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David L. DeHarport collection, 1938-1967

MS-246

Biographical Note

David Lee DeHarport (8 August 1921- 15 June 2001) was born in Denver, Colorado. He received his BA in Anthropology from the University of Denver in 1943, and his MA in 1945. He began his doctoral research at Harvard University a couple of years later and earned his PhD in 1960. DeHarport first began researching the Southwestern Native American cultures as a student of the University of Denver, spending a couple of summers in New Mexico. And while at Harvard, DeHarport was sponsored by the Peabody Museum to work in Canyon de Chelly, on the Navajo Reservation, during the summers of 1948-1951 and 1957-1959. This research was the basis for his dissertation, "An Archeological Survey of Canyon de Chelly.”

DeHarport’s archeological interest was complemented by his proclivity for photography. He not only surveyed archeological sites but also photographically documented them.

Between his initial archeological survey of Canyon de Chelly and the completion of his dissertation, DeHarport worked for the Harvard Russian Research Center (1952). Later, in 1953, he photographically surveyed the low-relief sculpture at Chichen Itza, in the Yucatan, Mexico with the Carnegie Institution. And in 1955, he went on a Unesco mission to photograph hundreds of frescoes adorning the Ajanta Caves, a Buddhist site in central India.

After completing his PhD at Harvard in 1960, DeHarport was offered a position with the Navajo Claims Commission, based in Winslow, Arizona. During the summer he acted as an assistant archeologist to Clyde Kluckhohn, and in the fall he served as an expert witness in the Healing v. Jones case, which set aside the Hopi Reservation as exclusively Hopi land, with contested areas to be shared with the Navajos as a "joint-use area."

DeHarport continued working as archeologist and Navajo Land Claims representative after Healing v. Jones he began working as a researcher on Docket 229, which addressed various areas that the Navajo believed ancestrally belonged to them. Docket 229 consisted of Docket 196: Hopi overlap, Dockets 227/266: Acoma-Laguna overlap, Dockets 91: Havasupai overlap and Dockets 30/48/22-D/22-J: miscellaneous Apache overlap.

In 1962, DeHarport was appointed a research associate at the Museum of Northern Arizona and was given permission by Director Danson to work in Canyon de Chelly again. His work was initially to further document archeological sites and make sherd collections but culminated into a report on illegal excavation that was presented to tribal lawyers. His report was later discredited by other archeologists.

After his work as Navajo Land Claims representative, DeHarport’s interest was drawn back to his native Colorado. In the 1980s, DeHarport began documenting the fragile prairies of Colorado’s eastern plains. This area had often, until then, been eclipsed by the more popular Rocky Mountains and DeHarport was one of few people who recorded in photographs the landscape and people’s interaction with it. He devoted the rest of his life to this artistic study.

DeHarport passed away in Colorado in 2001 and was survived by his wife, Charlotte, who donated his photographic collections to various institutions.

Scope and Content

This collection is separated into 3 series. The first encompasses DeHarport’s legal work on Docket 229, which includes defense and plaintiff’s exhibits and statements, reports, notes, maps, hearing transcripts, and archeological surveys. The second series consists of DeHarport’s various reports on archeological sites around the United States and India, records included are his doctoral dissertation, his report on illegal excavations, field notes, photographic images, reports for the BIA and from his trips to California and India. The third series is comprised of the “Proposed Findings of Fact” for Littell v. Udall case.

Arrangement

Restrictions

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished and published manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Related Material

The Colorado Historical Society and the Knight Library at the University of Oregon have David L. DeHarport photograph collections. The Peabody Museum at Harvard University has records related to DeHarport’s doctoral research, as well as his original photograph index.

Controlled Access Terms

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

David L. DeHarport collection, MS-246 [Box Number]. Museum of Northern Arizona. Flagstaff, Arizona.

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated in parts between 1963 and 1968 by DeHarport (Accession #MS-41, MS-246, MS-247). Accession #MS-41 arrived in 1964 and is a permanent loan from DeHarport.

Processing Information

Processed in October of 2010.

Bibliography

The MNA library has published copies of the “Proposed Findings of Fact in Behalf of the Navajo Tribe of Indians” (see 340 u58p), as well as another copy of the “Plaintiff Exhibits, 2-499.”

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