Mary Ellen Hillaire Papers
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of audiocassettes, videos in various formats, reel to reel audiotapes, papers, objects and slides documenting the personal and professional life of Mary Ellen Hillaire. The majority of the collection is comprised of 2142 audiocassettes. Approximately one quarter of the tapes directly documents the various academic programs taught by Mary Ellen Hillaire. The majority of the remainder of the audiocassettes documents speeches and presentations, outside activities, curriculum planning and tools, native speakers, and various college related activities. The majority of the video materials and a large portion of the slides document various aspects of Native American Studies. The remainder of videos and slides documents her personal life. The artifacts include a large portion of wooden carvings and sculptures, including many totems. There are also baskets, jewelry and other hand crafted objects. The smallest portion of the collection is Papers. This portion of the collection includes her diplomas and various papers documenting activities at the Evergreen State College. The collection spans from 1950 to 1983, but the bulk of materials ranges from 1970 to 1982.
Dates
- Creation: 1950 - 1983
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1970 - 1982
Creator
- Hillaire, Mary Ellen (Person)
Restrictions on Access
The majority of the collection is open to the public, one folder is restricted.
Restrictions on Use
Duplication by the archives in no way transfers either copyright or property right, nor does it constitute permission to publish in excess of "fair use" or to display the materials.
Biographical Note
Mary Ellen Hillaire was born 7 February 1927 to Joseph and Edna Hillaire. She was a member of the Lummi Indian Tribe and grew up on the Lummi Reservation. Joseph was a renowned orator and carver and played an important role in the creation of the first tribal government. He was the secretary of the Lummi Indian Business Council. Mary graduated from Bellingham High School in 1950, she received her Bachelor of Arts from Western Washington University in 1956, she received her Bachelor of Social Work in 1957 from the University of British Columbia, and a Master of Education from Western Washington State College in 1967. She was the first native women to obtain a position with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. This placed her in a difficult position within her community. In 1971 she was the first woman faculty hired for The Evergreen State College (TESC). While at TESC she developed the Native American Studies program. She designed programs focusing on what she felt were the core learning components of native culture: music, talk, dance, and art. She actively recruited native students by physically taking applications directly to native communities. She also presented TESC with the idea of the Long House. She advocated a necessary space; "not a place to learn about indians, but a place for indians to learn." Although she excelled at creating quality programs, she had a difficult time with necessary paperwork. Often other faculty assisted her with this. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1980. She worked as long as she could remaining a faculty member until her death 2 October 1982.
In her own words she describes her life in this way:
"From energy a creature was formed, placed in thought upon the land, and charged to establish and to maintain. This energy was drawn in love into family way, and I took my position as the central figure in a family of thirteen children, born to parents who are both now dead. My mother, the late Mrs. Edna D. Scott, housewife and informer; my father the late Joseph R. Hillaire, carver and thinker.
My home was the land, my religion, the people; and my school all things of the sky, on the earth, and in the sea- a union from whence life springs. My parents relinquished me to take my lessons from the universe where, regardless of which direction I listened, looked, or touched, I found all fused into one on the growing horizon of my understanding guided only by the quality of my parents' daily living as they held their private lives openly." - Mary Hillaire
Extent
9.058 Cubic Feet (and 56.92 Linear feet 2142 audiocassettes 44 audiotapes 64 videos, various formats 1518 slides and 148 artifacts )
Language of Materials
English
Summary
This collection documents the life and work of Mary Ellen Hillaire from 1950 to 1983. She was the first woman and Native American hired as faculty at the Evergreen State College.
Arrangement
The Mary Ellen Hillaire Papers are divided into eighteen series: Series I: Academic Programs, Series II: Academic Specialty Area: Native American Studies: Curriculum Planning and Student Support, Series III: Lectures, Series IV: Long house Planning, Series V: Miscellanea, Series VI: Native American Cultural Examples, Series VII: Native American Studies: Media, Series VIII: Presentations, Series IX: Productions at Other Colleges, Series X: Telephone Recordings, Series XI: TESC Meetings/Seminars, Series XII: Academic Support, Series XIII: Native Speakers, Series XIV: Gathering/Events, Series XV: Minorities and Race Relations, Series XVI: Artifacts, Series XVII: Papers, and Series XVIII: Personal and Family Activities.
Series I: Academic Programs is further subdivided into thirteen subseries: Subseries I: A Separate Reality, Field Research, Subseries II: Designed Cultural Diversity, Subseries III: Economic Position in a Pleuralistic Society, Subseries IV: Life Modeling, Subseries V: Native American Studies: Instructional Materials, Subseries VI: Other Programs, Subseries VII: Perform BOAI, Subseries VIII: Resources for Determination, Subseries IX: Self Directed Learning, Subseries X: Spirituality - Eye of the Unknown, Subseries XI: Symbolization, Subseries XII: The Nature of Community and Subseries XIII: Miscellaneous: Class Discussions and External Academic Credits.
Subseries V: Native American Studies: Instructional Materials is further subdivided into three Sub-subseries: Sub-subseries I: "Oral Tradition," Sub-subseries II: "Nature of Human Nature," and Sub-subseries III: " Futurism."
Series II: Academic Specialty Area: Native American Studies is further subdivided into six subseries: Subseries I: Curriculum Planning and Student Support, Subseries II: Audio Tapes (R-R), Subseries III: Conferences, Subseries IV: Faculty Meetings and Seminars, Subseries V: Native American History, and Subseries VI: Instructional Materials.
Subseries V: Instructional Materials is further subdivided into five Sub-subseries: Sub-subseries I: "Cultural Re-Entry," Sub-subseries II: "David Grant," Sub-subseries III: "Question Directive: Research for Image Makers," Sub-subseries IV: Native American (Indian) Education, and Sub-subseries V: Tribes.
Series V: Miscellanea is further subdivided into five subseries: Subseries I: Mary Hillaire Misc.: Telephone conversations, Social Gatherings, Workshops/Conferences/Organizations, Subseries II: Miscellaneous, Subseries III: Not Identifies, Subseries IV: Refiles, and Subseries V: Audio Tapes -1995.
Series VIII: Presentations is further subdivided into five subseries: Subseries I: General Presentations, Subseries II: Church Presentations, Subseries III: Non-Campus Presentations, Subseries IV: Student Presentations, and School Visits Presentations.
Series XII: Academic Support is further subdivided into three subseries: Subseries I: Teaching/Tutoring, Subseries II: Counseling, and Subseries III: Recruitment.
Location Note
This collection is located in several areas in the archives. A portion of the collection is located on shelves 4E5 through 4F3, a portion of the collection is in 12 drawers in the audio cabinets, the video portion of the collection is located on 3 shelves in the 0430 multimedia room, and the majority of the artifacts are located on object shelves.
Processing Note
Portions of the audiocassette contents of this collection were processed and described by Sarah Plourde-Queener. The artifact portion of this collection was processed and described by Ed Nielson. The majority of this collection was processed by Randy Stilson.
Subject
- Evergreen State College -- History (Organization)
- Tremblay, Gail (Speaker, Person)
- Hillaire, Mary Ellen -- Archives (Person)
- All "artifacts" from the collection including carvings, jewelry, baskets and clothing deaccessioned.
- Title
- Guide to the Mary Ellen Hillaire Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Joey Grant
- Date
- 2012
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
- Sponsor
- Funded through a National Endowment for the Humanities “We the People” grant for Washington Women’s History to the Washington Women’s History Consortium, a part of the Washington State Historical Society. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Repository Details
Part of the The Evergreen State College Archives and Special Collections Repository
http://www.evergreen.edu/archives
2700 Evergreen Parkway NW
Olympia WA 98505 USA
archives@evergreen.edu