IGNATIA BROKER:
An Inventory of Her Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
Part or all of this collection is restricted.
For
details, please see restrictions.
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Broker, Ignatia, creator. | |
| Title: | Ignatia Broker Papers. | |
| Dates: | 1906-1987 (bulk 1975-1987). | |
| Language: | Materials in English. | |
| Abstract: | Correspondence (1908-1918, 1982-1987), typescript reminiscences, audio recording of reminiscences (May 1986), genealogical charts, a chronology (1805-1920), newspaper and magazine clippings, obituary (July 24, 1987), literary manuscripts, illustrations, book reviews, memoranda, minutes, pamphlets, and printed matter documenting the life of this Minnesota Ojibwe author, storyteller, educator, and activist. | |
| Quantity: | 1.45 cubic feet (4 boxes and 1 oversize folder, unboxed), 1 master audio file: WAV (132 MB), and 1 user audio file: MP3 (24 MB). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Ignatia Broker was born (Feb. 14, 1919) at Pine Point on the White Earth Indian Reservation (Minn.). She was the second of three daughters of Emma Broker (1891-1982) and John Work Broker (1879-1946). Broker attended elementary school at the Wahpeton (ND) Indian School (1924-1931), completed the 10th and 11th grades at Haskell Indian Institute (Lawrence, Kan.), started the 12th grade at Park Rapids (Minn.), and graduated from West High School in Minneapolis.
After attending North Star College (Warren, Minn.), Broker entered the Army Signal Corps as a civilian employee. She was trained in Minneapolis and sent to Hanford (Wash.) where she worked until 1945. She returned to Minneapolis, enrolled in the Minnesota School of Business, and worked for a time at the Minneapolis Star and Tribune.
Broker began working with the Minneapolis Public Schools in 1966 as a member of the Minority Task Force, assisting in the development of the Title IV Indian studies curriculum. She began working with the Upper Midwest American Indian Center in 1970 and served as the head of its research staff (1971-1972).
Broker authored several stories, filmstrips, and booklets used in Indian studies curricula and published Night Flying Woman (1983), a book based on the life of her great-great-grandmother who was a child at the time the Ojibwe were forced onto the White Earth Indian Reservation. Broker was also active in senior citizen issues and was the founder of the Minnesota Indian Historical Society. Broker received one of 14 national awards presented by the Wonder Woman Foundation (1984) for her personal accomplishments in the face of adversity. She died on June 23, 1987.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
Topics include Broker's family history; her positions as a teacher with the Title IV Indian Education Project and staff writer for the Audio Visual Based Indian Resource Unit (AVBIRU) of the Minneapolis Public Schools; and her involvement with a number of Native American organizations and issues.
A large portion of the collection relates to Broker's writings, specifically her book, Night Flying Woman (1983), and consists of correspondence, book reviews, illustrations, and manuscripts of an unpublished book and several short stories.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Use Restrictions:
A file of materials pertaining to Broker's aunts, Mary and Claudia Broker, may not be photocopied or cited without written permission from the Hampton University Archives, Hampton, Virginia. Consult the reference staff for more information.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Ignatia Broker Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 14,573
Location of Master Files:
Digital master of audio recording is maintained on the Society's secure digital collections servers and is managed and preserved in accordance with archival best practices.
The original audiocassette was disposed after it was digitally reformatted into a wav file.
Processing Information:
Processed by: Frank Hennessy, March 1992
Digital audio transferred from the master audio recording by the Minnesota Historical Society for preservation purposes (July 2018).
Catalog ID number: 990017158260104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| Box | |||||||||||
| P1879 | 1 | Personal papers: | |||||||||
| Contains papers related to Broker's family history including a genealogical chart of her ancestry; a chronology of events (1805-1920) related to the White Earth Indian Reservation (Minn.); Broker's reminiscences and those of her mother, Emma Jane Broker; an audio recording of Broker's reminiscences narrated by her; newspaper and magazine clippings that include biographical data on Broker's life; and her obituary (June 24, 1987). | |||||||||||
| The correspondence (undated and 1982-1987) concerns readers' reactions to Broker's book, Night flying woman; her speaking engagements at various schools, workshops, and seminars; her home site lease and interest in property on the Leech Lake Reservation (Minn.); and her work with issues and organizations related to the elderly. | |||||||||||
| Family history, undated, 1978, 1984-1987. | |||||||||||
| Mary and Claudia Broker, undated, 1908-1920, 1931. | |||||||||||
| RESTRICTED. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence, undated, 1982-1987. 5 folders. | |||||||||||
| Internet | Reminiscences, May 1986. 1 master audio file (26 minutes, 12 seconds): WAV (132 MB) and 1 user audio file: MP3 (24 MB). | ||||||||||
Digital audio
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| Box | |||||||||||
| P1879 | 2 | Writing career: | |||||||||
| This section contains several unpublished manuscripts of short stories authored by Broker which center on Ojibwe history and culture; original and photocopied line drawings; and an outline and manuscript for a book based on the memoirs (1906-1940) of a Minnesota Ojibwe woman named Shanwood. | |||||||||||
| Essay and story manuscripts. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Shanwood manuscript. | |||||||||||
| Night flying woman reviews, undated, 1984-1985. Illustrations. | |||||||||||
| Native Americans: | |||||||||||
| Includes material dealing with the general study of Native Americans including bibliographies; lists of criteria for critiquing books about Native Americans; and examples of teaching units, exercises, and tests contained in Native American studies curricula. Papers pertaining specifically to Ojibwe studies include material related to a curriculum entitled "Anishenabe: 3 Generations-A Pattern of Life," which follows the transformation of Ojibwe life and culture from the period prior to the arrival of Europeans through the present day. Papers related to Broker's work with the Title IV Indian Education Project in the Minneapolis Public Schools (undated and 1975-1977) include staff memoranda and notices and parent committee meeting notices and minutes. There are several scripts for slide presentations developed by Broker and other staff of the Audio Visual Based Indian Resource Unit (AVBIRU) of the Minneapolis schools. | |||||||||||
| Finally, there are two folders of material related to Broker's involvement with various Native American organizations, activities, and issues including the National Indian Council on Aging; the Ikwe Marketing Collective; the Minnesota American Indian Historical Society; American Indian Week (May 4-10, 1969); a state of the band address to the Band Assembly of the Non-Removable Mille Lacs Federation of Chippewa Indians; a directory of Native American service organizations; Native American poems; newspaper and magazine clippings; and correspondence related to land claims made by the Pillager Bands of Chippewa Indians (1971) and the Minneapolis-St. Paul Coalition of Chippewa Heirs (1984-1985). | |||||||||||
| Native American studies. | |||||||||||
| Ojibwe studies. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| P1879 | 3 | Title IV Indian Education Project, undated, 1975-1977. 3 folders. | |||||||||
| AVBIRU, undated, 1971. 3 folders. | |||||||||||
| Native American organizations and activities. | |||||||||||
| Minnesota Ojibwe land claims. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| P1879 | 4 | Pamphlets and booklets. | |||||||||
| Includes information on Native American tribes; educational programs and occupational training in medicine and marine science; a book for children on foster care; and an Ojibwe language course for elementary schools. | |||||||||||
| +193 | Ahmik Nishgahdahzee: an Ojibwe legend /retold by Ignatia Broker; illustrated by Bambi Goodwin, 1979. 1 poster. | ||||||||||
| A legend about how the how the the beaver was angered when the Ojibwe chose the bear, loon, bullhead, marten, and wolf as clan representatives and how the beaver reacted by building dams. Distributued by the Indian Elementary Curriculum Project of the Minneapolis Public Schools. | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Education -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis -- Curricula.
- Indians of North America -- Bibliography.
- Indians of North America -- Study and teaching.
- Ojibwa Indians -- Folklore.
- Ojibwa Indians -- Land tenure.
- Ojibwa Indians -- Social life and customs.
- Ojibwa Indians -- Study and teaching.
- Ojibwa language.
- Ojibwa literature.
- Persons:
- Broker family.
- Organizations:
- Minneapolis Public Schools.
- Title IV-Indian Education Project (Minneapolis Public Schools).
- Places:
- White Earth Indian Reservation (Minn.)
- Document Types:
- Sound recordings.
- Occupations:
- Authors, American -- Minnesota.
- Storytellers -- Minnesota.
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