Washo-Peyote Songs

 

The song cycles on this album were recorded by Warren L. d’Azevedo on July 7, 1954, at a family home in the homelands of the Wá∙šiw (Washoe) people. According to former Folkways Associate Director Atesh Sonneborn, in 2004 a spokesperson for the Washoe Tribe approached Smithsonian Folkways Recordings to recommend that the album not be available to the public because of the private tribal knowledge on the recordings. Sonneborn described the results of this conversation in a 2013 scholarly article, writing that “Smithsonian Folkways complied and took the album out of distribution. As Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (CFCH) archives policy holds, it remains available for researchers and visitors to the Rinzler Archives.”

However, in line with the current CFCH Shared Stewardship of Collections Policy, which has been updated since the publication of this article, access to these culturally sensitive materials for both researchers and the general public is restricted. The policy states that shared stewardship is an “ongoing proactive process. We commit to providing opportunities for source communities to meaningfully engage with the collections in our care.” As such, Folkways welcomes further inquiries on this album from community representatives with connections to these recordings.

Track Listing

101	First Song Cycle Vocal, rattle, and drum	05:16
102	Second Song Cycle Vocal, rattle, and drum	04:11
103	Third Song Cycle Vocal, rattle, and drum	04:23
201	Fourth Song Cycle Vocal, rattle, and drum	05:14
202	Fifth Song Cycle Vocal, rattle, and drum	05:07