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The series consists primarily of material accumulated and/or created by Gillian Darling Kovanic during her travels abroad, both as a student of anthropology and a filmmaker. This series includes field research conducted by Kovanic with the Kalash in Pakistan, the Kom/Kati tribes in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Orissa in India, the Haida on the Queen Charlotte Islands [Haida Gwaii], British Columbia and the Kwakwaka’wakw in Alert Bay, British Columbia. Much of her fieldwork is made up of a study of the languages and cultural practices of the people being studied.

Included in the series are eleven field notebooks, a handwritten Kalash’a dictionary, a notebook containing information on the ethnographic materials collected by Darling, which now reside with the Royal Ontario Museum, and approximately 4502 photographs, including slides, negatives, prints and digital photos. Also included are a number of academic and popular articles collected by Kovanic, which compliment her field research, including a unique, handwritten article by Wazir Ali Shah, secretary to the last ruler of Chital, Mehtar, in 1977, which was written after the original manuscript was lost. The series also contains published material, comprised of a teaching kit titled “Kalash Bread-making: From Field to Feast” and the Wakhi Language Book by Haqiqat Ali.

File consists of images of Alert Bay, BC and the raising of a memorial pole for Mungo Martin in 1970. Based on annotations on the slides, they were likely taken by Marjorie Halpin, who was a curator at the Museum of Anthropology.

The fonds consists of 28 black and white photographs taken by Codere in 1955 during her second field work expedition to B.C. 19 of the photos were taken in and around Alert Bay, while the remaining 9 were taken on Hope Island.

The collection includes material relating to Alert Bay that was created or collected by Thomas and Mildred Laurie, as well as photographs and textual records created or received by James Barclay Williams, who bequeathed the records to Mildred Laurie. The collection includes a photo album, photographs, postcards, correspondence, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and a calendar. Photographs document Alert Bay and the surrounding area, including the B.C. Packers store, Christ Church, the native cemetery, St. Michael’s Residential School and Preventorium, Canada Packers, Hardy Bay, totem poles, a long house, and the Nimpkish Hotel. Photographs also document local events, including potlatches, weddings, an outdoor salmon barbeque, BC centenary celebrations in 1958, native ceremonies, and a visit by the Governor General.

The material is arranged in the following files:

01 - James Barclay Williams – Correspondence and press clippings, 1968-1972
02 - James Barclay Williams – Photographs, [1908?]-1967
03 - Mildred Laurie - Photo album photographs, [194-]-1974
04 - Mildred Laurie – Photographs and postcards, [194-]-[199-]
05 - Slides and negatives, 1952-1972
06 - Pamphlets, ephemera, and press clippings, 1947-2003
07 - James Barclay Williams – Photo album, 1940-1941

Photograph of former Canadian Governor General Roland Michener and two unidentified individuals, standing near two totem poles. The poles may be in the Namgis Burial Grounds.

Photograph of former Canadian Governor General Roland Michener and his wife at what appears to be the Namgis Burial Grounds in Alert Bay, BC. The poles were possibly made by Charlie James.

Photograph of the interior totem poles of the longhouse in Alert Bay, BC, while the poles are still being carved. These poles were carved and raised before the rest of the structure. Two boys are standing near the poles.

View of the Killer Whale Arch located at the entrance to the Kwatiul Indian Cemetery. This arch is a memorial to a boy lost at sea. Located at Alert Bay, British Columbia. Several crosses and memorial totem poles are visible behind this archway.

Photograph of pole and gravestones in a cemetery in Alert Bay, BC.

Photograph of pole and gravestones in a cemetery in Alert Bay, BC.

Photograph of pole and gravestones in a cemetery in Alert Bay, BC.