Finding Aid to the William R. Bascom Papers, 1933-1981
Finding Aid written by Bancroft Library Staff
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
© 2010
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Finding Aid to the William R. Bascom Papers, 1933-1981
Collection Number: BANC MSS 82/163 c
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
- Finding Aid Written By:
- Bancroft Library Staff
- Date Completed:
-
August 2010
© 2010 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Collection Summary
Collection Title: William R. Bascom papers
Date (inclusive): 1933-1981
Collection Number: BANC MSS 82/163 c
Creators :
Bascom, William Russell, 1912-1981
Bascom, Berta
Extent:
Number of containers: 40 cartons, 3 boxes
Linear feet: 51.2
Repository: The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: Includes papers related to Bascom's lifelong work on West African
art, culture, and folklore and his teaching at the University of California, Berkeley and
Northwestern University. Materials include personal and professional correspondence; field
notes; lecture notes; course notes; and manuscripts of books and articles. Some papers
written by his wife Berta Bascom are also included.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite
and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these
materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17,
U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of
University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and
publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of
the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials
must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library,
University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html .
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], William R. Bascom Papers, BANC MSS 82/163 c, The Bancroft
Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Alternate Forms Available
Copy of "Yoruba narrow band weaving," by William R. Bascom and Ruth M. Boyer (long
version with appendices) is also available on microfilm with call number BANC FILM 2283.
Copies of Havana field notes and Santería copy book no. 2, Cuba, 1948 (carton
28) are also available on microfilm with call number BANC FILM 3266.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Robert H. Lowie Museum of
Anthropology
University of California,
Berkeley. Dept. of Anthropology
American Folklore Society
Kiowa Apache Indians
Santeria
Gullahs
Yoruba (African people)
Pohnpei (Micronesia)
Faculty papers.
Lecture notes.
Manuscripts for publication.
Field notes.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The William R. Bascom papers were given to The Bancroft Library by Berta Bascom in July
1984.
Accruals
No additions are expected.
System of Arrangement
Arranged to the folder level.
Processing Information
Processed by Bancroft Library Staff in 2010.
Biographical Information
Education and Work History
William Russell Bascom was a pioneer in the field of African Studies and Folklore. He
received his bachelor's degree at the University of Wisconsin and his PhD from
Northwestern University in 1936. He taught at Northwestern, Cambridge University, and the
University of California at Berkeley, where he was also director of the Lowie Museum of
Anthropology. During World War II, he joined the O.S.S. and co-authored
A Pocket Guide to West Africa.
Work among the Yoruba People
Bascom was the first American anthropologist to do field work among the Yoruba people of
Nigeria. He made his first trip to Nigeria in 1937 at the age of 25. Over the next 23
years he spent a total of 5 years among the Yoruba, learning their culture and folklore
and describing in detail all aspects of their life. During his many periods of residence
in Nigeria, he and his wife Berta Montero Bascom assembled one of the foremost collections
of books and art of the Yoruba people, their folklore, and history.
Professional Activities, Awards, and Major Works
A one-time president of the American Folklore Society, Professor Bascom was awarded the
prestigious Giuseppe Pitre International Folklore Prize for one of his 10 books,
Ifa Divination: Communication Between Gods and Men in West
Africa.
Other major works include:
The Sociological Role of
the Yoruba Cult-Group
(1944),
Ponape: A Pacific Economy
in Transition
(1947),
The Yoruba of Southwestern
Nigeria
(1969),
African Art in Cultural Perspective: An
Introduction
(1973), and
Sixteen Cowries: Yoruba
Divination from Africa to the New World
(1980).
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection includes papers related to Bascom's lifelong work on West African art,
culture, and folklore and his teaching at the University of California, Berkeley and
Northwestern University. Materials include personal and professional correspondence; field
notes; lecture notes; course notes; and manuscripts of books and articles. Some papers
written by his wife Berta Bascom are also included.
The collection is arranged into eight series: correspondence, writings and publications,
research, teaching, U.C. Berkeley, professional associations, biographical materials, and
Berta Bascom papers.
Series 1.
Correspondence
1936-1981
Physical Description: Cartons 1-5, carton 6, folders 1-45
Arrangement
Arranged as received into 3 subseries: alphabetical, subject correspondence, and personal correspondence.
Scope and Content Note
Includes personal and professional correspondence on the subject mainly of Bascom's work and travels.
Subseries 1.1.
Alphabetical correspondence
1936-1981
Physical Description: Cartons 1-5, folders 1-38
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent.
Scope and Content Note
Includes incoming and outgoing correspondence.
Subseries 1.2.
Subject correspondence.
1937-1978
Physical Description: Carton 5, folders 39-71
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject
Scope and Content Note
Includes incoming and outgoing correspondence.
Subseries 1.3.
Personal Correspondence.
1937-1972
Physical Description: Carton 6, folders 1-45
Arrangement
Chronological by date
Scope and Content Note
Includes incoming and outgoing correspondence.
Carton 6, Folder 1-45
Personal correspondence.
1937-1972
Series 2.
Writings and Publications.
1936-1981
Physical Description: Carton 6, folders 46-81,-cartons 7-24, folders 1-29
Arrangement
Arranged into 4 subseries: reviews; abstracts, papers, and publications; major works; and editorial correspondence.
Scope and Content Note
Includes reviews of work by others and of Bascom's own writing, manuscripts, reprints, drafts, and correspondence about writings
and publications.
Subseries 2.1.
Reviews.
1936-1969
Physical Description: Carton 6, folders 46-81,-carton 7
Arrangement
Arranged as received in numerical order
Scope and Content Note
Includes editorial articles and reviews of articles written by Bascom
Subseries 2.2.
Abstracts, Papers, and Miscellaneous Publications.
1937-1981
Physical Description: Cartons 8-11
Arrangement
Arranged as received, mostly chronological
Scope and Content Note
Includes a variety of materials written by Bascom for publication. Drafts, reprints, and some correspondence are included.
Carton 8, Folder 1-44
Abstracts, papers, and publications.
1937-1960
Carton 9, Folder 1-44
Abstracts, papers, and publications.
1959-1964
Carton 10, Folder 1-55
Abstracts, papers, and publications.
1964-1981
Carton 11, Folder 1-50
Abstracts, papers, and publications.
1977-1981 and undated
Subseries 2.3.
Major Works.
1949-1981
Physical Description: Cartons 12-23, box 2
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by title
Scope and Content Note
Includes drafts and reprints of major publications by Bascom. Some research notes and correspondence are also included. This
subseries includes extensive research materials collected for Bascom's signature work Ifa Divination: Communication Between
Gods and Men in West Africa.
Carton 12, Folder 1
Africa and Its Peoples .
1953
Carton 12, Folder 2-9
African Art in Cultural Perspective .
1972-1974
Carton 12, Folder 10-26
African Arts catalog.
1963-1967
Carton 12, Folder 27-40
African Folktales in the Americas: birds-notes.
1977-1981
Carton 13, Folder 1-9
African Folktales in the Americas: notes-trickster .
1977-1981
Carton 13, Folder 10-87
African Folklore in the New World: Abimbola-Pursuing Calabash.
1975-1977
Carton 14, Folder 1-45
African Folklore in the New World: race-won't.
1975-1977
Carton 14, Folder 46-54
"Ashanti Gold Weights."
1973
Carton 14, Folder 55-58
Collier's Encyclopedia: "African Peoples."
1959
Carton 14, Folder 59-62
Encyclopedia Britannica: "Peoples of Africa."
1960-1965
Carton 15, Folder 1-26
Encyclopedia Britannica: "Peoples of Africa."
1960-1965
Carton 15, Folder 27
"Folklore and the African."
1973
Carton 15, Folder 28
"History of Africa: The African Contribution."
1969-1971
Carton 15, Folder 29-44
Ifa Divination: Communication Between Gods and Men in West Africa.
1949-1971
Carton 16, Folder 1-31
Ifa Divination: Communication Between Gods and Men in West Africa.
1652-1974
Carton 17, Folder 1-32
Ifa Divination: Communication Between Gods and Men in West Africa.
1956 and undated
Carton 17, Folder 34
"Myths from Erindilogen."
undated
Carton 17, Folder 35
"Myths from Ifa."
undated
Carton 17, Folder 36
Myths, photographs.
undated
Carton 17, Folder 37-39
Ponape: A Pacific Economy in Transition .
1963-1965
Carton 18, Folder 1-19
Ponape: A Pacific Economy in Transition .
1963-1965
Carton 18, Folder 20-26
"Secret Societies."
undated
Carton 18, Folder 27-43
Sixteen Cowries .
1976-1978
Carton 19, Folder 1-10
Sixteen Cowries .
undated
Carton 19, Folder 11-14
"The Sociological Role of the Cult Group Among the Yoruba."
undated
Carton 19, Folder 15-16
World Book Encyclopedia: Field Enterprises: "African Negro."
1958-1959
Carton 19, Folder 17-39
"Yoruba Narrow-Band Weaving."
undated
Carton 20, Folder 1-17
The Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria .
1957-1972
Carton 20, Folder 18-34
Yoruba Proverbs: 1-425.
1961
Carton 21, Folder 1-34
Yoruba Proverbs: 401-1925.
1961
Carton 22, Folder 1-32
Yoruba Proverbs: 1926-3500.
1961
Subseries 2.4.
Editorial Correspondence.
1947-1980
Physical Description: Carton 24, folders 1-29
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Scope and Content Note
Identified by Bascom as "Editorial Correspondence", this subseries is mainly correspondence regarding various publications.
Also included are some drafts and notes.
Carton 24, Folder 1-29
Editorial Correspondence.
1947-1980
Series 3.
Research.
1941-1979
Physical Description: Carton 24, folders 30-60,-carton 31, cartons 38-40 and box 2
Arrangement
Arranged into 3 subseries: alphabetical files, field notes, and note cards.
Scope and Content Note
Includes notes and field notes, note cards, correspondence, and some drafts of publications on a variety of research subjects.
Research materials on the Yoruba Tribe in Africa are abundant. Also included is some of the research Bascom did as a student.
Subseries 3.1.
Alphabetical files.
1939-1978
Physical Description: Carton 24, folders 30-60,-carton 25
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject
Scope and Content Note
Contains a variety of materials relating to Bascom's research, including notes, manuscripts, and correspondence.
Carton 24, Folder 30
Africa: bibliography.
undated
Carton 24, Folder 36
African collections.
1960-1976
Carton 24, Folder 39
African independence.
1960-1963
Carton 24, Folder 40
African sculpture.
1959-1973
Carton 24, Folder 45
American Indian tribes.
undated
Carton 24, Folder 52
Cross references.
undated
Carton 24, Folder 53-54
"Discovery" of Africa.
undated
Carton 24, Folder 55-56
Divination verses.
undated
Carton 24, Folder 57
Folklore and politics.
undated
Carton 24, Folder 58
Folklore research in Africa.
1963
Carton 24, Folder 60
Guinea Coast tribes.
undated
Carton 25, Folder 1
History, 19th century.
1966
Carton 25, Folder 5
Language and culture.
undated
Carton 25, Folder 8-27
Myths by Babalorisha.
undated
Carton 25, Folder 31
Prestige and social approval.
1939
Carton 25, Folder 32
Race and culture.
undated
Carton 25, Folder 34
Segy, Ladiscas.
1949-1951
Carton 25, Folder 36-38
Student work by Bascom.
1939
Carton 25, Folder 40
Webber-Green project.
1966-1968
Carton 25, Folder 41
West Sudan tribes.
undated
Subseries 3.2.
Field notes.
1935-1968
Physical Description: Cartons 26-31, folders 1-20
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by the subject of the research
Scope and Content Note
Includes notes taken by Bascom during field research and some backup material to those notes. Most importantly the Yoruba
documents transcribed by Bascom for his research on the Yoruba tribe are included. Please note that the documents have dates,
but the dates referred to in the finding aid refer to the dates of Bascom's work on those documents.
Carton 27, Folder 32-46
Yoruba alphabetical files: untitled-Boromu.
1937-1951
Carton 28, Folder 1-55
Yoruba alphabetical files: Buku-Meko.
1937-1968
Carton 29, Folder 1-58
Yoruba alphabetical files: Meko-slaves.
1937-1968
Carton 30, Folder 1-23
Yoruba alphabetical files: social-Yewa.
1937-1968
Carton 30, Folder 24-37
Yoruba chronological notes, September 1937-July 1938.
1937-1968
Carton 31, Folder 1-14
Yoruba documents.
undated
Carton 31, Folder 15-20
Yoruba technology.
1937-1938
Subseries 3.3.
Notecards.
undated
Physical Description: Cartons 38-40 and box 2
Arrangement
Arranged as received
Scope and Content Note
Consists of notecards, mainly 3X5 cards with notes on a variety of subjects.
Series 4.
Teaching.
1940-1979
Physical Description: Carton 31, folders 21-29, and Carton 32-34
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by course title, then chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Includes teaching notes for anthropology and folklore classes taught by Bascom at both Northwestern University and the University
of California at Berkeley.
Carton 31, Folder 21-29
African Arts-Anthropology A.
1946-1976
Carton 32, Folder 1-56
Anthropology A-Anthropology C53, 1945-1963.
1945-1963
Carton 33, Folder 1-57
Anthropology C53--By-Aspects of Culture.
1940-1979
Carton 34, Folder 1-41
Folklore-Tribes.
1940-1979
Series 5.
UC Berkeley.
1957-1978
Physical Description: Carton 35, folders 1-11
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically
Scope and Content Note
Documents Bascom's career at UC Berkeley and includes committee records and information about the folklore program and his
research grants.
Carton 35, Folder 1-2
Black Cultural Research Project.
1971-1978
Carton 35, Folder 3-5
Folklore Program.
1963-1975
Carton 35, Folder 6
Graduate Studies in African Literature.
1969
Carton 35, Folder 8-9
Research grants, applications, and proposals.
1957-1981
Carton 35, Folder 10
Strike, Anthropology Department.
1969-1970
Carton 35, Folder 11
Summer sessions.
1954-1955
Series 6.
Professional Associations.
1936-1978
Physical Description: Carton 35, folders 12- and Carton 36, folders 1-
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by association or activity title
Scope and Content Note
Documents Bascom's involvement in a variety of professional organizations, including the American Folklore Society.
Carton 35, Folder 12-56
Adult Education Council-American Folklore Society.
1936-1978
Carton 36, Folder 1-57
American Folklore Society-UNESCO.
1937-1976
Series 7.
OSS Work during World War II.
1941-1948
Physical Description: Carton 36, folders 58-63, Carton 37, folders
Arrangement
Arranged in alphabetical order
Scope and Content Note
Includes notes and correspondence by Bascom when he worked for the OSS in Africa during WW II.
Carton 36, Folder 58-63
Untitled-cocoa.
1941-1948
Carton 37, Folder 1-12
Cocoa-U.S. employees.
1941-1948
Series 8.
Meetings, Talks, and Travel.
1962-1975
Physical Description: Carton 37, folders 13-22
Arrangement
Arranged into loose groups of meetings, talks and speeches, and travel.
Scope and Content Note
Includes materials regarding mostly professional meetings, talks and speeches given, and other travel such as sabbatical trips.
Carton 37, Folder 13
Meetings: African Art Symposium.
1968
Carton 37, Folder 14
Meetings: Africa conferences.
1943-1961
Carton 37, Folder 15
Meetings: Culture and Folklore Symposium.
1939
Carton 37, Folder 16-17
Speeches and lectures.
1951-1963
Carton 37, Folder 18
Lecture: 7 Afro-Cuban Myths.
1976
Carton 37, Folder 20
Travel: Ivory Coast.
1962
Series 9.
Biographical Materials.
1933-1981
Physical Description: Carton 37, folders 23-56, Box 1, and Box 3
Arrangement
Arranged as received
Scope and Content Note
Includes UC Biobibliography forms, CVs, copies of "Who's Who" articles, and diaries. Other material includes job applications
and information regarding appointments, fellowships, and awards.
Carton 37, Folder 23
Curriculum vitae.
undated
Carton 37, Folder 24
Academic record and application for fellowships.
1933-1940
Carton 37, Folder 25
Applications and appointments.
1941-1949
Carton 37, Folder 26
UC considerations.
undated
Carton 37, Folder 27-48
UC Biobibliographies.
1959-1980
Carton 37, Folder 49-52
UC appointment and promotions.
1957-1977
Carton 37, Folder 53
Photographs, unidentified.
undated
Carton 37, Folder 55-56
William Bascom publicity.
1946-1970
Series 10.
Berta Bascom's papers.
1954-1993
Physical Description: Box 1, folders 3-6
Arrangement
Arranged as received
Scope and Content Note
Includes correspondence, papers, and publications by Berta Bascom, William Bascom's wife and a scholar in her own right.
Box 1, Folder 3
Correspondence.
1981-1993
Box 1, Folder 4
Writings: including "7 Afro-Cuban myths."
1976-1977
Box 1, Folder 5
Publications/reprints.
1954-1976
Box 1, Folder 6
Textile publication by Berta and William Bascom.
1976