Doris Swayze Bounds Collection Assessment

FAIN: PG-266654-19

High Desert Museum (Bend, OR 97708-5035)
Dana Whitelaw (Project Director: January 2019 to May 2022)

A preservation assessment of approximately 7,000 objects, which document many of the indigenous groups of the Columbia River Plateau, including the Colville, Yakama, Klamath, Nez Perce, and Umatilla tribes, over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The collection includes beaded bags, cedar root baskets, clothing and textiles, cradleboards, tools, horse trappings, and jewelry and is used to convey the experiences and perspectives of Plateau Indians through permanent and traveling exhibits, educational programs, and scholarly research.

The 7,000 objects related to American Indians in the Museum’s collection are essential to understanding the experiences and perspectives of Columbia Plateau Indians and enhancing the public’s knowledge of the American West. Dating from the 1800s to 1960s, these objects, including beaded and cornhusk bags, baskets, articles of clothing and cradleboards, demonstrate how Indigenous groups navigated dramatic changes in the region. This collection is essential to our exhibitions and programs, making its long-term care a high priority for the Museum. Consultant Ellen Pearlstein will assess this collection to provide an accurate understanding of its preservation needs and inform two projects related to the long-term care of the collection. We are developing a new culturally responsive collections care plan and in the initial stages of renovating our 4,500 square-foot By Hand Through Memory permanent exhibition, which uses this collection to convey the experiences of Plateau Indians.