This document, which is called a "finding aid," describes an archival collection.
In the course of daily life, individuals, families, organizations, and businesses create and keep information about their
activities. When such records are no longer needed on a day-to-day basis, a portion judged to possess enduring historical
value may be preserved and maintained as archival collections. Archival records take many forms, including correspondence,
diaries, financial and legal documents, photographs, and sound recordings. Archival materials may also include maps, scientific
data, artifacts, and electronic records such as emails or databases.
Prepared by archival staff, finding aids provide a history of the person or organization that produced the collection, an
overview of the collection, and a detailed list of the collection's contents.
Finding aids are used by researchers to determine whether materials within a collection may be relevant to their research.
While not exhaustive, finding aids help researchers identify the particular boxes or folders that may hold items of interest.
Descriptive Summary
Abstract:
African American anthropologist Joseph Allen Towles (1937-1988) met British anthropologist Colin Macmillan Turnbull (1924-1994)
in 1959. The two exchanged marriage vows in 1960 and they lived together in an interracial, homosexual relationship until
Towles' death in 1988. Towles and Turnbull spent various periods of time in Africa, conducting fieldwork on the Mbuti, Mbo,
and Ik peoples. Turnbull authored The Forest People, The Mountain People, The Human Cycle, and Tibet. Turnbull succeeding in publishing Towles' work posthumously: Nkumbi Initiation and Asa: Myth of Origin of the Blood Brotherhood Among the Mbo of the Ituri Forest. Both Towles and Turnbull died from complications related to AIDS.
The collection contains eight different series of materials that document various aspects of the lives and careers, both separately
and together, of Colin Turnbull and Joseph Towles. Anthropological research files focus mostly on their field work on the
Mbuti and Mbo pygmies of the Congo area and the Ik of Uganda. Professional papers document their work in academic and museum
settings. There are personal papers of their domestic life; fictional writings of Joseph Towles; a professional and personal
photograph series; personal and professional films and audio tape, including materials documenting their African fieldwork
and association with the camp of Patrick and Anne Putnam; slides documenting African fieldwork and travels; and a series documenting
the collection itself. Despite the fact the majority of materials document the life and achievements of Colin Turnbull, this
collection, holding both Turnbull's and Joseph Towles' papers, is named for Joseph Towles at Turnbull's request. There is
also a separate collection of African, religious, and domestic artifacts collected by them.
Title:
Joseph A. Towles Papers, circa 1920s - 2009
Creator:
Towles, Joseph A. Turnbull, Colin M.
Repository:
Avery Research Center, College of Charleston
Call Number:
AMN 1077
Language of Material:
Material in English
Extent:
71.25 linear feet (50 record cartons, 13 archival boxes, 4 oversize, and 3 slide cases)
African American anthropologist Joseph Allen Towles was born in Senora, Virginia on August 17, 1937 to Arcellius Towles (died
1959) and Lucy Blair (died 1991). Educated in Virginia, Joseph A. Towles graduated high school in 1957 moved to New York City
to pursue an acting and writing career. In 1959, Towles met English anthropologist Colin Macmillan Turnbull, with whom he
exchanged marriage vows in 1960; they lived together in an openly gay, interracial relationship until Towles' death.
Colin Macmillan Turnbull was born in November 24, 1924 in Harrow, England to Helen Dorothy Wellesley Chapman (1894-1977) and
John Rutherford Turnbull (1884-1975). Educated at Oxford University, he joined the Royal Navy in 1942 and finished his undergraduate
degree in 1949. He then lived in India for two years in the ashram of female guru Sri Anandamayi Ma, and traveled to Africa
in 1951, where he encountered the Mbuti people, pygmies living in the Ituri Forest in the Belgian Congo and Zaire (later,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Turnbull lived in the camp of Patrick and Anne Eisner Putnam who resided among the
Mbuti. After a brief stint as a gold miner in Canada, Turnbull resumed his study in anthropology at Oxford in 1954, receiving
his doctorate in 1964. He returned to the Congo in 1954 and 1957 to continue his research, and published The Forest People (1962), for which he received acclaim for his portrayal of the Mbuti as exemplars of the human capacity for goodness and
love. In 1959, he became curator of African Ethnology at the American Museum of Natural History and became a United States
citizen in 1965. He resigned in 1969, claiming museum discrimination against his partner Joseph Towles and other African Americans
and began teaching at Hofstra University. He later accepted faculty appointments at the State University of New York, Vassar,
Virginia Commonwealth University and George Washington University. He also was a visiting lecturer at the College of Charleston.
After working as an actor and model, Towles volunteered in the Anthropology Department at the American Museum of Natural History
with Turnbull. From 1965-1967, he assisted with the creation of "Man in Africa Hall" (opened 1967), a permanent exhibit later called the "Hall of African Peoples." He also researched and constructed the "Slavery in the New World" subsection of the museum. In 1963, he entered Pace College to study history and anthropology. Before finishing, he enrolled
at Makarere University in Uganda in 1965 to study anthropology and sociology. He eventually graduated from Pace in 1968.
Turnbull and Towles were in Africa from 1965-1967, conducting fieldwork among the Ik of
Northern Uganda. In 1970, they returned to the Congo where they conducted fieldwork on the Nkumbi circumcision initiation
ritual for boys and the Asa myth of origin among the Mbo of the Ituri forest. Towles received his Ph.D. from Makerere University
in 1979.
Turnbull's book on the Ik, The Mountain People (1972) received harsh criticism (including Towles') for its portrayal of the starving people as a soulless community. In
1973, theater producer Peter Brook adapted the book to the stage and created The Ik, a dramatic production with Turnbull as the main character. From 1974-1976, Towles and Turnbull assisted with the stage adaptation
and traveled with the company.
The couple then devoted themselves to other projects. In 1979, they traveled the world studying the concept of tourism as
pilgrimage. Towles turned to biblical research and writing plays and novels; Turnbull studied the prison system and the death
penalty in the United States. In 1983, Turnbull published the semi-autobiographical work The Human Cycle, which angered Towles for its omitted references to their relationship. Around the same time, Towles started exhibiting signs
of mental illness. In 1983, he was diagnosed with syphilis, and in 1985 with HIV/AIDS.
On December 19, 1988, Towles died from AIDS. Turnbull staged a double funeral, with two caskets, one representing his own
spirit. Following Towles' death, Turnbull spent much of his energy dedicated to memorializing and drawing attention to his
partner's legacy. He bequeathed his money and property to the United Negro College Fund and arranged for his and Towles' papers
and possessions to be transferred to the Avery Research Center. He moved to Samoa and wrote "Lover and Beloved," an unpublished account of his relationship with Towles. He then moved to Bloomington, Indiana to help build the Tibetan Cultural
Center with the Dalai Lama's brother, Thubten Norbu, with whom he had published the book Tibet in 1968. He succeeded in publishing two of Towles' scholarly works in 1993 and moved to Dharamsala, India, where was ordained
as a Buddhist monk by the Dalai Lama and became known as Lobsong Rigdol. In 1994, he was airlifted back to Virginia where
he died of AIDS on July 28 and was buried next to Towles.
» Note: For more biographical information, see In the Arms of Africa: the Life of Colin M. Turnbull by Roy Richard Grinker (2000). Turnbull's major works, The Forest People (1962), The Mountain People (1972), and The Human Cycle (1983) as well as Towles' Nkumbi Initiation (1993) and Asa: Myth of Origin of the Blood Brotherhood Among the Mbo of the Ituri Forest (1993) are available at the Avery Research Center as are many of their publications in various periodicals.
The collection contains eight different series of materials that document various aspects of the lives and careers, both separately
and together, of Colin Turnbull and Joseph Towles. Anthropological research files focus mostly on their field work on the
Mbuti and Mbo pygmies of the Congo area and the Ik of Uganda. Professional papers document their work in academic and museum
settings. There are personal papers of their domestic life; fictional writings of Joseph Towles; a professional and personal
photograph series; personal and professional films and audio tape, including materials documenting their African fieldwork;
slides documenting African fieldwork and travels; and a series documenting the collection itself. Despite the fact the majority
of materials document the life and achievements of Colin Turnbull, the collection holding both his and Joseph Towles' papers,
is named for Joseph Towles at Turnbull's request. There is also a separate collection of African, religious and domestic artifacts
collected by them.
1. Anthropological Research (26 linear feet). Includes field notes and related research materials, including correspondence, maps, diagrams, and publications connected
with Colin Turnbull's and Joseph Towles' academic pursuits. The series begins with a large amount of material (circa 1928-1982,
bulk 1965-1972) collected by Towles, Turnbull, Patrick and Anne Putnam, and others regarding the Mbuti and Mbo people of the
Ituri forest (also known as pygmies) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) -- formerly known as Zaire and the Belgian
Congo. Kept in original order when possible, materials include a study of Congolese languages, social structure, environment,
life stages, music, villager relations, and rituals (such as the Nkumbi circumcision ritual, the elima menstruation ritual,
and the molimo spiritual ritual). Drafts of publications resulting from the research, such as copies of Towles' and Turnbull's
dissertations on the Mbuti, are included in this series.
The series also includes similar material collected by Towles and Turnbull on the Ik of Northern Uganda, whom they studied
in the field from 1965-1966 and from 1970-1972. In addition, the series contains material collected for their Tourism as Pilgrimage
project (1978-1979), Turnbull's work on the US prison system (circa 1976-1986) and Towles' work on Judaism and religion (1980s).
The series also includes miscellaneous anthropological research, mostly related to Africa, which includes copies of scarce
East African newspapers (1965-1971); galleys and uncorrected proofs on African and anthropological subjects sent to Turnbull;
an edited copy of The Human Cycle (1983); and publications and research on subjects such as archeology, psychology, homosexuality, black power and racism in
the United States including the 1968 New York University race controversy. Also included are reproductions of materials regarding
American slavery such as a slave bill of sale, correspondence, and advertisement for slave sales as well as articles on the
Jonestown, Guyana mass suicide (1978). Includes miscellaneous correspondence (1952-1966) and an interview (circa 1979) with
a WWII Japanese internment camp detainee.
2. Professional Papers (11.5 linear feet). Includes materials relating to both Towles and Turnbull's (but mostly the latter's) employment (1960-1965) at the American
Museum of Natural History, including the 1967 installment of the "Man in Africa" permanent exhibit. With materials regarding their employment and roles as professors and faculty at Virginia Commonwealth
University, Vassar, Pace, and SUNY Buffalo, Hofstra, and George Washington University, consisting of academic correspondence,
lectures, grant proposals, reports, news clippings, and student work. Also included in the series are academic critiques by
Turnbull and those of Turnbull's work on the Mbuti and Ik, including a 1973 critique of The Mountain People by Frederick Barth with Turnbull's response. Correspondence and documents pertain to the publishing of academic works of
Towles and Turnbull, including letters from editors rejecting Towles' work. Miscellaneous materials regarding Towles and Turnbull
as students, including material from Towles' studies at Makerere University in Uganda (1965-1967). Printed material regarding
formal lectures and conferences, such as "An Interdisciplinary Approach to Planned Social Change" (1971), conclude the series.
3. Personal Papers (9.5 linear feet). This series includes Towles' diaries (1960-1988) and transcribed copies, annotated by Turnbull, which detail their relationship.
Also includes correspondence from Towles/Turnbull as landlords; financial papers; legal papers; cards, letters and notes between
Towles and Turnbull, as well as documents pertaining to Towles' death. With publications that document Towles' life such as
yearbooks and school textbooks; and scrapbooks with published reviews of Turnbull's works. Miscellaneous items include documents
regarding Towles' bequest to the United Negro College Fund; maps; receipts; and other papers pertaining to household items.
Other biographical data (1863-1961) is recorded in the Towles family Bible.
4. Fictional Writings (3.5 linear feet). This series contains unpublished short stories, novels, and plays written by Joseph Towles (1959-1988).
5. Photographs (6.5 linear feet). The photograph series consists of personal and professional photos including negatives, positives and proofs (circa 1920-1989).
Images include Towles and Turnbull with various friends and family members and on trips abroad as well as in their New York,
Virginia and Connecticut homes, including the last image taken of Towles in St. Croix and his burial site. Also included
are images from Turnbull's travels to India and his first trip to Africa (1949-1952). Professional photos include anthropological
related images from work in the Congo with the Mbuti people, Camp Putnam, Uganda with the Ik people, and regions from their
Tourism as Pilgrimage research. Images used for Turnbull publications of The Forest People, The Mountain People, and Wayward Servants are also included. In addition, copies and originals of American Museum of Natural History images are included from various
exhibits such as "Man in Africa" and "Lute, Flute, and Drum."
6. Audio-Visual and Other Materials (10.25 linear feet). The audio-visual series contains professional and personal audio and film footage as well as other magnetic media. It includes
data disks from Towles and Turnbull's computer presumed to contain material mostly available in hard copy throughout the collection
but also Turnbull's diaries (1988-1989), a copy of the unpublished "Lover and Beloved," his notes on prison research, Buddhism,
and correspondence (1990). Professional videos consist of anthropology lectures (1975-1991) given by Towles and Turnbull,
and film studies (1954-1972) in which Towles and Turnbull document the Ik (1964-1965) and the Mbuti (1954 and edited 1971-1972)
in the field. Videos of their personal life (1973-1978) reflect their family and domestic life in Virginia. Audio files consist
of cassettes and reel-to-reel tapes of Mbuti songs and interviews that reportedly correspond to video footage.
7. Slides (21.75 linear feet). The slides collection (1948-1988) consists of circa 10,000 personal and professional slides taken by Towles, Turnbull and
others during their world travels, mostly relating to the Mbuti of the Ituri Forest in Uganda and the Ik of the Congo. They
reflect the people, physical environment, material culture, and rituals. Many slides also relate to Towles and Turnbull's
project on Tourism as Pilgrimage and include images of India, China, Japan, Indonesia, and other countries. Personal slides
include images of vacations, holidays and visits with friends and family.
8. Collection Processing Materials (1.5 linear feet). Donor files consist of correspondence (1987-1993) regarding the acquisition of the collection; copies of previous inventories
(1990-1994); correspondence and lists regarding items removed from collection; and CD of oral history of the collection conducted
with Joseph Powell.
» Note on origin: The collection was donated to the Avery Research Center by the United Negro College Fund in 1989 following
Towles' death and through the efforts of Turnbull. Affiliated is a large artifact collection. It was initially processed by
Joseph Powell under archivist Donald West, from 1990-1994. It was reprocessed by Jessica Lancia, Melissa Bronheim, and Rachel
Allen under Harlan Greene in 2009. For materials regarding the acquisition including an oral history with Powell regarding
processing of the collection conducted May 2009 by Lancia, see box 50. Where possible, original order was maintained. To increase
access, most publications were removed from the collection and added to online catalogue with a note on origin.
» Some items were removed from the collection permanently following issues over ownership. These include the Herbert Lang
slides and materials belonging to the American Museum of Natural History. Originals of the film studies are housed at the
Smithsonian, which created VHS user copies for Avery.
Includes field notes and related research materials, including correspondence, maps, diagrams, and publications connected
with Colin Turnbull's and Joseph Towles' academic interests. The series begins with a large amount of material collected by
Towles, Turnbull, Patrick and Anne Putnam, and others (circa 1928-1982, bulk 1965-1972) regarding the Mbuti and Mbo people
of the Ituri forest (also known as pygmies) in modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) -- formerly known as Zaire
and the Belgian Congo. Kept in original order when possible, materials include a study of Congolese languages, social structure,
environment, life stages, music, villager relations, and rituals (such as the Nkumbi circumcision ritual, the elima menstruation
ritual, and the molimo spiritual ritual). Drafts of publications resulting from the research, such as copies of Towles' and
Turnbull's dissertations on the Mbuti, are included in this series. The series includes similar material collected by Towles
and Turnbull on the Ik of Northern Uganda, whom they studied in the field from 1965-1966 and from 1970-1972. In addition,
the series contains material collected for the Tourism as Pilgrimage project (1978-1979), Turnbull's work on the US prison
system (circa 1976-1986) and Towles' work on Judaism and religion (1980s). The series also includes miscellaneous anthropological
research, mostly related to Africa, which includes numerous copies of rare East African newspapers (1965-1971); galleys and
uncorrected manuscript proofs on African and anthropological subjects sent to Turnbull for editing; an edited copy of The Human Cycle (1983); and publications and research on subjects such as archeology, psychology, homosexuality, black power and racism in
the United States including the 1968 New York University race controversy. Also included are reproductions of materials regarding
American slavery such as a slave bill of sale, correspondence, and advertisement for slave sales as well as articles on the
Jonestown, Guyana mass suicide (1978). Includes miscellaneous correspondence (1952-1966) and an interview with WWII Japanese
internment camp detainee (circa 1979).
1.1. Mbuti-Related Materials, 1954-1972.
Box 1
Mbuti Field Notes and Related Materials: Colin Turnbull, 1954-1962
Includes Turnbull's field notes and related materials regarding the Mbuti from his 1954 and 1957-1958 trips to the DRC. Kept
in original order, details Mbuti social structure (law and politics), environment, life stages (birth, marriage, death), rituals
(nkumbi circumcision ritual, elima menstruation ritual, molimo spiritual ritual), music, villager-Mbuti relations, etc. Includes
related research (articles and notes by Turnbull and others), maps and diagrams, and Turnbull's inventory of reel to reel
field recordings (1954-1961) [see "Audio-Visual and Other Materials" series].
Box 2
Mbuti Field Notes and Related Materials: Anne Eisner and Patrick Putnam, Colin Turnbull, and Joseph Towles, circa 1928-1982
Includes Anne Eisner and Patrick Putnam field notes, correspondence, interviews, diagrams, and publications (circa 1929-1958),
some annotated by Turnbull regarding elima and nkumbi initiation rituals, Mbuti legends, kinship, ecology, history and social
structure, vocabulary and linguistics. Includes Turnbull and Towles' bibliographic research notes (1950s-1970s) and Turnbull's
correspondence with various museums (1958-1959) regarding collecting cultural artifacts and botanical specimens. Includes
nkumbi film and slide lists (undated) with notes by Turnbull [see "Audio-Visual and Other Materials" series]. Turnbull's field notes (1970-1972) include reports on the pygmy emancipation program; field observations; notes
and correspondence about Mbuti kinship, life and society, transportation; language (notes and copies of KiNgwana-English and
French dictionaries); and an undated publication by Paul Schebesta on the pygmy language.
Box 3A-3B
Congolese Languages: Vocabulary Index Cards - Joseph Towles, circa 1970-1972
Includes vocabulary index cards in English and Congolese languages, presumably from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in
1970-1972. Definitions are listed alphabetically; some include notations about the meanings of the word within cultural contexts.
Box 4
Congolese Languges: Study Materials - Joseph Towles, circa 1970s
Includes Towles's materials regarding the study of Congolese languages, including Swahili, KiBira, KiMbo, KiNgwana, KiNdaka.
Includes vocabulary translations, notes on grammar, rough alphabetical index of KiMbo/KiNgwana vocabulary, and Turnbull's
explanation on BaMbuti grammar.
Box 5A-5B
Field Notes and Related Research Material: Democratic Republic of the Congo - Joseph Towles, 1970-1972
Includes field notebooks logging daily activities from Towles' study in the DRC, 1970-1972. Loose material consists of research
(notes, diagrams) regarding nkumbi initiation ritual with notes on myths, life stages, lineage and kinship, music, environment,
rituals, masks, etc. Includes drafts of his nkumbi dissertation with edits by Turnbull. Also includes material on other rituals
(such as asa and elima) and Towles' notes and papers comparing the asa and bar mitzvah rituals. Also includes Towles inventory
of music recordings made in the field and list of photos [see "Audio-Visual and Other Materials" series].
1.2. Mbuti Publications, 1959-1993.
Box 6-7
Nkumbi Initiation: Ritual and Structure Among the Mbo of Zaire by Joseph Towles: Published Copy and Drafts, 1993
Includes drafts annotated by Colin Turnbull and Joseph Towles. For more, see Box 5b.
Box 7-8
Asa: Origin Myth of Blood Brotherhood Among the Mbo of the Ituri by Joseph Towles: Published Copy and Drafts, 1993
Box 7-8
The Mbuti Pygmies: An Ethnographic Survey by Colin Turnbull: Published Copies and Annotated Draft, 1957-1965
Includes annotated draft, 1957, and published copies, 1965, of Turnbull's Oxford University thesis.
Box 8
Publications on Mbuti Pygmies by Colin Turnbull and Others, 1959-1985
Includes article "Pygmies in the Forest," 1963, in Scientific American; Turnbull's article regarding life among the Mbuti in CBC Times, undated; and off-prints from Turnbull articles in The Child In His Family. Publications by others include surveys, studies and articles. Includes Anne Putnam's article in National Geographic, "My Life Among the Little People" (1960), and a newspaper regarding pygmy emancipation.
1.3. The Ik, 1965-1979.
Box 9
Field Notes and Related Research Materials: Colin Turnbull and Joseph Towles, 1965-1976
Includes field notes, correspondence, articles, publications, lecture materials, and newspaper articles regarding the Ik.
Field notes include photograph lists; notes on linguistics; the Teuso, Pare, and Turkana people; ciga wire drawings and iron
smelting; lineage charts; and maps of Ik villages. Includes various publications by Turnbull/Towles and others; book reviews
of The Mountain People. Correspondence includes research proposals (1964-1967); budgets, letters to and from Turnbull and American Museum of Natural
History describing field work (1965-1966); filming ciga wire drawings; Ik relocation and starvation; letters to and from publishers,
researchers, and Ugandan officials; Turnbull's supervisor report on Towles' work among the Ik (1966); and letter from National Geographic (1967) rejecting photos of IK for publication with itemized list of photographs and slides.
Also includes notes on images used for The Mountain People. Teuso (Ik) field notes (1965-1966) transcribed from reel-to-reel audio tapes with index [see "Audio-Visual and Other Materials" series]. Includes map of Uganda and Kidepo Park and an uncorrected proof of The Mountain People. Notes detail travel and excursions, songs, and other material used during research. Also includes article by Curtis Abraham
regarding Towles/Turnbull among the Ik.
Box 10
Field Notes Transcribed from Reel-to-Reel Audio Tapes: Colin Turnbull and Joseph Towles, 1965-1966
Includes Ik field notes transcribed from reel-to-reel audio tapes with index [see "Audio-Visual and Other Materials" series]. Includes notes from Moroto, Mt. Elgon. Notes detail travel and excursions, songs, and other material used during
research.
Box 10
The Ik,a Play by Peter Brook, circa 1975-1979
Includes Materials regarding the Peter Brook play, "The Ik." Includes newspaper clippings, full script with handwritten notations by Turnbull, reviews, advertisements, programs, and
various other printed materials including January 1976 Time Out article regarding the return of the production to London; film reel descriptions and edited script for "Time of Man"; newspaper clippings (many in French) regarding Brook's film project on George Gurdjieff's Meetings with Remarkable Men. Includes material regarding touring in the United States, London and Paris; lectures on The Forest People and The Mountain People while on tour; and correspondence regarding the play, notes, itineraries, scripts, workshops, questionnaires, and critical
evaluations of the performances. Also included are Turnbull's preface to The Ik (1984); pronunciation guides to the Ik language for the actors; and Turnbull/Towles materials regarding Terre Humaine conference
in Paris (1986-1987), including several papers by Towles.
1.4. Tourism as Pilgrimage, circa 1980s.
Box 11
"Tourism as Pilgrimmage": Research, circa 1980s
Includes research collected during the 1980s for Turnbull project, "Tourism as Pilgrimage." Includes maps, guide books, post cards and travel-related publications for Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, India, China,
Hong Kong, Tahiti, Tibet, Egypt, Israel and general publications on the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and the Orient. Also
includes articles (by Tunbull and others) regarding tourism and religious pilgrimages, bibliographies, newspaper clippings,
and outline for Turnbull magazine article (1987), submitted to the University of Montana.
1.5. United States Prison System, 1970s-1986.
Box 12
Colin Turnbull Prison Files, 1970s-1986
Use restricted. Please ask repository staff for details.
Includes research materials regarding Colin Turnbull's project on stress, security, and rehabilitation in the prison system,
which began in 1978. Also contains correspondence with inmates and others, journal entries, and transcripts of taped interviews
with prison administrators, guards, and inmates. Also includes notes on murder trials attended by Turnbull, 1975; prison memos
on property, privilege, and facility guidelines for death row inmates in Florida; research materials and articles on laws
and prison in Virginia; printed materials regarding rehabilitation courses in Virginia; execution guidelines during Act of
Death Warrent; and related materials.
Box 13
Inmate Correspondence, circa 1976-1986
Use restricted. Please ask repository staff for details.
Includes correspondence between Colin Turnbull and prison inmates as well as prison researcher Joy Humes. A more detailed
list is available at the Avery Research Center.
Box 1
Prison Research: Printed Material, Correspondence, and Interview Transcripts, 1970s
Use restricted. Please ask repository staff for details.
Includes printed materials and publications centering on prisons and capital punishment in the 1970s-1980s; paper by Frank
Allen titled "Would Jesus Pull the Switch: A Dialogue with Myself"; Georgia correctional facility report, 1977; and other printed materials on the Georgia Committee Against the Death Penalty;
prison correspondence with inamtes; Colin Turnbull's negative book review of The Ultimate Coercive Sanction; correspondence with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) staff regarding the death penalty in the late 1970s; correspondence
on the writing of "Death by Decree" article; and article about Turnbull become friends with prison inmates.
Box 15
Prison Research: Audiocassettes
Use restricted. Please ask repository staff for details.
1.6. Judaism, 1980-1987.
Box 16-17
Joseph Towles: Typed Vocabulary Translations, English to Hebrew or Yiddish
Box 17
Joseph Towles: Materials Regardign King Herod
Includes hand-drawn charts for his biblical genealogy research (1984); photocopy of New Testament Apocrypha by R. Schneemelcher; research on figures in the Torah/Bible; and the Talmud. Also includes composition notebooks from Makerere University with biblical notes (1985) and a draft of "Herod the King" (1980).
Includes miscellaneous papers, publications, printed materials by various authors on anthropological studies, mostly focused
on Africa (mid 1960s-1985, bulk 1970s). The materials are organized by continent. Of note are sections on East African countries
and Egypt, including welcome brochures, scholarly and general interest articles, as well as maps.
Box 19
East African Newspapers, 1965-1971
Includes runs of the East African Standard (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda), The Daily Nation (Kenya), The Sunday Nation (Tanzania, Uganda), The Uganda Argus (Uganda), The People (Uganda), and Le Renouveau (Belgian Congo).
Box 48a-48b
Galleys and Uncorrected Proofs
Includes galleys and uncorrected manuscript proofs on African and anthropological subjects sent to Colin Turnbull for editing,
including Margaret Mead and Samoa by Derek Freeman [see also box 25]. Also includes an edited manuscript for Turnbull's The Human Cycle submitted to publisher Simon & Schuster with notations from editors.
Box 49a-49b
Publications and Other Research Materials
Includes mixed publications and other research materials regarding various subjects, including prehistoric archaeology; writing
and teaching; stress and psychology; ethical issues explored by Margaret Mead; homosexuality; gender inequality; witchcraft;
black power and racism in the United States such as 1968 New York University race controversy; drama, and Shree Shree Anandamayee
Ma. Also includes photocopies of American slavery materials (1831-1860), possibly for American Museum of Natural History's
exhibit, "Slavery in the New World," such as slave bill of sale, correspondence, and an advertisement. Also, articles on the Jonestown, Guyana mass suicide (1978)
[see also Box 19]; miscellaneous correspondence (1952-1966); and materials regarding travel arrangements papers, articles,
reviews, and oral history interview with WWII Japanese internment camp detainee (circa 1979), including cassette tape and
partial transcript.
Includes materials relating to both Towles and Turnbull's employment at the American Museum of Natural History (1960-1965),
including the 1967 installment of the "Man in Africa" permanent exhibit. With materials regarding their employment and roles as professors and faculty at Virginia Commonwealth
University, Vassar, Pace, and SUNY Buffalo, Hofstra, and George Washington University, consisting of academic correspondence,
lectures, grant proposals, reports, news clippings, and student work. Also included in the series are academic critiques by
Turnbull and those of Turnbull's work on the Mbuti and Ik, including a 1973 critique of The Mountain People by Frederick Barth with Turnbull's response. Correspondence and documents pertain to the publishing of academic works of
Towles and Turnbull, including letters from editors rejecting Towles' work. Miscellaneous materials regarding Towles and Turnbull
as students, including material from Towles' studies at Makerere University in Uganda (1965-1967). Printed material regarding
formal lectures and conferences, such as "An Interdisciplinary Approach to Planned Social Change" (1971), conclude the series.
2.1. American Museum of Natural History, 1924-1968.
Box 20
Hall of Man in Africa and Other Materials, 1924-1968
Includes materials regarding the 1967 installment of Hall of Man in Africa exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History.
Organized into exhibits research; photographs and murals; publications on or used for exhibit; correspondence between Colin
Turnbull and others; plans and descriptions of case and hall layout; public relations materials including reviews and multi-page
full color exhibit spread in the New York News (1968) [see Oversize]. Also includes runs of L'Illustration Congolaise magazine (1924-1930s) and user photocopy. AMNH African collection indexing system; field notes from trips to Sudan, Somalia,
and the Hadhramaut by Mr. and Mrs. Sherman P. Haight sent to Turnbull (1963); and notes on African fishers, the Bini of Nigeria.
Box 20
African and African-American Art and Lifeways
Includes notes on African and African-American art; slavery; African chiefs; Ashanti religion/life including the use of Ashanti
gold weights; slavery in the Americas including Joseph Towles' diagrams of slave trade routes in Africa; Ku Klux Klan propaganda;
black folk music of Alabama; maroons of Jamaica; photographs of African people, art, plans for murals; African-American art;
material regarding the South Carolina lowcountry, including photographs and color slides of Joseph Washington and Joseph Deas
depicting island life (circa 1965). Slides depict people, architecture, net fishing and Louise Gaillard making sweetgrass
baskets. Includes prints and postcards of "The Old Plantation" painting and African-American slave sculptures as well as an undated photostat of a plantation slave registry [see Oversize].
Box 20-21
Colin Turnbull as Curator, 1960-1965
Materials maintained in Colin Turnbull's original order. Organized regionally by continent and country; chiefly Africa, including
Mozambique, Nigeria, Morocco, Cameroon, Belgian Congo, Chad, Madagascar, and others. Includes material on Kikuyu schools,
Lozi, and Karamojo and consists of photos, negatives, notes, articles, publications, and grant proposals. Also includes materials
regarding various exhibits, including "Lutes, Flute, and Drum." Of note is a proposal by Margaret Mead on a new Asian Hall at AMNH. Also includes papers regarding recent accessions, exchanges,
loans, and correspondence between Turnbull and donors as well as descriptions of pieces acquired and appraisals for AMNH.
Many AMNH photographs depicting collection items related to Africa. Also notable are multiple copies of letter addressed to
the Anthropology department at AMNH from Colin Turnbull re classification system for collection of African artifacts (1965).
Includes taxonomy, index use, problems encountered, filing procedure, and questionnaire.
Box 22-23
"Man in Africa" Exhibit
Includes photographs and descriptive displays mounted on wood that depict creation on AMNH "Man in Africa" exhibit. Consists of images of staff putting together exhibit, including Joseph Towles and Colin Turnbull, and of Mbuti and
Ik. Displays explain the museum's mission, and Towles' role.
2.2. University Employment, 1963-1988.
Box 24
Colin Turnbull as Professor and Faculty Advisor, circa 1963-1984
Includes printed material regarding Colin Turnbull's role as professor and faculty advisor to various students, including
miscellaneous student anthropology papers and George Washington University anthopology student Susan McMurray on projects
relating to cults in the Caribbean. Various theses and student papers sent to Colin Turnbull for evaluation. Includes Robert
Bailey's 1985 The Socioecology of Efe Pygmy Men in the Ituri Forest, Zaire and Turnbull's notes; Marco Bicchieri's A Study in Comparative Ecology: A Case of Three Africa Foraging Societiesrequesting Turnbull's criticism (1963, 1964) ; professional correspondence regarding Turnbull's employment with AMNH , publication
of Mbuti music recorded by Colin Turnbull and others, letters to publishers, and other information relating to Turnbull as
a professional (1956-1988). Also includes conference materials related to papers presented at the African symposium at Makerere
University [see box 27 for other conference material].
Box 25
Academic Employment, 1968-1988
Includes professional materials related to Colin Turnbull and Joseph Towles' employment at Virginia Commonwealth University,
Vassar, Pace, and SUNY Buffalo. Includes academic material such as course outlines; anthropology lectures on various subjects,
including nkumbi, notes on class, students; course papers; exams given by Towles (including ones taken by Turnbull); and a
roll book. Also includes academic correspondence between Towles, Turnbull, and others regarding employment, lectures, grant
proposals and reports. Includes clippings of articles regading Turnbull and Towles, paper on race in Uganda (1967), 1968 article
by Towles and Turnbull in Natural History, "The White Problem in America"; and Towles' curriculum vitae (1988). Also includes materials related to Towles' firing from VCU and Turnbull's protest resignation
including correspondence with Towles, Turnbull, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and VCU; legal papers; and an
article (1976-1982).
2.3. Publishing and Critiques, 1968-1983.
Box 25
Academic Critiques of and by Colin Turnbull, 1968-1983
Includes a critique by Frederick Barth of The Mountain People with Colin Turnbull's response; Turnbull's critique of Derek Freeman's biography of Margaret Mead; and Turnbull's reviews
of other works on Mead [see also box 48]. Also includes correspondence and documents related to the publishing of academic
works of Joseph Towles and Turnbull, including letters from editors rejecting Towles' publications, a publishing agreement
between Simon and Schuster Publishing, and materials regarding the Towles and Turnbull book "The African Tradition in America."
2.4. Joseph Towles and Colin Turnbull as Students, 1949-1979.
Box 26
Joseph Towles: Diploma, High School, 1957
[See also Oversized.]
Box 26
Joseph Towles: Makere University
Includes material from Towles' studies at Makerere University in Uganda related to anthropology, sociology, social structure,
religious studies, and political anthropology, 1965-1967. Includes papers written by Towles, class notes, exams, and field
notes; various scholarly and general university publications such as faculty handbooks; and materials related to travel and
living arrangements while at Makerere. Also includes note cards affiliated with his Makerere University dissertation: "Nkumbi Initiation: Ritual and Structure Among the Mbo of Zaire," 1979.
Box 26
Joseph Towles: Correspondence Regarding Dissertation
Box 26
Colin Turnbull: Diploma, Oxford University, 1949-1966
[See also Oversized.]
Box 26
Colin Turnbull: Correspondence Regarding Dissertation
2.5. Formal Lectures and Conferences, 1971-1987.
Box 27
Conference: "An Interdisciplinary Approach to Planned Social Change," 1971
Includes papers and notes prepared for the conference by Colin Turnbull, Joseph Towles, and Peter Rigby; copies of papers
presented at the symposium; publicity covering the event, including newspaper response and a positive statement from the Congolese
government; and five reels of symposium proceedings, converted into corresponding audiotapes. Includes papers covering the
following topics: the Mbuti, the emancipation of the pygmies from other communities, and the social changes expected within
Mbuti society as the years progress. [See box 24.]
Box 27
Formal Lectures, 1971-1987
Includes materials related to formal lectures at various universities including copies of papers from the Universities Social
Sciences Council Conference, 1971; lectures at Washington and Lee University, College of Charleston (1986), University of
Montana lecture for the forum "Tourist: Explorers or Colonialists?" (1987), Notre Dame University, West Virginia University, and the George Washington University lecture series on cultural
extinctions and animal extinctions (1982); and various lectures covering subjects such as morality and anthropology and concepts
of humanity.
This series includes Towles' diaries (1960-1988) and transcribed copies, annotated by Turnbull, which detail their relationship.
Also includes correspondence from Towles/Turnbull as landlords; financial papers; legal papers; cards, letters and notes between
Towles and Turnbull, as well as documents pertaining to Towles' death. With publications that document Towles' life such as
yearbooks and school textbooks; and scrapbooks with published reviews of Turnbull's works. Miscellaneous itand other papers
pertaining to household items. Other biographical data (1863-1961) is recorded in the Towles family Bible.
3.1. Joseph A. Towles Diaries and Transcriptions, 1960-1988 and 1990s.
Box 28
Joseph Towles: Personal Diaries, 1960-1988
Includes diaries with sporadic entries, mostly regarding Colin Turnbull and their relationship as partners and lovers. The
entries recount meeting Turnbull, life with Turnbull, trips to various countries in Africa and other continents, medical issues,
work-related projects, and other matters. Also includes loose items such as newspaper clippings, correspondence, and notations
on covers. The 1987 journal (labeled number 9) contains annotation in front by Turnbull regarding the lock diary having been
broken by Towles.
Box 29
Joseph Towles: Diary Transcriptions by Curtis Abraham and Commentary by Colin Turnbull, 1990s
Includes transcriptions of Joseph Towles' personal diaries [see box 28] by aspiring anthropologist Curtis Abraham, who intended
to write the biography of Towles, circa 1990. Colin Turnbull provided handwritten annotation with a brief explanation of his
commentary. Includes detailed chronology of Towles' life compiled by Abraham and edited by Turnbull; a letter and notes to
Abraham from Tunbull; and notes by Turnbull regarding fights and attempts at resolution with Towles.
3.2. Correspondence and Personal Files, 1958-1989.
Box 30
Joseph Towles and Colin Turnbull: Personal Correspondence, 1959-1988
Organized chronologically by year, contains correspondence between Turnbull and Towles. Includes greeting cards for birthdays,
anniversaries, Valentine's Day, and various other occasions; notes, letters, telegrams, postcards, and other communications
regarding their feelings to one another and daily life. Some folders contain annotations by Colin Turnbull concerning the
materials.
Box 31
Joseph Towles and Colin Turnbull: Personal Files, 1958-1989
Includes correspondence between Towles, Turnbull, and others regarding rental agreements, financial papers, legal papers,
medical files, and miscellaneous material. Include materials related to an attempted relocation to New York City in 1983;
power of attorney; 1982 correspondence between Towles and the ACLU regarding multiple thefts and incidents that occurred after
his arrival in Lancaster County, Virginia; as well as correspondence to Turnbull from the ACLU concerning Towles' complaint.
Also includes Towles' driving under the influence charges, arrests, and license suspensions; documents regarding house rentals
such as deeds, rental agreements and letters to tenants; and financial information concerning investments, tax returns, and
bank statements. Medical papers include billing statements, test results, insurance files, pharmacy receipts, prescriptions,
and medical correspondence, and other materials.
Box 31
Joseph Towles: Materials Related to Death, 1988
Includes documents related to Towles' death in 1988. Includes last will and testaments, power of attorney, estate sale inventory
and sale list, copies of letters to friends about Towles' estate, liquidation of assets, and correspondence and documentation
regarding the Virginia house sale. Also includes personal records such as sympathy notes and letters of condolences to and
from Turnbull, newspaper clippings, and tributes in honor of Towles.
Box 32
Joseph Towles: Legal Materials, circa 1960s-1989
Includes typed annotations by Turnbull describing contents, stating that they belonged to Towles and were sent to Samoa by
mistake upon Towles' death. Includes Pace College university notebook and magazine containing Towles' obituary; legal papers
including Towles' driving records and 1979 DUI charges and correspondence with attorney (later Senator) Lawrence D. Wilder
from Virginia regarding the lawsuit; family-related legal correspondence (Charles Towles v. Joseph Towles); and a copy of
Towles' birth certificate and his curriculum vitae.
Box 32
Joseph Towles: Personal Files, circa 1960s-1989
Includes various tour books and menus from first holiday in Europe, 1963; cooking recipes; addresses for apartments to examine;
VCU anthropology course proposals; programs for Carnegie Hall and play The IK; notes on Civil War; map of Lancaster County [see Oversized Plat Drawer]; Virginia highway systems, 1952; and various other
personal effects. Includes two photographs of Colin Turnbull, circa 1960s.
3.3. Miscellaneous Personal Materials, 1950s-1989.
Box 33
Publications Related to Joseph Towles' Education and Personal Life
Includes 1947 St. Anthony's high school math textbook, 1947; 1957 A. T. Wright High School yearbook The Warrior, with class poem by Joseph Towles; information booklet on various African universities, including University of the Congo,
1960s; Towles' 1968 Pace College yearbook, The Legend; and undated classmate album with student signatures. Also includes a copy of Our Growing City, featuring pictures of Towles as model.
Box 33
Professional Publications, 1962-1968
Include reviews for Colin Turnbull's The Lonely African, 1962; Tradition and Change in African Tribal Life, 1967; and The Forest People, 1962; article by Towles and Turnbull; The White Problem in America; interview with Turnbull in Nature and Science, 1967; and a 1968 press release from American Museum of Natural History regarding
the Man in Africa exhibit.
Box 33
Scrapbooks, circa 1950s and 1960s-1970s
Includes Joseph Towles' 8th grade scrapbook relating to African American history and culture as well as scrapbooks in which
Colin Turnbull and Towles collected professional materials such as newspaper articles, reviews, photographs, schedules and
production program regarding the Ik, 1960s-1970s.
Box 34
Personal Correspondence, 1952-1989
Includes personal correspondence and greeting cards between Colin Turnbull or Joseph Towles and others, 1952-1989. Correspondents
include Kumari Mayor, Turnbull's parents, and various friends and relatives. Organized by decade, topics include the United
Negro College Fund acceptance of Towles' offer to donate his materials after his death; letters requesting employment; 1975
reconciliation letter to Towles from Turnbull's mother, Dot Turnbull.
Box 34
Mixed Materials, 1962-1982
Includes financial records; calendars; farm materials; Buddhism notes; fine art and academic prints; travel; legal; contents
of Towles' wallet; car and medical insurance; various personal documents and items left by Peter LeFournoir and family, including
Ugandan birth certificates; Colin Turnbull's date books, 1970 and 1976-1978; floor plans for Virginia house and miscellaneous
house-related paperwork; cover of 1982 Newsweek and other copies of articles including the death of Anne Eisner Putnam.
Oversize Paper Folder 1077-OPF/1
Images from Joseph Towles' Bathroom Wall
Includes pictures Joseph Towles had on bathroom wall, including drawings of slaves by Mputela and Mikast; poster of Abraham
Lincoln from "Lincoln's Hopes for the Negro," 1858; print of Johann Sebastian Bach; images from a Bicentennial calendar, including George Washington and Lincoln. Also
includes note from Colin Turnbull, 1987.
Box 49a
Towles Family Bible
Note: Photocopies available for use of researchers.
The Bible includes family records and biographical data, 1863-1961, as well as some items, such as flowers and obituaries,
pressed between pages.
Box 49c
Chocolate Boxes
Includes empty Valentine's Day-type chocolate boxes, possibly from Joseph Towles to Colin Turnbull or vice-versa.
This series contains unpublished short stories, novels, and plays written by Joseph Towles, 1959-1988.
Box 35
Novels, Plays, and Short Stories: Typescripts, Notebooks, and Notes, 1959-1988
Includes materials related to stories, plays, and novels by Joseph Towles. Titles include Tomatoes, Back Home Again, The Summer is Past, Irvingville (written under alias Glen Wesley), Gone Off To Africa, The Proud Turkey, The Home Seekers, and others. Works focus chiefly on African-Americans, homosexuality, Civil war, and life in the rural South. Several contain
homoerotic matter. Also contains newspaper articles and annotations by Colin Turnbull.
Box 36
This Vale of Sorrow
Includes annotated typescript and copies of This Vale of Sorrow, an American Civil War novel authored by Towles.
Box 37
Manuscript about Makerere University
Includes a personal manuscript of Towles' time as a student at Makerere University (1965-1967), documenting his field experience
as well as his academic experience. This manuscript has been edited by Towles.
The photograph series consists of personal and professional photos including negatives, positives and proofs (circa 1920-1989).
Images include Towles and Turnbull with various friends and family members and on trips abroad as well as in their New York,
Virginia and Connecticut homes, including the last image taken of Towles in St. Croix and his burial site. Also included
are images from Turnbull's travels to India and his first trip to Africa (1949-1952). Professional photos include anthropological
related images from work in the Congo with the Mbuti people, Camp Putnam, Uganda with the Ik people, and regions from their
Tourism as Pilgrimage research. Images used for Turnbull publications of The Forest People, The Mountain People, and Wayward Servants are also included. In addition, copies and originals of American Museum of Natural History images are included from various
exhibits such as "Man in Africa" and "Lute, Flute, and Drum."
Box 38
Personal Photographs and Negatives, 1950s-1989
Includes deskbound photo albums and photocopies, 1960s-1970s. Also includes portrait photographs of Joseph Towles and Colin
Turnbull, such as Towles' professional actor headshots and Turnbull's passport photographs; personal family photographs of
Towles and Turnbull families and friends; images of New York City, Virginia, and Connecticut homes and surrounding areas;
and images of various trips, vacations to Canada, and other places, including last trip to St. Croix, 1988; Towles' burial
site, circa 1988.
Box 39
Professional Photographs and Negatives, 1948-1966
Includes professional photographs and negatives taken during world travels, 1948-1966. Organized chronologically, subjects
include Camp Putnam, Mbuti people [see also Oversized Plat Drawer], Ituri Forest, Epulu village and river, and Congolese landscape
and village life. Also includes images of Uganda and the Ik people, 1951 and 1965-1966, as well as images from Tibet and Egypt,
1950s. [See also slide section for corresponding slides.]
Box 40
Professional Photographs and Negatives, 1970-1987 and undated
Includes professional photographs and negatives taken during world travels, 1970-1987 and undated. Organized chronologically,
subjects include Mbuti peoples, 1970-1972; Epulu village and river; Ituri Forest; and Congolese village life. Includes photos
regarding the Ik, 1970-1972, including pictures used for book and play; photographs of Paris taken by Joseph Towles, 1987;
and photographs taken during Tourism as Pilgrimage Voyage, 1979-1980 -- locations include Hong Kong, Tahiti, and Macao. Also
includes miscellaneous images.
Box 41
Professional Photographs, 1970s-1980s
Contains various oversized photos and glass covered photos of Joseph Towles, Colin Turnbull with the Mbuti and photographs
used for The Forest People, Wayward Servants, and Mbuti Pygmies; Change and Adaptation. Includes scenes from village life, hunting, gathering, rituals, Anne Putnam and Camp Putnam as well as the Ik, Ethiopia
and Tibet. More detailed inventory available in repository. Also contains personal photographs of Joseph Towles, 1988-1989,
and Mbuti behind glass.
Box 42
American Museum of Natural History-Related Photographs, 1920s and circa 1962-1967
Includes prints, slides, negatives of Man In Africaexhibit, Lute, Flute and Drum exhibit, Herbert Lang prints of Africa, and
various images and photos of American Museum of Natural History collection materials. Also includes African Art Museum photographs,
1960-1961.
Box 43
Colin Turnbull Negatives: India and Africa, 1949-1954
Includes a small box of negatives from Colin Turnbull's travels to India and Africa, 1949-1954. Consists of images of Anadamani
Ashram, Kampala, Makerere University (1954), Kilembe mines, Colin Turnbull, AEP and Frances Chapman, Mbuti (1954), and various
miscellaneous photos of Africa.
The audio-visual series contains professional and personal audio and film footage as well as other magnetic media. It includes
data disks from Towles and Turnbull's computer presumed to contain material mostly available in hard copy throughout the collection
but also Turnbull's diaries (1988-1989), a copy of the unpublished "Lover and Beloved," his notes on prison research, Buddhism, and correspondence (1990). Professional videos consist of anthropology lectures (1975-1991)
given by Towles and Turnbull, and film studies (1954-1972) in which Towles and Turnbull document the Ik (1964-1965) and the
Mbuti (1954 and edited 1971-1972) in the field. Videos of their personal life (1973-1978) reflect their family and domestic
life in Virginia. Audio files consist of cassettes and reel-to-reel tapes of Mbuti songs and interviews that reportedly correspond
to video footage.
Originals of the film studies are housed at the Smithsonian. VHS user copies are available for Avery researchers.
6.1. Data Disks, 1980s-1990s.
Box 44
Includes 5.25" and 3.5" floppy disks containing data created by Joseph Towles and Colin Turnbull. Note: files have not been
accessed by archival staff; descriptions are based on notations on disks. Presumably includes copies of Towles' diaries (1960-1983),
Turnbull's commentary on them, and a large amount of Towles' personal and professional data, including lectures and exams
on anthropology, religion, and kinship (1986-1988). Also contains field notes and papers on nkumbi and the practice of asa
among the Mbo. Personal files consist of correspondence, files labeled "life," lists of addresses, and numerous shorts stories and plays. Also includes Towles' diaries (1988-1989), Lover and Beloved, notes on prison research, rental agreements, Buddhism, the Talmud, computer software disk, and correspondence (1990).
6.2. Videos, 1964-1986.
Box 44
Lecture Videos: Joseph Towles and Colin Turnbull, 1986
Includes five VHS tapes, three taped at the College of Charleston, 1986. Includes discussion of field research covering first
impressions of Africa, the Ik, and an address to sociology class on Death and Dying. Also includes a 1975 video of Turnbull's
discussion of his experiences among the Ik and a video of Turnbull's lecture at Avery Research Center, 1991.
Box 44
Home Videos: Joseph Towles and Colin Turnbull, circa 1960s-1970s
Includes home videos in 8 mm and super 8 mm film (color, silent, and each about 3 minutes in length) labeled F1-F6 by Turnbull
with notations on covers, circa 1960s-1970s. User DVD copy of merged films, consecutively filmed, available in repository.
Folder 1 includes shots of home in Lancaster, Virginia; Towles washing his car; and New York City scenes (presumably filmed
from their apartment) of people walking. Folder 2 includes Towles and his family in Virginia eating barbeque; shots of swimming
pool in Lancaster, Virginia; Turnbull and their cats. Folder 3 includes swimming pool scenes (circa late 1970s-early 1980s)
of Lancaster, Virginia home. Includes children playing, Towles, Turnbull, and unidentified adults lounging by pool. Possibly
shot by Colin Turnbull's nephew, David. Folder 4 includes shots from fishing trip in river in VA, presumably shot by David
Turnbull during family visit (circa 1981-83). Shows Towles, Turnbull, and child on dock and river. Folder 5 includes Towles
and their two dogs; snowy winter scene in Virginia home. Folder 6 includes Towles prepping and driving tractor and spraying
the orchard, possibly in their Lancaster home.
Box 45-47
Silent Broadcast Videocassettes: Joseph Towles and Colin Turnbull, 1954-1972
Includes silent broadcast videocassettes, compiled from original Towles/Turnbull footage on 8mm, 16mm, and super 8mm tape
consisting of Mbuti pygmy film study, 1954-1972. Footage shot in DRC, Epulu, Ituri forest and documents various aspects of
village subsistence and the initiation rituals, such as nkumbi and elima. Also includes footage shot in Uganda, such as Murchinson
Falls National Park, Towles' compound in Kinshasa.
User copies in box 47. Originals housed at the Smithsonian. Detailed index from Smithsonian in repository.
Box 46-47
Ik Film Study, 1964-1965
Includes edited film shot among the Ik, a formerly nomadic hunting and gathering people of northeast Uganda. Film depicts
the fragmentation of Ik life caused by drought and displacement from their traditional hunting territory. Footage includes
Ik homesteads, woman carving a calabash and churning milk, scenes of agricultural practices, and interactions with the pastoralist
Turkana with whom the Ik traditionally had relations as both part-time cattle herders and raiders.
DVD user copies in box 47.
Box 46-47
Film Study by Joseph Towles: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Egypt, 1966
Three broadcast videocassette tapes, silent, in color, dubbed from 3/4-inch master by the Smithsonian in 1998. Sent as last
of outstanding copies of Towles videos. Includes letter from Smithsonian.
DVD user copies in box 47.
Box 47A-47B
Film: African Village and Dance Scenes, 1966
Includes 30 rolls of 100 feet, 16 mm film of various misc African village and dance scenes. Includes undecipherable handwritten
list of reels by Colin Turnbull enclosed in a box which read "received from Helen Kenyon 10-100 ft. rolls," Colin Turnbull April 11, 1966.
6.3. Audio Recordings, 1950s-1971.
Box 50
7-inch Reel Audio Recordings: Pygmies and African-Related Music and Sound, circa 1950s-1971
Includes audio recordings pertaining to Africa and pygmies, including nkumbi circumcision initiation practices such as songs,
rituals, drumming, and dances. Also includes Ituri and Epulu music, women's dances and songs, Asa myths, legends, and misc.
material from West Africa and Africa. Countries sampled include Uganda, the Sudan, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, DRC, South Africa,
Rwanda, and Madagascar. Also of note are several reels pertaining to the American Museum of Natural History exhibition, "Lute, Flute and Drum" and "Man in Africa."
For a detailed inventory, see box 50.
Box 50
Metal Reel Containers: Music and Sound from Bahamas, West and North Africa, and Elsewhere
Includes 31 metal reel containers, with handwritten notations by Colin Turnbull. Contains audio and music such as calypso
from the Bahamas, softwinds, music of West and North Africa, and music from Harry Belafonte and Frankie Lymon.
For photocopies of metal canisters with Turnbull notations, see box 50.
Box 50
5-inch Reels: Teuso/Ik, 1965-1966
Includes eight reels that contain audio recordings with notes pertaining to the Teuso/Ik, 1965-1966.
Box 50
Audiocassettes: Pygmies, 1971
Includes 13 audio cassettes containing audio recordings of Molimo songs, Epulu dances, forest sounds, and various other recordings
pertaining to the pygmies, 1971.
The slides series consists of about 10,000 personal and professional slides taken by Joseph Towles, Colin Turnbull, and others
during their world travels, mostly relating to the Mbuti of the Ituri Forest in Uganda and the Ik of the Congo (1948-1988).
They reflect the people, physical environment, material culture, and rituals. Many slides also relate to Towles and Turnbull's
project on Tourism as Pilgrimage and include images of India, China, Japan, Indonesia, and other countries. Personal slides
include images of vacations, holidays and visits with friends and family.
The slide series was organized and annotated by Colin Turnbull in 1991.
Box 51
Slide Organizational Materials
The slide series was organized and annotated by Colin Turnbull in 1991. It includes a detailed inventory, Turnbull's notes
and audiocassettes containing slide descriptions narrated by him and a list of the slides from the 1979-1980 world tour.
Box 52
Slides 1-800, 1954-1967
Includes slides with images from North Africa, West Uganda, Ghana, Morocco, Ruwenzori Mountains, Kilembe, Nigeria, Cameroon,
Kasenya Plains, copper mines, Semliki River, West Sudan, East Africa, and Democratic Republic of the Congo (also known as
Zaire). Slides depict the Ituri Forest, ciga wire drawing, Mbuti hunter, Mbuti rituals such as weddings, initiation dance,
nkumbi ritual, and ritual doctors. Also includes Mbuti personal care such as checking for lice, honey gathering, recreational
activities, and Camp Putnam with Anne Putnam; Ik village and Iks shown searching for food, herding sheep, fire making and
other general activities. Also shows Iks after Turkana raid. General views of Africa includes copper mining activities, workers
quarters, market, hospital and Lake Victoria, Moroccan coast and village. Also shows Makerere University at Kampala including
Mosque, student buildings, and living quarters. Ghana (1954) shows independence speeches with Kwame Nkrumah. Includes shots
from the filming of Mountains of the Moon and Joseph Towles and Colin Turnbull's apartment in New York, 1966.
Box 53
Slides 801-1377
Includes images of Mbuti wedding rituals, Mbo, Nkumbi, Camp Putnam and Mbuti village life. Also includes Joseph Towles' family
in New York.
Box 54
Row 1-3: Colin Turnbull's Journey through East Africa, Egypt, and India, 1948-1951
Includes images related to Turnbull's 1948-1951 travels in East Africa, Egypt, and India. Regions include Kenya, Uganda, Makerere
University, DRC (specifically Epulu River and Camp Putnam) the Nile River, Sudan, and Valley of the Kings. Depict festivals,
students, temples, and Anandamayi Ashram.
Box 54
Row 4-5: India, 1948-1950
Includes images of ashrams, Buddhist temples, Maharajah and Maharishi of Sikkim, and other various scenes from Colin Turnbull's
travels through India.
Box 54
Row 5-8: Collecting Trips: Africa - Chad, 1962-1963
Includes slides from Gurnee and Betty Dyer's trip to collect objects for the American Museum of Natural History, given to
Joseph Towles and Colin Turnbull by Mr. Gurnee Dyer. Includes various general scenes such as camel caravans, markets, forts,
and villagers.
Box 54
Row 8-10, Slides 1378-1808: Mbuti Village Plantation and Egyptian and Moroccan Village Life
Box 54
Row 10-23, Slides 1809-4466: "Tourism as Pilgrimage," 1979
Includes slides from Colin Turnbull and Joseph Towles' research in India, Sri Lanka, Bali, China, Japan, American Samoa and
Tahiti, 1979. Slides feature various temples, rivers, gardens, tombs, mosques, monasteries, shrines and palaces.
Box 54
Row 25-28: Personal Slides
Includes personal slides of Joseph Towles and Colin Turnbull, including home, family, pets, and other domestic subjects.
Box 55
Carousels 1-7, Slides 4467-5064: Joseph Towles Travels to Ituri Forest, 1970-1971
Includes images taken during Towles' 1970-1971 travels to the Ituri Forest and depicts Nkumbi rituals and other miscellaneous
village scenes.
Box 56
Carousels 8-14, Slides 5064-5589: Elima Ritual, World Health Organization Expedition, and Ciga Wire Drawing, 1967-1969
Includes slides from Elima ritual. Also shows the World Health Organization (WHO) expedition to Central Africa for blood
typing of all Mbuti, 1968-1969, as well as ciga wire drawing, 1967.
Box 57
Carousels 15-21, Slides 5590-6234: Ciga Wire Drawings and Joseph Towles' African Experiences, circa 1970s
Includes a continuation of ciga wire drawing slides. Also shows Towles' first trip to Zaire (present-day Democratic Republic
of the Congo) and first meeting with the Mbuti, 1970. Various slides include Makerere University, Uganda countryside, cathedrals,
Towles' living quarters in Uganda, Camp Putnam, and other scenes of village life.
Box 58
Carousels 22-28, Slides 6235-6803: Joseph Towles in Zaire
Includes various scenes from Joseph Towles' village life. Also includes Ituri Forest, abandoned villages, Epulu, and Mbuti
village life and rituals.
Box 59
Carousels 29-35, Slides 6804-7398: Joseph Towles in Egypt, Uganda, and Other Materials, 1950s-1960s
Includes images of Joseph Towles in Egypt. Also includes 1954 African maps and copies of American Museum of Natural History
slides regarding Kalahari Bushman. Includes various scenes from Uganda, 1965, and Ik village life.
Box 60
Carousels 36-42, Slides 7399-7980: Makerere University and the Ik
Includes various slides from Makerere University. Also includes Ik village scenes and rituals as well as Joseph Towles interacting
with the Ik.
Box 61
Carousels 43-49, Slides 7981-8570: Makere University, Southern Kenya, and the Ik
Includes various scenes depicting Ik village activities. Also includes Makerere University, East Africa, 1965, and Joseph
Towles in Southern Kenya.
Box 62
Carousels 50-51, Slides 8571-8715: Ik, Tourism as Pilgrimmage, and World Tour
Includes slides of various Ik activities as well as Joseph Towles in the field among Ik and with George Peterson, the American
Museum of Natural History preparator. Tourism as Pilgrimage slides include images of Joseph Towles in Paris, G'mran, Masaada,
Jordan, Galilee, Nazareth, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Egypt, 1979. World Tour slides include Paris, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Masaada,
Galilee, Mt. Arabella, Mt. Tabor, Gizeh, Mairobi, Bombay city, Calcutta, Peking, Tokyo, and India.
Box 63
Volumes 1-7: Personal Slide, 1956-1963
Includes images of the New York apartment, family gatherings, Colin Turnbull and Joseph Towles on vacation, and holidays.
Box 64
Volumes 8-14: Personal Slides, 1963-1965
Includes images of trips, holidays, friends and family. Also includes Joseph Towles' first trip to Africa, 1965.
Box 65
Volumes 15-21: Personal Slides, 1966-1971
Includes images of trips, holidays, friends and family. Also includes 1971 Wenner Gren Foundation Anthropological Conference
at Austrian Castle, Burg Wartenstein.
Box 66
Volumes 22-25: Personal Slides, 1973-1988
Includes images of trips, holidays, friends and family. Also includes last pictures taken of Joseph Towles on his 51st birthday
in St. Croix in 1988, as well as his grave at Chestnut Point, 1988, and a shrine of Joseph Towles' life.
Box 66
Carousel 1-2: Colin Turnbull's Lectures of Mbuti and Ik Village Life
Donor files consist of correspondence (1987-1993) regarding the acquisition of the collection; copies of previous inventories
(1990-1994); correspondence and lists regarding items removed from collection; and CD of oral history of the collection conducted
with Joseph Powell.
Box 50
Acqusition and Other Correspondence, 1987-1993
Box 50
Previous Inventories, 1990-1994
Box 50
List of Items Removed and Other Materials
Box 50
Oral History Interview with Joseph Powell, 2009
Includes oral history interview with Joseph Powell, former archivist of the Joseph A. Towles Papers.
This collection has restrictions to access. For more information, please read the collection inventory or contact the Avery Research Center: (843) 953-7609.
Copyright Notice
The nature of the Avery Research Center's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may
be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Avery Research Center for African American History
and Culture claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright
law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of
copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be
fully credited with the source.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Joseph A. Towles Papers, Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, College
of Charleston, Charleston, SC, USA.
Acquisitions Information
The collection was donated to the Avery Research Center by the United Negro College Fund in 1989 following Towles' death and
through the efforts of Colin Macmillan Turnbull.
Processing Information
Processed by Jessica Lancia, Rachel Allen, and Melissa Bronheim, August 2009
Edited by Amanda Ross, November 2009
Encoded by Amanda Ross, November 2009
Funding from the Council on Library and Information Resources supported the collection processing and encoding of this finding
aid.
The collection was initially processed by Joseph Powell under archivist Donald West, from 1990-1994. It was reprocessed by
Jessica Lancia, Melissa Bronheim, and Rachel Allen under Harlan Greene in 2009. Amanda Ross edited the description, encoded
the finding aid, and contributed subject headings.
Use restricted. Please ask repository staff for details.
