Check out the Popular Reading Collection for winter break! Books checked out from Dec. 9th to Dec. 20th will have fine forgiveness if returned by Jan. 22nd. In addition, anyone checking out a Popular Reading Collection book between Dec. 9th and Dec. 20th will receive 2 Jolabokaflod gift tags (as long as supplies last).
Indian Melodies, by Thomas Commuck, was published in 1845 and is widely recognized as the first book of music published by a Native American author. Commuck was a member of the Narragansett tribe of Rhode Island. Indian Melodies contains 120 hymns to which Commuck assigned names of “noted Indian chiefs, Indian females, Indian names of place, &c [sic]. This has been done merely as a tribute of respect to the memory of some tribes that are now nearly if not quite extinct; also as a mark of courtesy to some tribes which whom the author is acquainted.” (Commuck, vi)
Commuck writes in the preface:
“The author of the following original tunes wished to get some person better educated than himself to write a preface or introduction to his little work; but on reflection it occurred to him that he could tell the public all about it as well as any one else… He is, however, fully aware of the difficulties attendant upon an attempt to appear successfully as an author before a scrutinizing and discerning public, especially when unaided by the influence of wealth, or a long list of influential friends… Add to this the circumstance of having been born, not only in obscurity, but being descended from that unfortunate and proscribed people, the Indians, with whose name a considerable portion of the enlightened American people are unwilling to associate even the shadow of anything like talent, virtue, or genius, and as being wholly incapable of any improvement, either moral, mental, or physical, and the wonder will cease to be a wonder. In view of all these disadvantages, it is not without great diffidence that he attempts to appear at the bar of public opinion, not knowing but JUDGE PREJUDICE may preside, and condemn his work to the deep and silent shades of everlasting oblivion, without even a hearing.” (Commuck, iii)
Commuck’s Indian Melodies can be viewed in the Archives & Special Collections on the 2nd floor of the Collins Memorial Library.
The Archives & Special Collections has drop-in hours on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM or is open by appointment.
By Laura Edgar, Assistant Archivist
The Repertory Dance Group (RDG) had their fall show, “Dancing on Sunshine,” this past weekend at Wilson High School. In honor of that, we thought we’d tell you a bit about the history of the RDG at Puget Sound.
RDG was founded in 1996 as a student-run dance group. Performances are choreographed by students and the club welcomes everyone, no matter what their dance background is, through their “no-cuts” audition process. The group had their first performance, titled “A Taste of Things to Come,” in 1997 with only 18 dancers. RDG quickly gained popularity on campus. The November 18, 1999 issue of The Trail reports that there were 90 dancers and 15 different dances in the show “Dancin’ Groovin’” that year. The performance took place in Norton Clapp Theater and the students performed three shows. The November 16, 2000 issue of The Trail reports that the RDG shows had sold out for the past two years and “will most likely do the same this year.”
RDG is composed of a diverse group of students that come together because they love to dance. Everyone who auditions performs in the show and the club has enjoyed great success over the past two decades.
The Archives & Special Collections has drop-in hours on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM or is open by appointment.
By Rowan Coates
Chika Jeune was born three days before the devastating earthquake that decimated Haiti in 2010. When her mother died giving birth to a baby brother, Chika was brought to The Have Faith Haiti Orphanage that Albom and his wife (Janine) operate in Port Au Prince. At age five, Chika is diagnosed with something a doctor there says, “No one in Haiti can help you with.” Mitch and Janine bring Chika to Detroit, hopeful that American medical care can soon return her to her homeland. Instead, Chika becomes a permanent part of their lives as they embark on a two-year, around-the-world journey to find a cure. As Chika’s boundless optimism and humor teach Mitch the joys of caring for a child, he learns that a relationship built on love, no matter what blows it takes, can never be lost.
Find this and more in the Popular Reading Collection!
Visit Your Digital Commons Dashboard
Monthly Readership Totals:
Last month, Sound Ideas had 14026 full-text downloads and 18 new submissions were posted, bringing the total works in the repository to 7447. University of Puget Sound scholarship was read by 1614 institutions across 151 countries.
The most popular papers were:
The most popular publications were:
To learn more about usage reports available from Digital Commons, see:
https://www.bepress.com/reference_guide_dc/overview-digital-commons-reports/
The Archives & Special Collections is home to over 70 manuscript collections, which are collections of personal or family papers. These collections contain materials that relate to the people, history, economy, and politics of the Pacific Northwest region and the experiences of marginalized and underrepresented peoples. One of our largest manuscript collections is the Abby Williams Hill collection, which features the correspondence, journals, photographs, ephemera, and other materials belonging to this early Tacoma artist.
Abby Williams Hill (1861-1943) was a painter and activist with an insatiable love of travel and learning. Just as her artwork provides us with a lasting vision of many of the iconic sights of the American West, her papers paint a remarkably rich picture of American life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Hill’s correspondence and journals provide a unique female perspective into significant issues that were affecting the nation as a whole during that time, including the westward movement, African American and Native American rights, early childhood education, and the preservation of federal lands. In addition to Hill’s personal papers, Puget Sound is also home to over 150 pieces of Hill’s artwork, including paintings, ink drawings, and sketches. You can see many of these on display on the first floor of the library.
The Archives & Special Collections recently received a Washington Digital Heritage grant to digitize and transcribe nine of Hill’s journals. We anticipate those being available online in fall 2020. In the meantime, browse our digital collections of Hill’s artwork and family photographs, or drop in to the archives during our open hours and browse the collection!
The Archives & Special Collections has drop-in hours on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM or is open by appointment.
By Laura Edgar, Assistant Archivist
The sharp insights and humor are even more personal in this completely original collection compared to Ali Wong’s Netflix special Baby Cobra. She shares the wisdom she’s learned from a life in comedy and reveals stories from her life off stage, including the brutal single life in New York, reconnecting with her roots in Vietnam, tales of being a wild child growing up in San Francisco, and parenting war stories. Though addressed to her daughters, Ali Wong’s letters are absurdly funny, surprisingly moving, and enlightening for all.
Find this and more in the Popular Reading Collection!
Get started on your research projects!
November 19 & 20
7 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Library 118
Help available from Collins Peer Research Advisors, Librarians, and Peer Writing advisors from the CWLT!
Hot beverages & snacks provided!
It is “No-Shave November,” an annual event which raises awareness and money to fight cancer. Here in the Archives & Special Collections we thought it would be an appropriate time to touch on a fun Puget Sound tradition from days past that involved shaving (or rather, not shaving!) and beards.
In the 1940s and 50s, male students would participate in a beard growing contest, hoping for a chance to be crowned Homecoming King. The November 3, 1953 issue of The Trail reads, “Strangers to the CPS [College of Puget Sound] campus would immediately notice that about half of the school’s male population are growing shrubbery on their chins. The person sporting the longest and bushiest beard will capture the Homecoming King crown for his great efforts.” The beards were judged by the sorority presidents and the women running for Homecoming Queen. Prizes were also awarded for the reddest beard, the best trimmed beard, the longest beard, and the scraggliest beard.
The Soc Hop, 1954. The Soc Hop was a
Homecoming event at which the beards of aspiring
Homecoming Kings were judged.
Many Puget Sound men entered this competition; the only rule was that the student had to be clean shaven when they registered. The competition lasted for most of October and at the end of the month the winners for all of the categories were announced and the winner of “Best Beard in Show” became Homecoming King.
The Archives & Special Collections has drop-in hours on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM or is open by appointment.
By Rowan Coates
In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place. Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.
Find this and more in the Popular Reading Collection!
