Peck Collection of Pacific Northwest Coast Indian Artifacts, circa 1970s

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Peck, Elizabeth Tuckwiller, 1918-
Title
Peck Collection of Pacific Northwest Coast Indian Artifacts
Dates
circa 1970s (inclusive)
Quantity
9 Linear feet of shelf space, (6 Boxes)
Collection Number
Cage 671a (collection)
Summary
This collection contains artifacts, mainly Pacific Northwest Coast Indian baskets and drums, related to the papers, audio recordings, and other materials in the Charles and Elizabeth Peck Collection of Northwest Coast Indian Life, 1958-2000 (Cage 671).
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open and available for research use.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

(From the collection guide for Cage 671, the Peck Collection of Northwest Coast Indian Life, 1958-2000.)

Charles Peck was born May 22, 1914, in Hazard, Kentucky. He graduated from West Virginia University School of Forestry in 1939 and received a master's degree in public administration and economics from the University of Colorado in 1963. In 1967 he joined the Agricultural Extension Service at Washington State University as an Information Specialist. He served as a county extension agent for WSU in Cowlitz, Mason and Spokane counties. In 1970 he produced a series of photographs expressing the meaning of responsible land use management, with the Queets River basin serving as the site for his study.

Elizabeth (Tuckwiller) Peck was born in 1918. She graduated from West Virginia University with an A.B. in Music Education in 1939. She received her master's degree in 1973 from Washington State University Department of Music. Elizabeth also taught at the Queets-Clearwater school and was an avid seamstress.

In April of 1970 Charles and Elizabeth moved to Queets, Washington, for a planned six-month sabbatical leave. Their six-month sojourn lasted 17 years. As Charles said:

"Little did we know that the central issue of the sabbatical would swiftly gravitate to trying to develop a comfortable and lasting rapport with the Quinault Indians of Queets, and to learn something of their culture. We were to find such work often sobering and difficult, but always exciting. We were to find trust developing slowly. But finally were able to make friends with the generous and gifted people."

While in Queets they lived among the Pacific coast Native American tribes of Washington state, documenting and recording their history and music. Elizabeth's musical interests helped ease fears among tribal elders that their musical heritage would, in short order, become irretrievably lost: she preserved and documented some of this heritage in hundreds of hours of recorded material and in the work she did for her master's thesis, "Songs of the Bogachiel." There she attempted to understand the power of a family song from a Quileute point of view, focusing on the role of song ownership.

Charles photographed a variety of subjects, but he especially enjoyed photographing Indian children. He published some of those photos in an ABC book for children. His photos have been displayed throughout the Northwest, including Portland and Seattle. In addition to his photography he became known on the reservation for his drum-making skills and as an avid fisherman.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection contains artifacts, mainly Pacific Northwest Coast Indian baskets and drums, related to the papers, audio recordings, and other materials in the Peck Collection of Northwest Coast Indian Life, 1958-2000 (Cage 671). The quotations in the descriptions for the baskets and deer hooves are taken from Elizabeth Peck’s notes (included in Box 6). The item numbers reflect the current arrangement of the collection. The basket and drum numbers are the original numbers assigned by Peck.

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

The images included in this guide were taken by Michael Walpole, graphic designer, in conjunction with the processing of the collection. Additional images (slides and/or photographic prints) of many of these items are also included in Cage 671.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply.

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Peck Collection of Pacific Northwest Coast Indian Artifacts, circa 1970s (Cage 671a)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The artifacts are grouped by object type.

Acquisition Information

Elizabeth Peck donated this collection to the Washington State University Libraries in 2001 with additional materials for the Peck Collection of Northwest Coast Indian Life, 1958-2000 (Cage 671).

Processing Note

This collection was processed in 2005 by Cheryl Gunselman, Manuscripts Librarian.

The images included in this guide were taken by Michael Walpole, graphic designer, in conjunction with the processing of the collection.

Separated Materials

This material was originally recieved as part of an addition to the Peck Collection of Northwest Coast Indian Life, 1958-2000 (Cage 671)

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description
Box item
1 1 Miscellaneous 1
Deer hooves. Accompanying note reads in part: "Used for rattles attached to sticks or wrist rings, on ankles, clothing, medicine sticks and many other ways."
2 2 Miscellaneous 2
Loose bear grass leaves, dried.
2 3 Drum 2
Inscription: "This drum by Charles K. Peck, Queets, Wash., August 5, 1971. Head: Mule Deer; Lacing: Elk; Frame: W. R. Cedar; Made for: Elizabeth (Libby) T. Peck. Drum Number 2." Height: 7 cm., Diameter: 38 cm. Photo of Drum 2
3 4 Basket 4
A Makah basket...made of cedar bark. Height: 8 cm., Diameter: 19 cm. Photo of Basket 4
3 5 Basket 13
Made by Leila Penn Fisher, Hoh...Materials: cedar bark, bear grass, bottom grass base? Includes lid. Height: 5 cm., Diameter: 7 cm. Photo of Basket 13 (on right)
3 6 Basket 15
Made by Helen Sailto Lee, Hoh Indian. Includes lid. Height: 8 cm., Diameter: 8 cm. Photo of Basket 15 (in center right, lid is on Basket 22 on left)
3 7 Basket 20
"By a Neah Bay Indian." Includes lid. Height: 5 cm., Diameter: 8 cm. Photo of Basket 20 (in center left)
3 8 Basket 21
"A British Columbia basket via Mary ‘Lilybelle’ Williams." Includes lid. Height: 5 cm., Diameter: 5 cm. Photo of Basket 21 (in center right, inside Basket 15)
3 9 Basket 22
"Made by Mrs. Howard Logan of Queets, WA." Includes lid. Height: 5 cm., Diameter: 6 cm. Photo of Basket 22 (on left, with lid for Basket 15)
3 10 Basket 29
"Miniature harpoon point holder. A gift from the Ward family, Neah Bay, WA. Used as a tourist item to hold mail." Height: 25 cm., Width: 30 cm. Photo of Basket 29
3 11 Basket 17
"By Freda Charles Kalama of Queets, WA. An early basket made in 1970...Freda had not learned to make lids." Height: 5 cm., Diameter: 7 cm. Photo of Basket 17 (in center)
3 12 Basket 23
"Made in British Columbia. Purchased by Mary Williams when she visited her B.C. Indian friends." Includes lid. Height: 4 cm., Diameter: 6 cm. Photo of Basket 23 (in center, inside Basket 17)
3 13 Basket 40
"Woven by Mrs. Chet Pulcifer (Elvira), Lummi heritage, of Queets, WA." Height: 6 cm., Diameter: 8 cm. Photo of Basket 40 (on left)
3 14 Basket 41
"By Alvira Pulcifer, Queets." Height: 7 cm., Length: 11 cm., Width: 10 cm. Photo of Basket 41 (on right)
3 15 Basket 34
"Made by Elizabeth Peck…cedar bark work basket," 1972. Height: 22 cm., Width: 25 cm., Length: 30 cm. Photo of Basket 34
3 16 Basket 35
"By Dorothy Flynn, Queets, WA." Basket with "fishbone" design. Height: 9 cm., Width: 14 cm., Length: 21 cm. Photo of Basket 35
3 17 Basket 43
"Quileute basket made by Leila Fisher of Hoh, WA. Made of cedar bark, bear grass and bottom grass," 1972. Height: 5 cm., Length: 15 cm., Width: 15 cm. Photo of Basket 43 (on right)
3 18 Basket 11
"By Mary Fisher Williams, Quileute, from Hoh River…mostly swamp grass." Includes lid, 1971. Height: 8 cm., Diameter: 12 cm. Photo of Basket 11 (on left)
4 19 Basket 1
"By Mary Williams…Bear grass, cedar bark, raffia and fabric lining," 1970. Height: 22 cm., Length: 37 cm., Width: 20 cm. Photo of Basket 1
4 20 Basket 2
"By Makah of Neah Bay." Height: 5 cm., Length: 15 cm., Width: 9 cm. Photo of Basket 2
4 21 Basket 3
"Made by Dorothy Wheeler Flynn, Quileute mother of Jesse ‘PeeWee’ Kawoosh of Queets, WA," 1976. Height: 22 cm., Diameter: 27 cm. Photo of Basket 3
4 22 Basket 10
"Made by Leila Penn Fisher, Hoh…Basket materials are cedar bark, Bear Grass or ‘straw’ and raffia." Height: 18 cm., Diameter: 13 cm. Photo of Basket 10
4 23 Basket 19
"Made by Charlotte Kalama, Queets, WA. This is Charlotte’s first ‘open weave’ basket… Materials: cedar bark and raffia," 1973. Height: 11 cm., Length: 15 cm., Width: 13 cm. Photo of Basket 19
4 24 Basket 24
"Match holder basketry by Charlotte Kalama, Quileute." Height: 12 cm., Length: 10 cm., Width: 10 cm. Photo of Basket 24
4 25 Basket 25
"Woven cedar bark match holder—Makah." Height: 13 cm., Length: 9 cm., Width: 9 cm. Photo of Basket 25
4 26 Basket 42
"Louise Pulcifer—Skokomish." Height: 15 cm., Length: 20 cm., Width: 13 cm. Photo of Basket 42
5 27 Basket 6
"Made by Mrs. Maggie Kelly, Quinault…raffia is sewed with a needle over cattail," 1971. Height: 25 cm., Diameter: 18 cm. Photo of Basket 6
5 28 Basket 8
"Makah shopping basket." Height: 17 cm., Length: 24 cm., Width: 16 cm. Photo of Basket 8
5 29 Basket 9
"Makah shopping basket by Irene Ward." Height: 16 cm., Length: 27 cm., Width: 15 cm. Photo of Basket 9
5 30 Basket 12
"Open weave basket by Mrs. Maggie Kelly in Queets, WA," circa 1970s. Height: 28 cm., Diameter: 21 cm. Photo of Basket 12
5 31 Basket 33
"Made by Elizabeth Peck who lived in Queets 1970-1973." Height: 5 cm., Diameter: 8 cm. Photo of Basket 33
5 32 Basket 44
"Half completed by Mary K. Leitka, daughter of Leila Penn Fisher…Elizabeth wanted this basket as an example of making baskets." Height: 11 cm., Diameter: 8 cm. Photo of Basket 44
6 33 Whalebone, carved in shape of sword.
Length: 80 cm.
6 34 Carved wooden paddle.
Photo attached, with inscription "Captain Sam, Queets, Olympic, 1931." On opposite side, marked "Harry Sam, Born Dec. 24, 1900." Length: 62 cm.
7 1 Accompanying documentation, Boxes 1-3
7 2 Accompanying documentation, Box 4
7 3 Accompanying documentation, Box 5
7 4 Supporting documentation (miscellaneous).
Includes newspaper article about Charlotte Kalama: "Weaving Life—One Strand at a Time," The Daily World, 4 August 2002.
7 5 Processing file

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Indians of North America -- Northwest Coast of North America -- Music
  • Indians of North America -- Northwest Coast of North America -- Religion
  • Indians of North America -- Northwest Coast of North America -- Social life and customs
  • Quileute Indians
  • Quileute Indians -- Music
  • Quileute Indians -- Religion
  • Quileute Indians -- Social life and customs

Personal Names

  • Peck, Charles, 1914- --Archives
  • Peck, Elizabeth Tuckwiller, 1918- --Archives

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Peck, Charles, 1914- (creator)