This file contains a letter and photographs sent by Adelaide de Menil to Wilson Duff. de Menil photographs depict totem poles in multiple unoccupied Tlingit villages, with location notes on the verso of each. As indicated in her letter, she was sharing these samples with Duff in hopes of photographing totem poles kept in the storehouse of Totem Park at UBC. de Menil intended to compile and annotate the photographs of these and additional poles in British Columbia to produce a book for publication. This research appears to be what ultimately resulted in the 1971 book "Out of the Silence" by de Menil and Bill Reid.

File contains correspondence and art packages. The two art packages consists of Northwest Coast Art and The Whale House of the Chilkat. These packages contain historic photographs with full explanations, as well as high lighting the design elements. They were published by the Alaska State Museum.

This file contains a letter from Beth Van Dyke to Wilson Duff and a manuscript on silverwork among Northwest Coast First Nations that was included with the letter. The text discusses the development of silverwork through trade and economic relations with European settlers, with a focus on Tlingit and Haida silversmiths. Older traditions and records about copper and ironwork are also discussed.

File contains a combination of historical and modern day images of canoes used by First Nation groups living on the Northwest Coast. The historical images contain images of village life and uses of the canoe in a historical context. The modern day images show canoes housed in various museums in Canada and the United States. The textual records contained in this file are photocopies of images of canoes, both from historical photographs and of modern day photographs.

This file contains proofs, comments, and associated correspondences concerning Kalervo Oberg's book Social Economy of the Tlingit Indians. Much of the correspondence is between Wilson Duff and Julidta C. Tarver and Charles C. Cunningham of the University of Washington Press, with additional detailed concerns shared by Tlingit lawyer and Alaska Native Brotherhood member William L. Paul, Sr. Duff provided a forward to the book as well as serving as a reviewer of the text. The content of the correspondences discusses how Oberg's application of settler terminology negatively affected land rights cases for the Tlingit, and how the overlaying of standard anthropological terminology misrepresents Tlingit social organization. Duff's role as an advisor and reviewer to this work seems to have aided the editorial team to nuance the text and negotiate different (i.e., Tlingit and settler anthropologist ) perspectives.

File contains correspondence and two articles regarding the Tlingit.

File mainly contains historical images of Haida and Tlingit villages and totem poles located on the Northwest Coast of British Columbia and Alaska. There are also images of Haida and Tlingit peoples dressed in regalia. Other photos include images of Haida and Tlingit artifacts, such as bentwood boxes and carvings, housed in various museums around the world. There are also images of a modern day ceremony in front of some totem poles and long houses. The textual records include photocopies of images of totem poles and Haida and Tlingit villages.

This file contains a brief letter from Jane Wallen related to the Totem Pole Survey of Southeast Alaska.

This file contains a letter from Wilson Duff to Jane Wallen concerning the Totem Pole Survey of Southeast Alaska.

This file contains letters and texts written by Joyce Wilke to Wilson Duff. The letters largely discuss the topic of publication, including revision notes and comments on errors made in other authors' texts. Texts included in the file focus on Coast Salish dancing and dance traditions, as well as economic relationships between Indigenous Nations of the Northwest Coast and European traders.

Texts on the theme of Coast Salish dances include Wilkes' typed summary of a Winter Dance that took place in Esquimalt in 1943, and handwritten notes about Spirit Dances at the Swinomish Reservation in 1940-41. The latter also includes language notes about community terms relevant to these dances. There is also a published article by David F. Aberle that theorizes about a so-called Prophet Dance movement.

Wilkes' more extensive manuscript represents her doctoral dissertation concerning maritime trade between various coastal First Nations and European traders, which focuses on the European demand for sea otter fur, and the interest of First Nations in obtaining iron, copper, firearms, and textiles. The author also discusses food and liquor as part of trade relations. A photocopy and original version of Wilkes' bibliography are also included.