Journals, research materials, photographs, sound recordings, films and digital files created by David and Dorothy Counts, a husband-and-wife ethnographic team. The collection focuses on West New Britain, Papua New Guinea, particuarly myths and oral histories.
David and Dorothy Counts Collection on West New Britain, 1966-2006 (bulk 1966-1985) (MSS 576)
Extent: 9 Linear feet (13 archives boxes, 1 record carton, 2 card file boxes, and one flat box), + .78 GB of digital files
Digital Content
This collection contains digital files.
David and Dorothy Counts both attended Southern Illinois University; David studied anthropology, and Dorothy studied political science and anthropology. From 1966 through 1967 the Counts conducted their doctoral research in the Kondoka village in West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea. They received their doctorate degrees in 1968, and moved to Ontario, Canada. David taught as a faculty member at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and Dorothy taught at the University of Waterloo in the Department of Anthropology.
From 1975 through 1976 the Counts returned to New Britain, where they studied the Kaliai myths. In March of 1980, Dorothy published an article in The Journal of the Polynesian Society entitled "Akro and Gagandewa: A Melanesian Myth," based on her research in New Britain at the time.
In 1985 they returned to New Britain to conduct research for three months, from July 22nd through September 24th, in the village of Kandoka. Dorothy studied census cards from New Britain, as well as the cause of death for the villagers of Kandoka. She also researched domestic violence and how it affected the family structure, as well as the apparent epidemic of female suicides in New Britain, which she noted was closely linked to spousal abuse.
In 1999 Dorothy Counts took a position as a research officer and team leader for the Secretrait of the Pacific Community, which sponsored a multi-site study on the effects of violence towards women on the health and safety of the family. In December of 1999, the Counts moved to the Okanagan Valley and taught anthropology at the Okanagan University College. In 2005 the Counts became study group leaders and taught a course on Pacific Island cultures at the Society for Learning in Retirement in Okanagan.
The David and Dorothy Counts Collection reflects the Counts' ethnographic trips to West New Britain, Papua New Guinea in 1966-1967, 1975-1976 and 1985. The collection includes detailed field journals (original notepads, and later typed transcriptions) kept by both David and Dorothy Counts; drafts of their writings and research; their collection of myths and oral histories from informants; a small amount of correspondence; and hundreds of indexed color slides. Audiovisual materials include: 33 rolls of 8mm film with candid shots from the Kandoka village; 16mm film from 1975 and 1976 documenting the Kaliai myths; and dozens of tape recordings on reel and audiocassette.
Arranged in seven series: 1) JOURNALS; 2) MYTHS & ORAL TRADITIONS; 3) CORRESPONDENCE, RESEARCH & WRITINGS; 4) IMAGES, 5) SOUND RECORDINGS; 6) FILMS; and 7) DIGITAL FILES.