Another Eyak recording

Item ANLC2003

Several months ago we announced the availability of several new Eyak recordings made by Robert Austerlitz in 1961. These were recovered from Austerlitz's estate thanks to the help of Daniel Abondolo of University College London. The eight 3-inch reels recovered were labeled EY2 through EY9. There was no EY1. Surely Austerlitz had not started his Eyak recordings with a number 2, so there must have been an EY1.

On Wednesday, while moving equipment from the Brooks Building to the neighboring Rasmuson Library, we discovered three 7" reels labeled "DUPE" and dated 8/61. Written on the first tape in different hand was the following: "Austerlitz: mostly TL some EY." Curiously, the list of tracks included "Cordova 2, 3, 4" but also a track identified simply as "Cordova." Could this be the missing EY1?

Thanks to the work of recent UAF graduate Jonathan Manker we now have a digital copy of this recording, and we can readily identify that the tracks labeled Cordova 2, 3, 4 do indeed correspond to EY2, EY3, EY4, respectively. EY2 was recorded on September 1, 1961, and Austerlitz indicates quite clearly on the mystery "Cordova" track that this was recorded on August 28, 1961, three days prior. So the sequencing works out, making it very likely that this mystery track is indeed a duplicate of the missing EY1.

You can have a listen for yourself at the Alaska Native Language Archive. The mystery track is labeled ANLC2003-02-EY1-19610828.wav.