Incorporation of indigenous archives into Limpopo archives repository: a case of Venda indigenous archives

Purpose This study aims to assess the Venda indigenous archives incorporation into the Limpopo Provincial archives to promote archives decolonisation. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on a qualitative research method. Interviews conducted with the 10 Limpopo Provincial Archivists and 25 community leaders based in the Venda area were conducted. The semi-structured interview was used to collect data. Findings It is a South African constitutional mandate for each province to manage its archives. As the former Venda was now part of the Limpopo province, its archives were incorporated into the Limpopo Provincial Archives. The Venda archives incorporation to the Limpopo Provincial Archives did not consider the will of a community member to travel a long distance. Furthermore, challenges faced by archivists such as lack of skills and knowledge to process archival materials, lack of funding and participation in the incorporation of archives materials. Research limitations/implications This research confines itself to the Venda indigenous archives created from 1979 to 1993. Practical implications This paper addresses archives decolonisation. Social implications The paper has the potential to demonstrate the value of the indigenous archive. Originality/value The study can be replicated for other research practices. This case study can be implemented in other parts of the world that face similar circumstances so regarding the transfer of archives and the challenges faced to maintain community knowledge and make them accessible.

Gerald Vizenor. Native Provenance: The Betrayal of Cultural Creativity.

This is a critical moment for those who care for Native American and Indigenous archives. After much discussion, debate, and years of tireless advocacy, the Protocols for Native American Archival Materials has finally been endorsed by our leading professional organizations. The Association of College and Research Libraries, following the request of the Rare Books and Manuscript Section (RBMS), endorsed the Protocols in August 2019. In 2018, the Council of the Society of American Archivists unanimously endorsed the Protocols, accompanied by an apology for the many years of inaction. Following these endorsements, the next step for us is not only to continue its promotion and implementation, but also grow our understanding of what it means to be responsible stewards of items in our care. The Protocols articulate foundational concepts for our professional practice, including notions of cultural sensitivity and reciprocity. We can further expand our thinking and practice in this area by engaging with the works of prominent thinkers. Among these is Anishinaabe cultural theorist, writer, and scholar Gerald Vizenor’s most recent book, Native Provenance: The Betrayal of Cultural Creativity.

Introduction

For empires and states, diasporas present a tantalizing transnational frontier to be reclaimed for state-building purposes. Between 1880 and 1920, a half million Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian Arabs left the Ottoman Empire, settling in “Syrian colonies” across the Atlantic. This introduction explores the processes by which nationalist historiographies have marginalized Arab migrants. It critiques the silences that place-based archives produce and argues that reclaiming, controlling, and containing Syrian migrants abroad lay at the center of Ottoman, American, and French projects aimed at the Middle East. Writing migrant histories from indigenous archives restores the scope of such projects. Examining the papers migrants carried with them across the diaspora—papers, passports, petitions, correspondence—allows this work to pursue Syrians across multiple archival regimes. Migrant print culture is more than the sum of its writings; rather, what makes paper powerful is its ability to define the scope of Syria’s transnational geography.