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Oswald White Bear Fredericks Collection (RESTRICTED), 1953-1965

NAU.MS.316

Biographical Note

Oswald White Bear Fredericks spent most of his life as a Hopi artist and story teller working for various youth organizations. One of his accomplishments was the carving of the Goldwater Kachina Collection which now resides at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. His second major accomplishment was collecting oral histories of Hopi people. These oral histories were the basis of Frank Waters' Book of the Hopi (1964).

Fredericks was born in Old Oraibi on February 6, 1905 to Charles and Anna Fredericks. He was christened Qötsahonaw (White Bear) after his father's Bear clan and was born into the Isngyam (Coyote) clan which was his mother's. As a child, White Bear was initiated into one of the four societies which all Hopi belonged, however he was never initiated into one of the major four Kiva groups. White Bear attended the Oraibi Day School, was sent to the Phoenix Indian School then on to Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kansas, and Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. It was at this latter institution, in 1930, he became a devout Christian. From this point he moved to New York, where he taught Indian Lore to the Boy Scouts. He then became the head instructor for arts and crafts for the YMCA in New Jersey and spent time at Shawnee-on-the-Delaware as a workshop instructor in Indian music.

In 1950 he married Naomi Meltamore (Brown Bear), a German American, from Waukegan, Illinois. After their marriage, they moved to New Oraibi and stayed in the home of his clan aunt, Elizabeth White. Here they took over his Aunt's business of boarding visitors and researchers. Unfortunately, very few visitors came to lodge with the Bears, so White Bear and Naomi returned to Phoenix in 1952. He returned to work as an instructor of arts and crafts for the Phoenix Boys Club. Because of his talent, he was in great demand for Hopi crafts, especially his Kachina dolls. White Bear remained an instructor until 1959.

It was during the late 1950s that White Bear convinced Fredrick Howell, director of the Charles Ulrick and Josephine Bay Foundation, to underwrite a history of the Hopi people. Howell approved the idea and eventually, Frank Waters was chosen as the writer to work with White Bear.

White Bear's role in the project was to record and transcribe oral histories gathered from Hopi elders. It is from this information that Frank Waters compiled his "Book of the Hopi" in 1963. The book was quite popular, drawing interest from the public and Hopi alike. Within the book was the myths of the Hopi and general information on their clans and rituals. This book became quite popular with the alternative movements of the 1960's and led to many pilgrimages to Hopi, and even unwanted settlement. Today, the book still holds favor with the New Age crowd, stimulating pilgrimages to Hopi from all over the world, especially German.

In his later years, White Bear continued his reputation as a top artist and as a teacher of Hopi culture. He shared his art and his knowledge with the world through public presentations in the United States and Europe. For many years he could be found exploring the backcountry of Hopi and the Verde Valley in search of answers to Hopi prophecy. White Bear died on February 6th, 1996.

Scope and Content

The Oswald White Bear Fredericks collection consists of correspondence, notes, and oral interviews (both audio tape and translated transcriptions) with Hopi elders created by Oswald White Bear Fredericks between the years of 1958 and 1966. The bulk of this material contains the research conducted for Frank Waters by Oswald White Bear and Naomi Fredericks from 1958 to 1963. However, the collection also contains material that Fredericks collected before and after the Book of the Hopi project. Other documents pertain to Senator Barry Goldwater relating to a proposed book on Kachinas and White Bear's involvement with a movie titled The Eagle Boy.

For additional information on Oswald White Bear Fredericks, consult Roxie McLeod's thesis entitled Dreams and Rumors submitted to the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1994. Also Frank Water's book Pumpkin Seed Point published in 1969 provides an excellent description of Waters' stay at Hopi while working with White Bear.

Arrangement

Restrictions

Conditions Governing Access

As of December 16, 2020, Cline Library Special Collections and Archives, following consultation with the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office (HCPO) and in concurrence with HCPO’s guidance, have restricted public access to the entire White Bear Fredericks collection for reasons of cultural sensitivity. This consultation and action aligns with and supports the Cline Library’s commitment to implementing the Protocols for Native American Archival Materials.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for Northern Arizona University, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Title or brief description of item or file.] Oswald White Bear Fredericks Collection [manuscript], NAU.MS.316, Series [ ], Box [ ], File [ ]. Northern Arizona University. Cline Library. Special Collections and Archives.

Processing Information

Processed in 2000 by Robert Coody.