Rev. Emmett Hoffmann in print and DVD formats; and 44 reels of motion pictures by Fenton Schaub, a lay volunteer from Mount Calvary, Wisconsin. Many of the oral history respondents and subjects were students and/or alumni of St. Labre, which was administered by the Capuchins.

The bulk of the Fenton Schaub motion pictures pertain to Northern Cheyenne children at St. Labre. A few scenes pertain to Mount Calvary and St. Anthony Hospital/ St. Benedict the Moor (African American) Mission, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which were also administered by the Capuchins.

Gift of Rev. Emmett Hoffmann (1928-2013), 1996, with additions from Soaring Eagle, 1996-2011, and the Tekakwitha Conference National Center (Great Falls, Montana), 1998-1999. Processed by Mark G. Thiel and student assistants, 1993-2014.

Scope and Content

Series 1-5 Index

Soaring Eagle Series 1. Heritage Project Sound Recordings: 672 sound recordings pertaining to Cheyenne Indian history and culture and current issues from interviews and discussions by older Northern Cheyenne Indians on or near the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. In some instances, visitors and resident missionaries were involved in the discussions. Cheyenne is the prevailing language spoken in most recordings; others are in English. Except where noted otherwise, it is believed that all recordings were produced at St. Labre Mission School, Ashland, Montana, which many of the Northern Cheyenne participants had attended.

Most visitors were notable out-of-state Indians, such as Southern Cheyenne from Oklahoma, Hopi from Arizona, Oglala from South Dakota, and Ojibwa from Wisconsin, whereas most non-Indians were Catholic Capuchin Franciscan priests at St. Labre Mission School.

All recordings were produced in open reel (reel to reel) or audio cassette formats with audio cassette copies made as well for limited distribution. In most recordings, the respondents spoke Cheyenne exclusively.  But English was used predominantly or exclusively whenever the speaker was non-Cheyenne and/or the events were public business meetings regarding important local issues, e.g. coal development, no. 188, 096, 195, 196.

The original recordings selected for transcription were reformatted to wav files, 1993-2014.  

Restrictions: The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of these recordings.  The recordings numbered 080, 213A, 246 and 259 are closed until 2054 (50 years after their creation). For further information, consult with the archivist in charge.

The following speakers were interviewees and/or discussion participants in the recordings.  Alternative names, nicknames, and surname spelling variations used in the collection are noted in parentheses.  Birth and/or death years are included, if known.  All speakers were Northern Cheyenne Indians, unless noted otherwise.

Soaring Eagle Series 2. Heritage Project Transcripts: Selected transcripts from the series 1 recordings produced by Chief Clarence "Bisco" Spotted Wolf with contextual commentary transcribed by staff under his direction. Occasionally, the staff added more notes shown in brackets with their initials, e.g. RF = Renee Flood. Whenever speakers used English in the recordings, it is so noted in the transcript and the container list.

Staff of the Translation Project

Restrictions: The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of the transcripts. When quoting from or reproducing all or portions of transcripts, researchers are requested to acknowledge the translator, Chief Clarence Spotted Wolf, as well as the speakers. The transcripts numbered 080, 213A, 246 and 259 are closed until 2054 (50 years after their creation). For further information, consult with the archivist in charge.

Soaring Eagle Series 3. Soaring Eagle Publications: This series includes book and DVD biographies of Father Emmett Hoffmann, recollections about Fintan Schaub, and Signals, the Soaring Eagle newsletter, which is now archived online.

Soaring Eagle Series 4. Fintan Schaub Motion Pictures: Recordings by Finton Schaub of students engaged in work, play, and Catholic religious activities at St. Labre School, Ashland, Montana, near the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. In 2014, archives staff reformatted the recordings to wav files.

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