Research documentation from Brian du Toit's anthropological fieldwork from 1961-1962 in Papua New Guinea. Du Toit worked with the Gadsup people in Akuna, a village located in the Arona River Valley of Eastern Highlands Province. Research materials include 16mm films, reel-to-reel tapes, and color slides.
Brian M. du Toit Papua New Guinea Research Materials, 1961-1966 (MSS 747)
Restrictions: Original medial formats are restricted. Viewing/listening copies may be available
for researchers.
Extent: 1.6 Linear feet (2 archives boxes and 2 shoeboxes)
Brian Murray du Toit was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1935. He received his B.A. in anthropology and sociology in 1957 and his M.A. in anthropology in 1961 - both from the University of Pretoria. In 1963 he obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon. As a doctoral student, du Toit had the opportunity to do fieldwork in Papua New Guinea. He worked with the Gadsup people in Akuna, a village located in the Arona River Valley of Eastern Highlands Province.
Du Toit taught for two years at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. In 1966 he began teaching anthropology at the University of Florida where he remained until his retirement in 2001. Throughout his career, du Toit conducted field investigations in Africa, North & South America, and Papua New Guinea.
The papers of anthropologist Brian M. du Toit document his fieldwork in Papua New Guinea from 1961-1962. Du Toit worked in Akuna, a Gadsup-language speaking village in the Arona Valley of the Eastern Highlands Province of what is now Papua New Guinea.
Arranged, by format, in three series: 1) SLIDES, 2) FILMS, and 3) SOUND RECORDINGS.
Series 1) SLIDES: 387 color slides from 1961-1962, taken by du Toit during his time in Papua New Guinea. A detailed slide list created by du Toit gives a brief description of each slide. Includes images of court cases, ceremonial traditions, and food preparation; portraits; landscapes; and architecture. Also included are images of du Toit and his family in Akuna. Several slides, housed in glass slide mounts, have been filed separately for preservation reasons.
Series 2) FILMS: Fifteen reels of 16mm Kodachrome film, which are unedited and have little description. Films depict village life and work, surrounding landscape, and missionary work. Also of interest are depictions of material culture (manufacture of netbags, grass skirts, and houses), as well as musicians and dancers.
Series 3) SOUND RECORDINGS: Includes five reel-to-reel tapes, recorded in Akuna, of music and singing. Also included are letters and some transcriptions of this music, written by ethnomusicologist Percival Kirby.
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