Academic literature on the topic 'Barbeau Northwest Coast Files'

The numerous books of the poet Al Purdy (1918–2000) are well known to readers of modern Canadian literature. His extensive archives conceal many unnoticed works, however, and the true extent of his literary career can only be seen when the unpublished writing is brought into view. A manuscript from the early 1960s – “Yehl the Raven and Other Creation Myths of the Haida” – illustrates the importance of the archives to studies of his life and works. The obscure sequence of poems demonstrates Purdy’s ethnographic interests and represents a point of contact between modern Canadian literature and mid-century anthropology. It also shows Purdy to have been engaged, for a time, in a manner of writing that was largely distinct from the autobiographical, anecdotal mode that typifies the poetry on which his reputation rests. He wrote his “Creation Myths” by adapting narratives found in the studies of Marius Barbeau (1883–1969), the Canadian folklorist and ethnographer. He attempted to publish the resultant poems as a short book, but “Yehl the Raven” never appeared in print, and although the manuscript has not been utterly invisible to Purdy’s colleagues and critics, it has been mischaracterized, unappreciated, and essentially overlooked. Nor have its origins and virtual disappearance yet been explained. This brief essay consequently examines the manuscript and suggests why it merits critical attention.

Abstract The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) uses water column sonar data to assess physical and biological characteristics from the ocean surface to the seabed. Acoustic surveys produce large volumes of data that can deliver valuable information beyond their original collection purpose if the data are properly managed, discoverable, and accessible to the public. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, in partnership with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service and the University of Colorado, have created a national archive for water column sonar data to help achieve these goals. Through these efforts, over 21 TB of sonar data are now publicly available. Raw sonar files are difficult to interpret due to their size, complexity, and proprietary format. In order for users to understand the quality and composition of large volumes of archived data more easily, several visualization products were explored. Three processing methods were applied to multifrequency single-beam data (Simrad EK60) collected off the US northwest coast between 2007 and 2013. One method illustrates these complex data in a single image using a novel colour scale [multifrequency single-beam imaging (MFSBI)], another examines the nautical area scattering coefficients between two frequencies (ΔNASC), and the third indices the data into acoustic classifications [multifrequency indicator (MFI)]. The ability to apply the algorithms efficiently to multiyear datasets was explored. MFSBI proved effective at conveying the composition of the data and was easily adaptable to automated processing. ΔNASC, which required manual seabed corrections, illustrated a generalized pattern for changes in the water column across the shelf. MFI provided an empirically based statistical approach but will require more effort in the near term to evaluate and assess the accuracy and precision of each classification. Overall, spatio-temporal patterns of the acoustic backscatter identified large interannual variations in composition with the continental shelf break often playing a key role in attracting biological assemblages.

How are particular material culture traditions passed from one generation to the next? The digital archive supports "Technology as Human Social Tradition: Cultural Transmission among Hunter-Gatherers" (Jordan 2015) published by University of California Press. The archive consists of 15 Excel files which were used to conduct in-depth analysis of the factors driving diversity and change in material culture traditions. Each file contains a high-resolution survey of the design features of one material tradition practised by groups living in a geographic region. Three regions are investigated: Northwest Siberia (storage platforms shrines, skis); Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada (houses, canoes, basketry-matting); Northern California (basketry, houses, ceremonial dress).