Wesleyan University

The World Music Archives began as Professor Emeritus David McAllester's personal collection of Comanche and Navajo music, recorded in 1940 and 1950, respectively... Added to these were many recordings of local performances, lectures, etc. Today, the Archives contain more than 3,000 original audio tapes (reel-to-reel tapes, cassettes, digital audio tapes, and digitally-recorded betamax), approximately 700 discs (primarily 78 rpm commercial discs, but also a number of instantaneous disc records), and 100 videotapes in numerous formats, plus three four-drawer filing cabinets of accompanying notes, texts, and indexes. Dr. McAllester's Navajo collection, the largest in the world, includes eight different versions of Blessingway, two of Shootingway (among other ceremonies), each with hundreds of songs; Other relevant materials may be available within the Special Collections & Archives, located in Olin Library, this department is the home of the University’s archives, local history, manuscript, and rare book collections, and is open to the Wesleyan community and the public; Finding aids and an online catalog are available. Limited digital materials currently online. See website for full holdings and details on access.