Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Mitchell, Roger E., 1925-2011
- Abstract:
- This collection contains over 300 indexed folktales from the Micronesian Islands that were documented by Roger Mitchell and others from 1963-1971. Mitchell was an anthropologist and folklorist and utilized the tales he collected for his many publications related to Micronesian folklore.
- Extent:
- 0.6 cubic feet (2 boxes)
- Language:
- Materials are in English
- Preferred citation:
[Item], Roger Mitchell collection of Micronesian folktales, Collection C653, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Background
- Biographical / Historical:
Roger E. Mitchell (1925-2011) received his PhD in folklore and anthropology from Indiana University in 1967. He was a student of prominent American folklorist Richard Dorson and went on to teach folklore and anthropology for 27 years at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He served in the Pacific during World War II and this experience inspired his study of the people and folk traditions of Micronesia. From 1970-1971, he was Scholar in Residence at the University of Guam. In 1975, Mitchell received a Guggenheim Fellowship for the study of Micronesian folktale types and motifs.
Mitchell published his research on Micronesian folktales in the Journal of American Folklore, Asian Folklore Studies, and the Journal of the Folklore Institute. The collection houses materials for his 1973 publication Micronesian Folktales that were donated to the IU Folklore Archives. These research materials were cited by Richard Dorson in his work Folktales Around the World (1975).
- Scope and Content:
This collection contains over 300 folktales from the Micronesian Islands that were documented by Roger Mitchell and other individuals in 1963-1964 and 1970-1971. Each text includes informant, date collected, collector, place collected, and translator and is assigned a major Motif-Index number, e.g. Motif A431.1.3 "Goddess causes famine." Topics represented in the collection include origin myths; deities, heroes, monsters, and other mythological figures; animal tales; and childbirth, marriage, sexuality, and coming of age.
- Acquisition information:
- Accession: 2003/055
- Custodial history:
Transferred to the IU Archives with the collection of records from the IU Folklore Archives in 2003.
- Processing information:
Processed by Katie Martin.
Completed in November, 2016
- Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in order of motif-index number (assigned by Mitchell).
Indexed Terms
Access
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
The donor(s) of this collection have not transferred their copyrights for the materials to the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.
The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials. Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.
Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
[Item], Roger Mitchell collection of Micronesian folktales, Collection C653, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
-
Herman B Wells Library E4601320 East Tenth StreetBloomington, Indiana 47405-7000, United States
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- CONTACT:
-
812-855-1127archives@iu.edu