In Our Own Words
by Jan Yaeger
Seldovia Village Tribe Launches Community Oral History Project Preserving Seldovia’s Photos, Films and Memories
Do you know your family’s stories? Have you thought about how to pass them down to future generations? Do you have family photographs and slides that you wonder how to protect, or old VHS tapes or family films that you can’t watch anymore because they are deteriorating or you don’t have the equipment? The Seldovia Museum has an answer!
If you have a post office box in Seldovia, you may remember getting a survey in the mail about a year ago, asking about your potential interest in an oral history project the Seldovia Museum was hoping to do. We got a terrific response, showing strong support from the community of Seldovia, and we are thrilled to tell you that this project was awarded funding from the Institute for Museum & Library Services. The project, called “In Our Own Words”, is now underway!
There are several parts to this project. We are surveying recordings we already have, as well as gearing up to do new interviews and add material, such as historical photos and video, to our archives. But this is truly a community project: although our main goal is to record the many stories and images of Seldovia for the public, we also want to assist community members in preserving your own Seldovia-related stories, photos, videos, and audio recordings. We can help create digital versions of photos and recordings, and provide assistance and resources if you would like to record interviews of family or friends.
We are beginning the project by making an inventory of the various videos and other recordings that SVT has created over the years. This way we can be sure we don’t simply repeat what has already been done. We are also copying the material from digital videotape to external hard drives, and will make multiple copies so the content is protected.
Soon we will start the process of collecting new material. The topics the community indicated the most interest in were Alaska Native cultural traditions, life in Seldovia before the 1964 earthquake, local wild foods and medicinal plants, and European/Russian cultural traditions in Seldovia. We will interview local residents about these subjects and more, preserving local history and knowledge for future generations. We also hope to add to the image library of the Museum – a fancy way of saying we would love to make digital copies of people’s old (and not so old) photos of the life and people of Seldovia!
Our partner in this project is the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Oral History Program, which has been preserving the stories of Alaska for over twenty-five years. Leslie McCartney, UAF Curator of Oral History, will be coming to Seldovia on April 3rd and 4th to lead a two-day workshop on the nuts and bolts of collecting oral history. This workshop is free and open to anyone who wants to attend. Perhaps you will become a volunteer for “In Our Own Words”, or maybe you’ll take what you learn home and create your own personal interviews with your family members. Either way, you are welcome to join us!
How can you participate in “In Our Own Words”? Lots of ways!
Come to our Oral History Workshop to learn how to collect your family stories. You will learn how to do interviews, the best way to make recordings, and more. The workshop is Thursday, April 3rd and Friday, April 4th at the Seldovia Conference Center. If you can’t attend the entire time, it’s okay; come when you can. It’s free!
Bring us your pictures, VHS tapes and audiotapes of life in Seldovia. Seldovia Museum is also offering to digitize photographs, slides, VHS and audio tapes and old films for community members, in exchange for being able to add digital copies of the images to our archives. We are looking for images that tell the story of life in Seldovia over the decades, and the people who have been part of our community. Fourth of July celebrations, school dances, the Fuzz Ball, graduations, as well as images of people visiting with each other and going about daily life – it all helps keep alive the memories of our community. You will receive your original materials back, along with digital versions that can be preserved, copied and shared with family. This is another way to protect your photos and stories for future generations, as well.
Tell Us Your Stories! Everyone who lives or has lived in Seldovia is a part of the community’s story, and each person has a unique experience and perspective. We hope you will share yours with us!
To learn more about “In Our Own Words”, contact Jan Yaeger: 435-3245, jyaeger@svt.org or stop by the Seldovia Museum office on the upper floor of the Alaska Tribal Cache building!
Category: Community
Seldovia Time
