Frances Theresa Densmore (May 21, 1867 – June 5, 1957) was an American anthropologist and ethnographer from Minnesota. Densmore studied Native American music and culture, and in modern terms, she may be described as an ethnomusicologist.
Frances Densmore | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 21, 1867 Red Wing, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | June 5, 1957 (aged 90) Red Wing, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Resting place | |
| Known for | Preservation of Native American culture |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Anthropologist, specializing as a Comparative musicologist ethnographer and ethnomusicologist |
| Institutions | Bureau of American Ethnology |
Life and Works
Densmore was born on May 21, 1867, in Red Wing, Minnesota. As a child Densmore developed an appreciation of music by listening to the nearby Dakota Indians. She studied music at Oberlin College for three years. During the early part of the twentieth century, she worked as a music teacher with Native Americans nationwide, while also learning, recording, and transcribing their music, and documenting its use in their culture. She helped preserve their culture in a time when government policy was to encourage Native Americans to adopt Western customs.
Densmore began recording music officially for the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE) in 1907. In her fifty-plus years of studying and preserving American Indian music, she collected thousands of recordings. Many of the recordings she made on behalf of the BAE now are held in the Library of Congress. While her original recordings often were on wax cylinders, many of them have been reproduced using other media and are included in other archives. The recordings may be accessed by researchers as well as Tribal delegations.
Some of the Tribes she worked with include the Ojibwe, Mandan, Hidatsa, Sioux, northern Pawnee in present day Oklahoma, Tohono O'odham in present day Arizona, Indians of Washington and British Columbia, Ho-Chunk and Menominee of Wisconsin, Pueblo Indigenous peoples of the southwest, including Acoma, Isleta, Cochiti, and Zuni, Seminole in present day Florida, and Kuna in Panama. Densmore frequently was published in the journal American Anthropologist, contributing consistently throughout her career. Her manuscript A Study of Some Michigan Indians (1949) was the first publication in the University of Michigan Press American Anthropologist monograph series.
She wrote The Indians and Their Music in 1926. Between 1910 and 1957, she published fourteen book-length bulletins for the Smithsonian, each describing the musical practices and repertories of a different Native American group. These were reprinted as a series by DaCapo Press in 1972. Raymond DeMallie describes Densmore's Teton Sioux Music and Culture as "one of the most significant ethnographic works ever published on the Sioux."
She also was a part of "A Ventriloquy of Anthros" in the American Indian Quarterly along with James Owen Dorsey and Eugene Buechel.
Densmore died on June 5, 1957, at a hospital in Red Wing. She was buried in .
Awards
Oberlin College awarded Densmore an honorary M.A. degree in 1924. Macalester College followed suit in 1950, awarding her an honorary Doctor of Letters degree. In 1954, the Minnesota Historical Society recognized her with its first-ever "Citation for Distinguished Service in the Field of Minnesota History."
The National Association for American Composers and Conductors recognized Densmore in its 1940–1941 awards for her musicological work.
Publications
- Chippewa Music (Washington DC, 1910–13/R)
- Teton Sioux Music (Washington DC, 1918/R, 2/1992)
- Northern Ute Music (Washington DC, 1922/R)
- Mandan and Hidatsa Music (Washington DC, 1923/R)
- The American Indians and their Music (New York, 1926/R, 2/1937)
- Papago Music (Washington DC, 1929/R)
- Pawnee Music (Washington DC, 1929/R)
- Menominee Music (Washington DC, 1932/R)
- Yuman and Yaqui Music (Washington DC, 1932/R)
- Cheyenne and Arapaho Music (Los Angeles, 1936)
- Music of Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico (Los Angeles, 1938)
- Nootka and Quileute Music (Washington DC, 1939/R)
- Music of the Indians of British Columbia (Washington DC, 1943/R)
- Choctaw Music (Washington DC, 1943/R)
- Seminole Music (Washington DC, 1956/R)
- Music of Acoma, Isleta, Cochiti and Zuni Pueblos (Washington DC, 1957/R)
Discography
Smithsonian-Densmore Cylinder Collection (1910–1930) includes:
See also
- Women in musicology
References
- Gilman, Rhoda R. (1989). The Story of Minnesota's Past. Saint Paul, Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society Press. p. 16. ISBN 0-87351-267-7.
- "Dr. Densmore, Indian Music Authority, Dies". The Minneapolis Star. June 6, 1957. p. 15B. Retrieved January 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Frances Theresa Densmore". Oberlin College Archives. Archived from the original on May 7, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
- "Frances Densmore". Smithsonian Institution Archives. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
- Kennedy, Stetson (1989k). Palmetto Country. Tallahassee, Florida: Florida A&M University Press. p. 354. ISBN 0-8130-0959-6.
- Levine, Victoria; Lindsay, Levine; Dylan, Robinson (2019). Music and Modernity Among First Peoples of North America. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press. p. 21.
- Griffin, James B. (October 1985). "An Individual's Participation in American Archaeology, 1928-1985". Annual Review of Anthropology. 14 (1): 1–24. doi:10.1146/annurev.an.14.100185.000245. ISSN 0084-6570. S2CID 145700192.
- Densmore, Frances (1949). A Study of Some Michigan Indians. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Museum of Anthropology. ISBN 978-1-949098-42-6. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- Piehl, Cindy; Jodi Ratzlaff. "Frances Densmore". Minnesota State University, Mankato. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2007.
- DeMallie, Back cover, Teton Sioux Music and Culture (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1992).
- Rice, Julian (1994). "A Ventriloquy of Anthros: Densmore, Dorsey, Lame Deer, and Erdoes". American Indian Quarterly. 18 (2): 169–196. doi:10.2307/1185245. JSTOR 1185245.
- "RG 30/156 - Frances Theresa Densmore (1867-1957)". Oberlin College Archives. Archived from the original on May 7, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- Johnson, Frederick. "Densmore, Frances (1867–1957)". MNopedia. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- "Frances Densmore". Encyclopedia Britannica (Public Edition). June 2023.
- "Chippewa Music". 1910.
- "Folk Recordings Selected from the Archive of Folk Culture (American Folklife)". www.loc.gov.
- "Chippewa" (PDF). www.loc.gov. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
- "Sioux" (PDF). www.loc.gov. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
- "Yuma" (PDF). www.loc.gov. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
- "Pawnee" (PDF). www.loc.gov. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
- "papago" (PDF). www.loc.gov. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
External links
- Frances Densmore in MNopedia, the Minnesota Encyclopedia
- Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 80: Mandan and Hidatsa Music, Frances Densmore
- Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 161: Seminole Music, Frances Densmore
- Finding Aids to Collections in the Smithsonian Archive of Folk Culture, includes a finding aide for a Densmore collection of wax cylinders.
- Frances Densmore page from Minnesota Public Radio
- Frances Densmore Minnesota Historical Society
- "The Study of Indian Music" by Frances Densmore, in the Smithsonian Annual Report for 1941; includes good information on Densmore's equipment and methodology.
- Densmore, Frances from Grove Music Online
- Hofmann, Charles, and Densmore, Frances. Frances Densmore and American Indian music. Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, 1968. doi: 10.5479/sil.451250.39088016102741
Frances Theresa Densmore May 21 1867 June 5 1957 was an American anthropologist and ethnographer from Minnesota Densmore studied Native American music and culture and in modern terms she may be described as an ethnomusicologist Frances DensmoreBorn 1867 05 21 May 21 1867 Red Wing Minnesota U S DiedJune 5 1957 1957 06 05 aged 90 Red Wing Minnesota U S Resting placeKnown forPreservation of Native American cultureScientific careerFieldsAnthropologist specializing as a Comparative musicologist ethnographer and ethnomusicologistInstitutionsBureau of American EthnologyDensmore with Blackfoot chief Mountain Chief during a 1916 phonograph recording session for the Bureau of American Ethnology Life and WorksDensmore was born on May 21 1867 in Red Wing Minnesota As a child Densmore developed an appreciation of music by listening to the nearby Dakota Indians She studied music at Oberlin College for three years During the early part of the twentieth century she worked as a music teacher with Native Americans nationwide while also learning recording and transcribing their music and documenting its use in their culture She helped preserve their culture in a time when government policy was to encourage Native Americans to adopt Western customs Densmore began recording music officially for the Smithsonian Institution s Bureau of American Ethnology BAE in 1907 In her fifty plus years of studying and preserving American Indian music she collected thousands of recordings Many of the recordings she made on behalf of the BAE now are held in the Library of Congress While her original recordings often were on wax cylinders many of them have been reproduced using other media and are included in other archives The recordings may be accessed by researchers as well as Tribal delegations Some of the Tribes she worked with include the Ojibwe Mandan Hidatsa Sioux northern Pawnee in present day Oklahoma Tohono O odham in present day Arizona Indians of Washington and British Columbia Ho Chunk and Menominee of Wisconsin Pueblo Indigenous peoples of the southwest including Acoma Isleta Cochiti and Zuni Seminole in present day Florida and Kuna in Panama Densmore frequently was published in the journal American Anthropologist contributing consistently throughout her career Her manuscript A Study of Some Michigan Indians 1949 was the first publication in the University of Michigan Press American Anthropologist monograph series She wrote The Indians and Their Music in 1926 Between 1910 and 1957 she published fourteen book length bulletins for the Smithsonian each describing the musical practices and repertories of a different Native American group These were reprinted as a series by DaCapo Press in 1972 Raymond DeMallie describes Densmore s Teton Sioux Music and Culture as one of the most significant ethnographic works ever published on the Sioux She also was a part of A Ventriloquy of Anthros in the American Indian Quarterly along with James Owen Dorsey and Eugene Buechel Densmore died on June 5 1957 at a hospital in Red Wing She was buried in AwardsOberlin College awarded Densmore an honorary M A degree in 1924 Macalester College followed suit in 1950 awarding her an honorary Doctor of Letters degree In 1954 the Minnesota Historical Society recognized her with its first ever Citation for Distinguished Service in the Field of Minnesota History The National Association for American Composers and Conductors recognized Densmore in its 1940 1941 awards for her musicological work PublicationsChippewa Music Washington DC 1910 13 R Teton Sioux Music Washington DC 1918 R 2 1992 Northern Ute Music Washington DC 1922 R Mandan and Hidatsa Music Washington DC 1923 R The American Indians and their Music New York 1926 R 2 1937 Papago Music Washington DC 1929 R Pawnee Music Washington DC 1929 R Menominee Music Washington DC 1932 R Yuman and Yaqui Music Washington DC 1932 R Cheyenne and Arapaho Music Los Angeles 1936 Music of Santo Domingo Pueblo New Mexico Los Angeles 1938 Nootka and Quileute Music Washington DC 1939 R Music of the Indians of British Columbia Washington DC 1943 R Choctaw Music Washington DC 1943 R Seminole Music Washington DC 1956 R Music of Acoma Isleta Cochiti and Zuni Pueblos Washington DC 1957 R DiscographySmithsonian Densmore Cylinder Collection 1910 1930 includes See alsoWomen in musicologyReferencesGilman Rhoda R 1989 The Story of Minnesota s Past Saint Paul Minnesota Minnesota Historical Society Press p 16 ISBN 0 87351 267 7 Dr Densmore Indian Music Authority Dies The Minneapolis Star June 6 1957 p 15B Retrieved January 23 2025 via Newspapers com Frances Theresa Densmore Oberlin College Archives Archived from the original on May 7 2013 Retrieved February 18 2013 Frances Densmore Smithsonian Institution Archives Archived from the original on May 21 2013 Retrieved September 11 2012 Kennedy Stetson 1989k Palmetto Country Tallahassee Florida Florida A amp M University Press p 354 ISBN 0 8130 0959 6 Levine Victoria Lindsay Levine Dylan Robinson 2019 Music and Modernity Among First Peoples of North America Middletown Connecticut Wesleyan University Press p 21 Griffin James B October 1985 An Individual s Participation in American Archaeology 1928 1985 Annual Review of Anthropology 14 1 1 24 doi 10 1146 annurev an 14 100185 000245 ISSN 0084 6570 S2CID 145700192 Densmore Frances 1949 A Study of Some Michigan Indians Ann Arbor Michigan Museum of Anthropology ISBN 978 1 949098 42 6 Retrieved January 20 2022 Piehl Cindy Jodi Ratzlaff Frances Densmore Minnesota State University Mankato Archived from the original on October 18 2007 Retrieved September 3 2007 DeMallie Back cover Teton Sioux Music and Culture Lincoln University of Nebraska Press 1992 Rice Julian 1994 A Ventriloquy of Anthros Densmore Dorsey Lame Deer and Erdoes American Indian Quarterly 18 2 169 196 doi 10 2307 1185245 JSTOR 1185245 RG 30 156 Frances Theresa Densmore 1867 1957 Oberlin College Archives Archived from the original on May 7 2013 Retrieved October 19 2020 Johnson Frederick Densmore Frances 1867 1957 MNopedia Retrieved October 19 2020 Frances Densmore Encyclopedia Britannica Public Edition June 2023 Chippewa Music 1910 Folk Recordings Selected from the Archive of Folk Culture American Folklife www loc gov Chippewa PDF www loc gov Retrieved December 22 2019 Sioux PDF www loc gov Retrieved December 22 2019 Yuma PDF www loc gov Retrieved December 22 2019 Pawnee PDF www loc gov Retrieved December 22 2019 papago PDF www loc gov Retrieved December 22 2019 External linksWikimedia Commons has media related to Frances Densmore Frances Densmore in MNopedia the Minnesota Encyclopedia Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 80 Mandan and Hidatsa Music Frances Densmore Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 161 Seminole Music Frances Densmore Finding Aids to Collections in the Smithsonian Archive of Folk Culture includes a finding aide for a Densmore collection of wax cylinders Frances Densmore page from Minnesota Public Radio Frances Densmore Minnesota Historical Society The Study of Indian Music by Frances Densmore in the Smithsonian Annual Report for 1941 includes good information on Densmore s equipment and methodology Densmore Frances from Grove Music Online Hofmann Charles and Densmore Frances Frances Densmore and American Indian music Museum of the American Indian Heye Foundation 1968 doi 10 5479 sil 451250 39088016102741
