The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the Native American Educational Services Robert V. Dumont, Jr. Papers 1942-2000
© 2011 University of Chicago Library
Title: | Native American Educational Services. Robert V. Dumont, Jr. Papers |
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Dates: | 1942-2000 |
Size: | 8 linear feet (14 boxes) |
Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
Abstract: | The papers in this collection belong to one of the initiators of the Native American Education Services (NAES) College, Robert V. Dumont Jr. Most notably, this collection includes Dumont’s field notes from several research projects conducted around issues of Indian education in the United States, mostly dating from the 1960s, prior to his involvement in the NAES. Also included are papers connected to his education, his work with various Indian organizations in addition to the NAES, his manuscripts and publications, his research, NAES and its Community Archives, as well as some personal papers. |
Series 7, Box 14 contains personal materials restricted for 80 years from the date of creation. The remainder of the collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Native American Educational Services. Robert V. Dumont, Jr. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
Robert Vaughn Dumont, Jr., a member of the Fort Peck Tribes (Sioux), described as a “giant” in the field of American Indian Education, was involved with NAES College from its inception. Dumont was born June 29, 1940 in Poplar, Montana. He received his early education in the Wolf Point Public School System, graduating from Wolf Point High in 1958. During the summer of 1960 Dumont attended the Workshop on American Indian Affairs at the University of Colorado with Murray and Rosalie Wax, and for three months in 1961 he worked for the American Friends Service Committee, Overseas Work Camps in France and Poland. He received a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Montana in 1962. He was a John Hay Whitney Fellow from 1963-64 and worked in South Dakota at the Pine Ridge Reservation during this period. After completing his Master’s degree in Education at Harvard in 1966, he moved to Chicago and dedicated his life work to promoting leadership among Native communities and challenging those outside institutions which limited the capacity of tribal peoples. In the late 1960s he began working with other Native American leaders including Faith Smith toward the creation of the NAES. The College submitted its first application for candidacy for Accreditation in 1978, receiving full Accreditation in 1984 as the first and only Private Native American Baccalaureate Degree Granting Institution in America. Dumont was a respected educator and much of his work focused on research and promotion of Indian education. Dumont also served as a policy analyst for the Fort Peck Tribes for much of the last two decades of his life. He passed away on May 29, 1997.
During his career, Dumont held many leadership positions. He was a founding member of the National Indian Youth Council (1961) and founder of Native American Educational Services (1974). Other positions included assistant director of the Ft. Peck Tribal Department of Labor; Tribal Health Director for the Fort Peck tribes; faculty for Antioch, American and Northeastern Universities, and the University of Minnesota; and special consultant to the Office of the Secretary of Education for American Indians Office. He was involved in several research projects and published several articles on Indian education. He was an education planner for the National Indian Youth Council (NIYC) overseeing a Ford Foundation program in educational planning for eight Indian communities and a Carnegie Corporation Indian education study. At the time of his death, he was the Vice President for Academic Affairs for NAES College.
“[Dumont’s] work exemplifies one of the early proponents of tribal specified knowledge and learning as the focal point for development. . . . He challenged those around him to think, and to act in the best traditions and interests of Native people; not to accept failure as an end but as a beginning of new learning and a vision of dynamic social change for a Native peoples.”
Source: “Robert Vaughn Dumont Jr.” Obituaries Column, Billings Gazette, Sunday, June 1, 1997, p. 8a
The Robert Vaughn Dumont Jr. papers span the years 1942 to 2000, with the bulk covering the years 1962 to 1971. The collection reflects his involvement in Native American educational projects and professional organizations during the period of his life between college and NAES. Mr. Dumont had organized his papers prior to donation to NAES; this organization has been retained, with processing consisting largely of refoldering and grouping of series. Two additional series have also been added: NAES Archives and Personal Affects.
The strengths of the collection lie in Dumont’s original field notes and classroom observations from the Indian education projects, as well as administrative paperwork and correspondence related to his involvement with the National Indian Youth Council and the United Scholarship Service.
The materials here represent roughly the first half of Dumont’s professional activities. Researchers should be aware that there may be another collection of Dumont’s papers at the Fort Peck Tribal Archives. The holdings in this collection do not include any NAES institutional papers.
There are seven series in the collection. Series I: Education contains papers, research data, degrees and diplomas, and photographs associated with Dumont’s schooling from his secondary education at Wolf Point Public School in Montana, to his Bachelor’s education at the University of Montana and his Master’s degree at Harvard University.
Series II: Indian Education Research Projects, 1962-1968 documents three projects conducted in conjunction with other institutions. The Pine Ridge Education Study, 1962-1964, was a collaboration with Emory University. Included are field notes, interviews, background research and correspondence. The Oglala Community School Project, 1964-1967 was done with the Harvard-Radcliffe American Indian Project. Some related correspondence may be found in the Pine Ridge and Cherokee subseries. The Cherokee Indian Education Research Project, 1967-1968 conducted with the University of Kansas. The materials include field notes, observations, research materials, and interviews.
Series III: Manuscripts and Publications contains manuscripts and publications connected to Robert V. Dumont. Many arose out of the Cherokee Project. Some publications and manuscripts are co-authored with Murray Wax and Rosalie Wax; others are Dumont’s own projects, including “Requiem for Wolf Creek”.
Series IV: Professional Organizations contains materials including minutes, financial statements, project proposals, and activities related to Dumont’s work with American Indian Organizations outside of the NAES. It is divided into three subseries. Subseries 1 documents the National Indian Youth Council (NIYC) of which Dumont was a founding member in 1961 and board member from 1963 to 1968. Subseries 2, United Scholarship Service (USS) contains material related to Dumont's service on the USS board of Directors from 1968 to 1971. The materials include administrative paperwork, such as financial statements, by-laws and minutes from board meetings, as well as documentation on several projects. Subseries 3, Coalition of American Indian Citizens (CAIC) contains a small amount of material related to the organization, an outgrowth of the Poor People’s Campaign. The materials span the years 1968 to 1969.
Series V: Research Materials is divided into three subseries. The series is composed of materials Mr. Dumont collected in the course of his work. They were grouped together based on common themes. The subseries are Education, General Files and Indian Policy.
Series VI: NAES Archives contains documents related to NAES including several folders dedicated to the creation of the Community Archives of NAES College.
Series VII: Personal Materials contains newspaper clippings, photographs, scrapbooks, and personal financial papers of Robert V. Dumont Jr. as well as some papers of his father, Robert V. Dumont Sr.
Series I: Education, 1940s-1967 |
Box 1 Folder 1 | Education, Workshop on American Indian Affairs, 1960 |
Box 1 Folder 2 | Education, Schooling Careers Project #1, 1965 |
Box 1 Folder 3 | Education, Schooling Careers Project #2, 1965 |
Box 1 Folder 4 | Education, Schooling Careers Project #3, 1965 |
Box 1 Folder 5 | Education, Schooling Careers Project #4, 1965 |
Box 1 Folder 6 | Education, An Analysis of the Development of Negro-White Relations in Jane Baldwin’s Essays & Fiction, undated |
Box 1 Folder 7 | Education, Degrees and Diplomas, 1954-1967 |
Box 1 Folder 8 | Education, School Photographs, undated |
Series II: Indian Education Research Projects, 1962-1968 |
Subseries 1: Pine Ridge Education Study, 1962-1964 |
Box 2 Folder 1 | Pine Ridge Study, Research Proposal, "Formal Education in American Indian Communities" |
Box 2 Folder 2 | Pine Ridge Study, Attendance at Oglala Community High School |
Box 2 Folder 3 | Pine Ridge Study, Classroom Observations, Fall 1962-Spring 1963 |
Box 2 Folder 4 | Pine Ridge Study, Correspondence, 1960-1964 |
Box 2 Folder 5 | Pine Ridge Study, Emory University Oglala Educational Studies by Murray and Rosalie Wax |
Box 2 Folder 6 | Pine Ridge Study, Field Notes and Comments, August 1962-February 1963 |
Box 2 Folder 7 | Pine Ridge Study, Field Notes, March-June 1963 |
Box 2 Folder 8 | Pine Ridge Study, Interviews, Students, High School |
Box 2 Folder 9 | Pine Ridge Study, Interviews, Teachers |
Subseries 2: Oglala Community Project, 1961-1965 |
Box 3 Folder 1 | Oglala Community Project, Project Development, 1963-1964 |
Box 3 Folder 2 | Oglala Community Project, Field Notes & Observations, Summer 1964 |
Box 3 Folder 3 | Oglala Community Project, Harvard-Radcliffe American Indian Project |
Box 3 Folder 4 | Oglala Community Project, Harvard-Radcliffe Correspondence, 1961-1965 |
Box 3 Folder 5 | Oglala Community Project, Spring-Summer 1964 |
Box 3 Folder 6 | Oglala Community Project, Reference Materials |
Box 3 Folder 7 | Oglala Community Project, Requests for Copies of Report |
Box 3 Folder 8 | Oglala Community Project, Stockmen’s National Bank |
Subseries 3: Cherokee Project, 1967-1968 |
Box 3 Folder 9 | Cherokee Project, Classroom Observations, Kenwood School |
Box 3 Folder 10 | Cherokee Project, Classroom Observations, Other Schools |
Box 3 Folder 11 | Cherokee Project, Clippings and General Information |
Box 3 Folder 12 | Cherokee Project, Correspondence |
Box 3 Folder 13 | Cherokee Project, Interviews, Students |
Box 3 Folder 14 | Cherokee Project, Notes, General |
Box 3 Folder 15 | Cherokee Project, Test and Interview Guides |
Box 3 Folder 16 | Cherokee Project, "Cherokee Families & the Schools", Re L Proctor Interview |
Box 3 Folder 17 | Cherokee Project, Final Reports |
Series III: Manuscripts and Publications |
Box 4 Folder 1 | Publication, "Cherokee Children and the Teacher", Social Education, January 1969 |
Box 4 Folder 2 | Manuscript, "Cherokee School Society and the Intercultural Classroom", with Murray L. Wax |
Box 4 Folder 3 | Publication, "Cherokee School Society and the Intercultural Classroom", with Murray L. Wax |
Box 4 Folder 4 | Manuscript, "Observations on the Field Notes of Observer-Participant Robert Dumont |
Box 4 Folder 5 | Manuscript, "Notes from a Visit" |
Box 4 Folder 6 | Manuscript, "Learning English and How to be Silent", November 1969 |
Box 4 Folder 7 | Publication, "Functions of Language", with Murray & Rosalie Wax, Correspondence, Reviews, and Royalties |
Box 4 Folder 8 | Publication, "Turning Illusions into Reality" and "A Study in Contrasts" |
Box 4 Folder 9 | Manuscript, "Cherokee Families and the Schools" |
Box 4 Folder 10 | Manuscript, Cherokee Project Report, ca. 1968 |
Box 4 Folder 11 | Work Outlines: "The Written Word" and "Requiem for Wolf Creek" |
Box 4 Folder 12 | Manuscript, "Requiem for Wolf Creek" |
Series IV: Professional Organizations, 1964-1971 |
Subseries 1: National Indian Youth Council (NIYC), 1964-1971 |
Box 4 Folder 13 | NIYC, National Indian Training and Research Center, Educational Leadership Project (NITRC), 1971 |
Box 4 Folder 14 | NIYC, Chicago, Native American Committee (NAC) Students, undated |
Box 4 Folder 15 | NIYC, Kindergarten Planning, BIA, undated |
Box 4 Folder 16 | NIYC, Planning Committee on Education Opportunities for American Indians and Alaskan Natives, 1964-1965 |
Box 4 Folder 17 | NIYC, Northwest Regional Laboratory, Indian Student Post High School Study, 1967-1968 |
Box 5 Folder 1 | NIYC, New Indian Thought Society (NITS), ABC Adventures, undated |
Box 5 Folder 2 | NIYC, American Indian Capitol Conference on Poverty, undated |
Box 5 Folder 3 | NIYC, National Indian Youth Council (NIYC), 1954-1965 |
Box 5 Folder 4 | NIYC, 1965 |
Box 5 Folder 5 | NIYC, Upward Bound, Robert V Dumont, 1966-1967 |
Box 5 Folder 6 | NIYC, General File 1965-1968 |
Box 5 Folder 7 | NIYC, Francis McKinley, Indian Education Carnegie, undated |
Box 5 Folder 8 | NYIC, Educational Planning, undated |
Subseries 2: United Scholarship Service (USS), 1965-1971 |
Box 5 Folder 9 | USS, Bill Tucker (Bear Paw Home)/Robert V Dumont, undated |
Box 5 Folder 10 | USS, By-Laws, undated |
Box 5 Folder 11 | USS, Board of Directors, 1965 |
Box 5 Folder 12 | USS, Chairman Board Meetings, 1966-1971 |
Box 5 Folder 13 | USS, Chairman, Correspondence, 1970 |
Box 5 Folder 14 | USS, Chairman, Financial, 1966-1971 |
Box 5 Folder 15 | USS, Chairman, Proposals, undated |
Box 6 Folder 1 | USS, Conference, Education & Development in American Indian Communities, Denver Colorado, 1969 |
Box 6 Folder 2 | USS: Community Action Research Project, 1970 |
Box 6 Folder 3 | USS, Community upward Bound Projects, Non-Funded, 1968-69 |
Box 6 Folder 4 | USS, Fundraising, undated |
Box 6 Folder 5 | USS, National American Indian College Student Association Planning Committee, 1970 |
Box 6 Folder 6 | USS, Projects, Great Falls/Carnell, undated |
Box 6 Folder 7 | USS, Publications, Annual Reports, Newsletters, undated |
Box 6 Folder 8 | USS, Secondary School Program, undated |
Box 6 Folder 9 | USS, Southwestern Indian Development (SID), undated |
Box 6 Folder 10 | USS, Student Action Research Project, Summer 1969 |
Box 6 Folder 11 | USS, Student Roster and Guidelines for Scholarships, 1966-1971 |
Box 6 Folder 12 | USS, Talent Search Project, 1968-1970 |
Box 6 Folder 13 | USS, Washington Summer Project, 1969 |
Box 6 Folder 14 | USS, United Scholarship Service, Old, No 1 of 2, 1963-1969 |
Box 6 Folder 15 | USS, United Scholarship Service, Old, No 2 of 2, 1966-1968 |
Box 6 Folder 16 | USS, Thomas White Hawk, 1969 |
Subseries 3: Coalition of American Indian Citizens, 1968-1969 |
Box 7 Folder 1 | COAIC, Coalition of American Indian Citizens, 1968-1969 |
Series V: Research Material, 1961-1986 |
Subseries 1: Education |
Box 7 Folder 2 | Education, Proposal for an Experimental Indian School in the City of Minneapolis, November 1969 |
Box 7 Folder 3 | Education, Indian Education Development Papers by Assorted Authors, undated |
Box 7 Folder 4 | Education, Proposal for 1969 BIA Summer Workshop in Cross-Cultural Instruction by Abt Associates, undated |
Box 7 Folder 5 | Education, Harkins, Art M, Collected Papers, undated |
Box 7 Folder 6 | Education, Exemplary Schools, Project TRIBE Plan, Charles Zellers, BIA, 1969, undated |
Box 7 Folder 7 | Education, "Handbook for Indian Education", Robert A Rossel, Jr, undated |
Box 7 Folder 8 | Education, Bureau of Indian Affairs Teacher Orientation, Fall 1962 |
Box 7 Folder 9 | Education, Wax, Murray & Rosalie, Collected Papers, undated |
Box 7 Folder 10 | Education, Workshop for Directors of NDEA Institutes for Educators of American Indian Pupils, 1967 |
Box 7 Folder 11 | Education, Ramah Navajo, NIRC, undated |
Subseries 2: General, 1961-1973 |
Box 8 Folder 1 | McNickle, D’Arcy, Papers, undated |
Box 8 Folder 2 | Indians of Montana and Wyoming, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Report #154, undated |
Box 8 Folder 3 | Indian Mental Health, Articles, undated |
Box 8 Folder 4 | Council on Anthropology and Education Newsletter, undated |
Box 8 Folder 5 | "Bibliography of California Indian History," undated |
Box 8 Folder 6 | Articles by Assorted Authors, undated |
Box 8 Folder 7 | National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), 1 of 3, undated |
Box 8 Folder 8 | National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), 2 of 3, undated |
Box 8 Folder 9 | National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), 3 of 3, undated |
Box 8 Folder 10 | Métis, Clippings and Bibliography, undated |
Box 8 Folder 11 | "The Tribal-Urban Conflict", Tony Machukay, April 1973 |
Box 8 Folder 12 | "Questions Regarding American Indian Criminality", Omer C Stewart, December, 1961 |
Box 9 Folder 1 | "Positive Indian Parenting", Northwest Indian Child Welfare Institute, 1986 |
Box 9 Folder 2 | Pascua Yaqui Development Project, Pima County, Arizona, 1966-1969 |
Subseries 3: Indian policy, 1953-1981 |
Box 9 Folder 3 | Littleton, Colorado, Spring 1970 |
Box 9 Folder 4 | Federal Indian Legislation, 1953-1959 |
Box 9 Folder 5 | Association on American Indian Affairs |
Box 9 Folder 6 | American Friends Service Committee, Tama, Iowa, 1968-1969 |
Box 9 Folder 7 | "Indian Prior and Paramount Rights vs State Rights", William H Veeder, Fall 1974 |
Box 9 Folder 8 | Navajo Legal Services, undated |
Box 9 Folder 9 | Ohoyo, July 1980, October 1980, January 1981 |
Box 9 Folder 10 | Robert K Thomas Conference, Papers by Assorted Authors, 1981 |
Box 9 Folder 11 | Robert K Thomas, Collected Papers, undated |
Box 9 Folder 12 | Social Science Institute, 1980 |
Box 9 Folder 13 | "Title II of the 1968 Civil Rights Act: An Indian Bill of Rights", A Lazarus Jr., undated |
Box 9 Folder 14 | American Indian Policy Review Commission, Task Force 7 |
Box 10 Folder 1 | American Indian Policy Review Commission, Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs, May 17, 1977 |
Box 10 Folder 2 | Hearings before the Subcommittee on Indian Affairs of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, United States Senate, July 19-20, 1973 |
Box 10 Folder 3 | "Answers to your questions about American Indians", US Department of the Interior, May 1968 |
Box 10 Folder 4 | Analysis of the Budget Pertaining to Indian Affairs, Fiscal Year 1982 |
Box 10 Folder 5 | Hearings, Committee on Indian Affairs, May 26, 1983 |
Box 10 Folder 6 | "Cohen’s Handbook of Indian Law", Chapter 7, The Scope of Tribal Self-Government, undated |
Box 10 Folder 7 | "Federal Legislation Affecting American Indians," Laura Wittstock, Civil Rights Digest, Fall 1973 |
Box 10 Folder 8 | US District Court, Klanath Indian Tribe vs State of Oregon, Filed September 27, 1979 |
Box 10 Folder 9 | Report and Recommendation to the President of the United States, Presidential Commission on Indian Reservation Economies, November 1984 |
Box 10 Folder 10 | Coalition of American Citizens, Poor People’s Campaign, May 1, 1968 |
Box 10 Folder 11 | American Indian Chicago Conference, Related Materials, 1961 |
Box 10 Folder 12 | American Indian Chicago Conference, Post-Conference Papers, 1961 |
Box 10 Folder 13 | NEEK, News of the Native Community, Tribal Government & Indian Self-Determination, undated |
Box 10 Folder 14 | Study Paper on Indian Tribal Offices, Franklin D Ducheneaux, August 1971 |
Box 10 Folder 15 | Council of Energy Resource Tribes (CERT) #1, undated |
Box 10 Folder 16 | Council of Energy Resource Tribes (CERT) #2, undated |
Series VI: NAES Archives, 1970s-2001 |
Box 11 | New Directions in Indian Purpose: Reflections on the American Indian Chicago Conference, NAES College, January 1988 |
Box 11 | Federal Indian Legislation and Policies, 1956 Workshop on American Indian Affairs, Sponsored by the University of Chicago, Department of Anthropology |
Box 11 | Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, Annual Conference, March 24-28, 1994 |
Box 11 Folder 1 | NAES College, College Catalogues, 1989-2001 |
Box 11 Folder 2 | White House Pre-Conference on Indian Library and Information Services, October 1978 |
Box 11 Folder 3 | NAES College, Urban Natives of Chicago Youth Council, UNITY, 1997-1998 |
Box 11 Folder 4 | NAES College, Annual Report, 1997 |
Box 11 Folder 5 | NAES College, Campus/Site Councils Reorganization |
Box 11 Folder 6 | NAES College, Campus Evaluations |
Box 11 Folder 7 | Archives, Guidelines |
Box 11 Folder 8 | Community Archives of NAES College, User Forms |
Box 11 Folder 9 | Community Archives of NAES College, Request Forms |
Box 11 Folder 10 | Community Archives of NAES College, Original Material Request Forms |
Box 11 Folder 11 | Community Archives of NAES College, Archival Forms Manual |
Box 11 Folder 12 | Community Archives of NAES College, Gift Agreement Forms |
Box 11 Folder 13 | Community Archives of NAES College, Archival Models, General |
Box 11 Folder 14 | Community Archives of NAES College, User Contracts |
Box 11 Folder 15 | Community Archives of NAES College, Archival Models, Record Description |
Box 11 Folder 16 | Community Archives of NAES College, Job Description |
Box 11 Folder 17 | Community Archives of NAES College, Correspondence |
Box 11 Folder 18 | Community Archives of NAES College, Microfilm Chart |
Box 12 Folder 1 | Community Archives of NAES College, Physical Plant |
Box 12 Folder 2 | Community Archives of NAES College, Reports |
Box 12 Folder 3 | Community Archives of NAES College, SAA, Basic Manual Series, 1977-1982 |
Box 12 Folder 4 | Community Archives of NAES College, Chicago Area Archivists’ News |
Box 12 Folder 5 | Community Archives of NAES College, Midwest Archives Conference |
Box 12 Folder 6 | Community Archives of NAES College, Native American Archives Coalition |
Box 12 Folder 7 | Community Archives of NAES College, Archive Related Papers |
Box 12 Folder 8 | Miscellaneous Papers, NAES College, 1992-2000 |
Series VII: Personal, 1950s-2000 |
Box 12 Folder 9 | Photos, Newspaper Clippings |
Box 12 Folder 10 | Catholic’s Pocket Manual |
Box 12 Folder 11 | Photos |
Box 12 Folder 12 | Drawings and Sketches |
Box 12 Folder 13 | Clippings, Correspondence, Family Genealogies |
Box 12 Folder 14 | The Dynamics of Indian Religion and Philosophy |
Box 12 Folder 15 | Stories and Poems for Indian Children |
Box 12 Folder 16 | WBEZ Native Americans Documentary, cassette, 2000 |
Box 13 Folder 1 | Images, 1986-1995
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Box 13 Folder 2 | Scrapbook, undated |
Box 13 | NCAI Bulletin, Volume IV, No 4, November 1, 1958 |
Box 13 | NCAI Bulletin, Volume IV, No 5, December 1, 1958 |
Box 13 | NCAI Bulletin, Volume V, No 1, February 1, 1959 |
Box 13 | NCAI Bulletin, Volume V, No 3, April 1959 |
Box 13 | NCAI Bulletin, Volume VI, No 1, May 1961 |
Box 13 | Veteran BIA educator finds that truth is a fragile thing, Navajo Times, September 24, 1970 |
Box 13 | Indians Trapped in Squalor -- And Too Few Understand, Sunday Telegram, April 2, 1964 |
Box 13 | Wassaja: The Indian’s Signal for Self Determination, Volume 2, No 10, November-December 1974 |
Box 13 | Wassaja: The Indian’s Signal for Self Determination, Volume 3, No 1, January-February 1975 |
Series VIII: Restricted |
Box 14 Folder 1 | Personal Financial Papers #1 R-80 |
Box 14 Folder 2 | Personal Financial Papers #2 R-80 |
Box 14 Folder 3 | Personal Financial Papers #3 R-80 |
Box 14 Folder 4 | Inheritance Papers, Robert Dumont Sr. R-80 |