In March 2017, our colleague Geoff Woodcox wrote about the State Historical Society of North Dakota’s Museum Division proactively collecting contemporary objects. Specifically, he wrote about staff going to the Oceti Sakowin camp where many of the water protectors protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) resided. That blog post explains some of the activities staff took part in as they gathered stories and objects from camps near the Missouri River and Cannonball River confluence in south-central North Dakota.

Along with this kind of fieldwork, we have also requested objects from various entities involved with the protests. To cover the many sides of the DAPL protest story, we collected from as many sources as feasible within our staff time and budget capabilities. These sources include, but are not limited to, the Oceti Sakowin camp water protectors, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Morton County Sheriff’s Department, North Dakota Emergency Services (including Morton County Emergency Management), the North Dakota Highway Patrol, the North Dakota National Guard, and media who spent time in the camps. The following is a small sample of those collecting endeavors:

The North Dakota Department of Emergency Services provided us with a piece of concertina wire, also known as razor wire. This wire was placed in coils along the perimeters of various protest sites. (PAR-2017.044)

Morton County Emergency Management gave us riot gear including this riot shield, and other equipment like these flexi cuffs used by law enforcement. (PAR-2017029)

Lauren Donovan, a reporter with the Bismarck Tribune, collected items while gathering information for stories at the camps. We now have multiple items representing camp life, such as this sign with camp rules and a can of baked beans. Lauren also donated the badge she wore identifying her as press. (PAR-2017009)

Major French Pope III, of the Army Corps of Engineers, was at the Oceti Sakowin camp negotiating evacuation of the remaining occupants in February 2017. This placard was placed in the window of his vehicle to grant access to the camp. (PAR-2017025)

The Department of Water Resources at Standing Rock Sioux Tribe received donated items from across the country to support the water protectors. This handmade flag was sent in by an army veteran from California and is signed with well wishes from a myriad of people. (PAR-2017014)

Likewise, the Morton County Sheriff’s Department received donated items in support of law enforcement actions. They provided some of those items for our collections. The handprint and drawings are thought to be from a daycare in Mandan, N.D. (PAR-2017045)

The North Dakota Highway Patrol donated a few items from the Oceti Sakowin camp and from the protest on Thanksgiving Day 2016 that blocked Main Avenue in Mandan, N.D. (PAR-2017041)

The Museum Division is actively collecting additional items from other sources and the agency would like to begin collecting oral histories. These items will be preserved to tell the North Dakota DAPL story for generations.

PAR-2016015 Japanese WWII Yosegaki Hinomaru, good luck flag.

A Japanese flag (PAR-2016015) and a piece of wood with Japanese writing (PAR-2016085) were unaccessioned items recently found in the museum collections storage area (see Lost and Found in the Collections). Lacking any documentation or provenance on these items and with similar, well-documented objects already present in the General Collection, the Museum Collections Committee declined the objects for the collection. After careful deliberation, the committee determined the best route for these objects would be to turn them over to the Obon Society. The Obon Society is a nonprofit organization that specializes in the repatriation of war prizes taken from Japan during World War II. They specifically focus on the repatriation of Good Luck flags, Yosegaki Hinomaru. Before leaving home, it was common for a soldier’s family and friends to write well wishes and to encourage bravery in battle on a small Japanese flag. The flag was then presented to the soldier and the soldier carried the flag with him throughout his time in the war. It was believed that the Yosegaki Hinomaru held a power with their messages that would watch over the soldier and see him through difficult times.The Yosegaki Hinomaru were popular war prizes among US soldiers, and many flags were taken from Japanese soldiers and brought back to the United States. We currently have 3 Yosegaki Hinomarus in the Society’s collection. Now, many veterans and family members of WWII veterans are returning these flags and other war prizes back to Japan. The flags hold deep meaning for Japanese families. For many families, these returned war prizes are the only remains of the soldier they will ever receive.

Although the Obon Society focuses most of their efforts on the good luck flags, they accept other personal items that were taken from Japanese servicemen including diaries and letters. For this reason, we also transferred the piece of wood with writing on it to the Obon Society. The writing on the wood gives identifying information, similar to the kind of information that would be on a military dog tag. Hopefully the Obon Society will be able to trace the name written on the wood to a living family member.

The Obon Society is not always successful in their endeavors, but they try to send all items back to a family member. If that is not possible, they try to find the community the soldier was from and give it to a community center, local government, or even a local shrine.

The Obon Society believes that returning these war prizes is an exercise of goodwill and friendship between two nations and a symbol of reconciliation. It can bring closure to families both in Japan and the United States. The Obon Society’s work has been endorsed by the American Embassy in Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs. The Museum Collections Committee believed this was an opportunity for the State Historical Society of North Dakota to contribute to a humanitarian cause.

The State Historical Board approved the repatriation action at their October 10, 2016, meeting. The proper paperwork was filled out and the flag and wood were shipped to the Obon Society in November. We have since received a thank you letter letting us know we will be notified when the objects are being researched and whether or not the Obon Society was able to trace the items to the family or town from which they came.

If you would like to find out more about the Obon Society and their mission, visit http://obonsociety.org. You can also learn more from the video, A Peaceful Return.

1. The kitty litter was purchased at a Bismarck store by Jenny Yearous. When Jenny emptied the bag she noticed that it was made from a woven-like plastic material. Jenny had previously used this style of bag to make tote bags. This tote bag is scheduled to be displayed in the Governors Gallery of the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum this summer as a representation of “green” recycling. Jenny has also made colorful tote bags using recycled bird seed bags and cat food bags.

2015.00068.00001, donated by Jenny Yearous

2. The Etch-A-Sketch was introduced in 1960 and was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, NY, in 1998. In 2003 the Toy Industry Association named Etch-A-Sketch to its Century of Toys List.

This Etch-A-Sketch was given to Linda Norderhaug of Bowman, ND, as a child. She kept it in the original box. Linda was Miss North Dakota Teenager in 1973 and Miss North Dakota USA Universe in 1976.

2016.00004, donated by Linda Norderhaug

3. The flight suit was worn by Glenn Thoreson and was used on flight combat strikes during the Vietnam War. Dr. Thoreson was a US Air Force physician, flight surgeon, and fighter pilot from 1967-1969. According to a letter accompanying his medal, he received the Airman’s Medal after “rushing to an area where an aircraft crashed upon takeoff. With complete disregard for his own personal safety, Captain Thoreson, despite hazard of exploding fuel cells and high explosives, unhesitatingly entered the area near the flaming aircraft and persevered in his humanitarian efforts until he succeeded in removing one of the injured firemen to a place of safety.” He grew up in Mayville and eventually returned home to practice primary care medicine at Mayville Clinic for 36 years.

Along with this museum artifact, State Archives has photographs, oral history, and scans of a scrapbook documenting his life. The archives also have footage from a WDAY-TV (Fargo) video about Dr. Thoreson receiving the Airman’s Medal.

The Museum Division was recently contacted about a potential donation involving seven Native American headdresses. The donor’s husband had been the funeral director for a funeral home in Garrison, ND, for forty years. The headdresses were given to him as thank you gifts from the families of the deceased.

Because these headdresses are excellent examples of contemporary Native American regalia (of which the State Historical Society has very few), our Museum Collections Committee decided to accept all of them. However, since Native American headdresses from the Northern Plains often include eagle feathers, we needed to consider the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940. In a nutshell, this Federal law states that it is illegal to be in possession of any part of a bald or golden eagle unless you have a permit, or unless the eagle was collected before the legislation was enacted. If you are in possession of a bald eagle or parts of a bald eagle, you need to have proof of ownership prior to1940. If you are in possession of a golden eagle or parts of a golden eagle, you need to have proof of ownership prior to 1962.

In this case, the donor of the seven headdresses did not know for sure whether they contained eagle feathers, nor did she know from whom the headdresses came. Without a clear provenance (history of ownership) we knew the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Migratory Bird Permit Office would not grant us an exhibition permit for any of the headdresses containing eagle parts, including feathers. Special Agent Kevin Downs of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was contacted to identify the feathers in the headdresses by reviewing photographs from the donor. Based on the photos, he believed only one of the headdresses contained real eagle feathers, while the others were probably painted or dyed to have the appearance of immature golden eagle tail feathers (white feathers with black tips). In light of his findings, we requested that Special Agent Downs be present when the donor delivered the headdresses to the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum for an official positive identification of eagle parts.

Downs was able to determine that six of the seven headdresses were likely made of dyed turkey feathers, and one was made from immature bald eagle feathers. The Museum Division happily accepted the six non-eagle headdresses into the collections. The donor decided to surrender the headdress containing eagle feathers to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It will be sent to the Eagle Repository in Denver, CO, http://www.fws.gov/eaglerepository/. The feathers will be redistributed pursuant to their policies.

Complying with federal regulations such as the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act is just one of the things the Museum Collections Committee takes into consideration before accepting artifacts into the Museum Division’s collection.

The Museum Division is offered everything from political buttons to cook cars, and we are grateful that people think about preserving items for future generations through the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The Museum Collections Committee needs to be very selective in what is accepted, since we simply do not have the storage space for everything offered to us, especially large items like pianos and buggies. Here are a few items we recently accepted into our collection.

1. Accession 2015.00054 is a wheelchair once owned by Louise Wike and donated by her granddaughter Peggy Wanner.

Peggy’s grandmother's name was Louise Carlson. She came from Norway by herself when she was 28 years old in 1905. Louise heard about the "Free Land" and figured she would settle there, sell it, and get rich. She worked her way to Dickinson, ND, and settled on a homestead in 1909 on the southwest quarter of 24-144-98 in Billings County.

In 1939, Louise lost her left leg due to varicose veins and diabetes. When she came home from the Dickinson hospital her family bought her a wheelchair. She also had an artificial left leg that she would only put on when she went outside with crutches.

Louise’s wheelchair is shown here with a footrest. The footrest was taken off later so she could use her other foot to move around the house and have her arms free.

2. Accession 2015.00050 consists of a collection of toys from Sylvia Schmid’s childhood and from her children.

Sylvia’s brother received this Buddy L Dump Truck, still with its original paint, for Christmas. The metal headlights are missing because their sister Louise swallowed one of them in December 1947 when she was one year old. That required a trip from Williston to Minot, where the doctor removed the headlight, costing her parents $75. The doctor asked whether he could keep it to add to the collection of all the things he had removed from people's throats.

3. Accession 2015.00036 is bowling team blouses and shirts with various sponsors worn by the donor, Darlene Brown, from 1952 to 2015.

Darlene wore the shirts to league games and tournaments held at Nicola Bowling, the Bismarck Bowling Alley, Capitol Bowling, Midway Bowling, and 10-Spot Bowling Alleys.

Rodger’s Maytag of Bismarck was their bowling team’s sponsor from 1965 to 2003.

The Museum Division of the State Historical Society is offered everything from political buttons to cook cars. The Museum Collections Committee needs to be very selective about what is accepted, since we simply do not have the storage space for everything offered to us, especially large items like pianos and buggies. Here are a few items we have recently accepted into our collection.

1. 2014.00112.00001
Meiers, Vivian
School bell

A school bell is an excellent example of what we normally would not accept due to the size and weight, and the fact that we have examples already. When one was offered from the inundated town of Sanish, however, we could not resist because so much of the town’s history was lost. Sanish was a small western town until 1953, when the completion of the Garrison Dam flooded the town. Before the flood, the donor's father Glen Nelson worked with two others to disassemble the Sanish School House. They took the bricks and the school bell. They remounted the school bell in an enclosed stone structure on the Nelson property from 1953 until just before its donation to the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

Left: Sanish school bell (2014.00112.00001)
Right: State Historical Society of North Dakota (11140-686)

2. 2014.00118
Whittier, Rick
Spear Fishing Decoys

Rick started making spear fishing decoys shortly after moving to North Dakota in October of 2004. He has progressed to the point of making a full time occupation out of creating these beautiful decoys. Rick has had an exclusive exhibit in the ND Governor's Office, has been awarded MN Carver of the Year and is the 2nd and 3rd place World Points Champion of the National Fish Decoy Association. He has also been featured in the Fargo Forum, Green Sheet, the Wahpeton Daily News, and the Minot Daily News. Rick has also been featured on a number of radio programs throughout North Dakota. In January, 2014, Ron Schara Productions came to his shop and filmed for two days, making three different television programs: Due North Outdoors, Backroads with Ron and Raven and Minnesota Bound, all of which aired in the fall of 2014. Rick works with the North Dakota Council on the Arts as a Master Artist. He instructs apprentices and also holds programs for the Assisted living residents here in ND as well as attending trade shows with the Pride of Dakota.

Fish Decoy in various phases. (2014.00118)

3. 2015.00017.00001
Solheim, Audrey
Psalmodikon

The Psalmodikon is a single stringed musical instrument developed in Scandinavia for simplifying music in churches and schools and providing an alternative to the fiddle for sacred music. The instrument could be plucked or bowed. Beginning in the early 19th century it was adopted by many rural churches in Scandinavia, and later immigrants brought the instrument to the United States. As churches raised money to purchase organs, psalmodikons decreased in popularity.

Psalmodikon and bow (2015.00017.00001)