The project is a continuation of 2008 Oral History Project conduction by myself, James Eric Francis Sr., Tribal Historian of the Penobscot Nation and funded through a National Park Service (NPS) Tribal Heritage Grant. The goal of the project was to introduce 350 photographs taken and collected by Dr. Frank G. Speck during his many visits in the early 1900’s, 19 teens, and 19 twenties. These visits would culminate in the 1943 publication of his landmark anthropological sketch called Penobscot Man. His notes, manuscripts, and photographs are housed at the American Philosophical Society (APS) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The APS digitized and provided the Penobscot Nation digital copies of these images.  We ‘interviewed’ thirty Penobscot Elders. No questioned where posed to the Elders, we only came with a notebook full of 8×10 high-resolution photographs of their ancestors. Once the individual visits were finished and audio recorded we invited the entire community to join us for what we called the “Elder History Café,” an evening of food and photos. Our motto was, “Come eat, look, laugh and share.” We outlined three of these Elder History Cafés in the grant but they have become a reoccurring event in the community. In addition we purchased 15 large format frames and mattes and created a historic photo gallery in what was once just a hallway adjacent to the Council Chambers where we held our Elder History Cafes. These pictures get changed out one week before the Elder History Cafes. The deliverables for the project was a historic map and a draft version of a collection of biographic and genealogical sketches of the ancestors identified by the elder.

This semester will enhance and integrate the collection of biographic and genealogical sketches, and the historic photo gallery. In addition I will create a picture slideshow with audio

First, and very close to completion is the collection of biographic and genealogical sketches. This was done using Adobe InDesign. This program is great for publishes and printing a booklet such as this, but I will also be input the information into IBook Author and will be broadcast on seven communally located televisions in the Penobscot Community.

Secondly, I will reformat the same information to fit the large format frames and mattes in the historic photo gallery. In the past people have asked me to place identification placards on the photos, but I never had. This new biographic and genealogical sketches format will give the community plenty to read and know. The book contains 37 individual sketches. I plan to place two to three sketches on each framed area. With the title and map I should be able to fill all fifteen frames easily.

Third, I will use the audio files collected during the interviews. Using, Adobe Premier I will integrate historic photographs with the elders’ voices. Once I explore IBook Author, I may integrate the biographic and genealogical sketches with the audio files and other historic photographs into one multilayered presentation.