The machine-readable finding aid for this collection was created by the
Copyright 2005, Utah State Historical
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The collection consists of original items.
Clyde Benally (1944-), a Native American and scholar, officiated oral history interviews of the Navajo people in the Four Corners region of Southeastern Utah. The interviews were conducted in 1961 and recorded on reel-to-reel audiotapes. The tapes are stored at the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum, a state of the art museum, archaeological repository, and library of Native American culture.
The original collection consists of 77 oral history interviews with Navajo people, photocopies of approximately 200 documents, and copies of historic maps used in the preparation of a book by Benally, et al. entitled:
Over twenty years later, the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum transferred the 77 oral history interviews from reel-to-reel to compact disk in order to preserve the audio recordings. The original CDs are stored at the Edge of the Cedars in a non-magnetic, fireproof safe, and back-up copies are stored in the museum library for public use.
Kiva Links, a Quick Grant offered through the Utah Humanities Council, helped fund the project to transfer the audio recordings and create an index. In addition, the Utah Division of State History also provided the museum with a grant, and in accordance with the conditions of the grant, the Edge of the Cedars provided the Division with copies of the indices generated from the project. Edge of the Cedars also donated copies of the indices to the San Juan County Historical Commission.
The collection includes oral history interview indices of the original audiotapes stored with the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum.
Of the 77 interviews, 74 were indexed. The indices are not full transcripts, but are more detailed than typical oral history indices. This format was a compromise between the high expense of full transcripts that could not be covered with the available funds, and the need to generate sufficient information about the tapes for public research and education needs. These indices are also filed in a loose-leaf binder to accompany the CDs that are located at the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum.
The collection has been retained in its original order, arranged chronologically and alphabetically. Unfortunately, the Edge of the Cedars seems to have transferred only 70 of the 74 indices to the Division of State History that comprise this collection. The register lists the missing oral history indices as indicated in the original contents material from Box 1, Folder 1.
Clyde Benally Oral Histories Collection, 1961, Utah State Historical Society.
Transferred from the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum, 7 January 2004.
The Clyde Benally Oral Histories Collection is the physical property of the Utah Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah. Literary rights, including copyright, may belong to the authors or their heirs and assigns. Please contact the Historical Society for information regarding specific use of this collection.
In order to preserve the Navajo font, the register was scanned and
is available as a