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William Byler Papers
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
William Byler was Executive Director of the Association on American Indian Affairs (AAIA) from 1962 to 1980. Under Byler's leadership, the AAIA worked to promote the self-sufficiency of Native Americans as a whole and of individual communities. AAIA was especially active during this time on issues related to health, education, and welfare; economic life; arts and crafts; and land and water rights. After leaving AAIA, Byler continued advocating for the Native American community, first at Gerard, Byler and Associates and later at William Byler Associates.
Byler's papers document his work on behalf of the Native American community after leaving the Association on American Indian Affairs (AAIA). The papers include legal memoranda, draft and final agreements between Native American communities and companies or government agencies, and court documents, as well as topical files of related legislation and reports on the issues. The majority of the cases are concerned with water and land rights of individual tribes. Other issues include the use of natural resources and mining, tribal status, social services, and legislation that effected Native American communities. The collection also includes administrative and financial documents from the firms Gerard, Byler and Associates and William Byler Associates, along with the papers of legislative consultant Fraser Barron.
Collection is arranged into four series:
Gift of William Byler in 2003 and 2004. The accession numbers associated with this gift are ML.2003.11 and ML.2004.024.
The Fraser Barron files in Box 23 were donated by William Byler's wife, Mary Byler, in 2012. The accession number associated with this donation is ML.2012.022.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
Materials in this collection have been treated for mold; however, materials may still be fragile and exhibit signs of damage. Researchers should exercise caution when handling these materials.
This collection was processed by Tal Eisenzweig in August 2008. A collection-level description and a file-level inventory were created but no arrangement occurred at this time. The Fraser Barron files in Box 23 were added to the collection in 2015 after being discovered in the repository.
The collection was reprocessed by Rachel Van Unen in February-March 2018 after receiving preservation treatment for mold. The collection was intellectually arranged into four series and materials were rehoused in new archival folders.
No material was separated during processing in 2008 or 2015.
During reprocessing in 2018, approximately one linear foot of receipts and invoices for individual expenses were discarded. The financial statements of Byler's firms, monthly invoices to tribal leadership, and other more substantial financial documents were retained.
People
Subject
- Publisher
- Public Policy Papers
- Finding Aid Author
- Tal Eisenzweig; Rachel Van Unen
- Finding Aid Date
- 2008
- Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
-
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
Series 1 primarily pertains to the land and water rights of specific American Indian tribes or peoples. Most of the communities represented by Byler are native to the Southwest, especially Arizona, though issues related to tribes and peoples residing in Washington state, the Midwest, and the Southeast are also documented.
Materials in this series are arranged by tribe or people. Though the materials in this series have been intellectually grouped together, they remain in their original physical order as received from the donor.
Physical Description22 boxes
2 boxes
4 folders
2 folders
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
5 boxes
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
3 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
2 boxes
4 folders
5 folders
1 folder
1 folder
2 boxes
1 folder
3 folders
6 boxes
3 folders
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
3 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
4 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
9 boxes
1 folder
Materials also relate to the Hia-Ced O'Odham (Sand Papago) people
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
4 folders
5 folders
1 folder
3 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
7 boxes
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
Folder 7 also includes materials related to Central Arizona Water Conservation District v. United States and the settlement among the Gila River Indian Community, Phelps Dodge Corporation, and the United States
Physical Description2 folders
1 folder
These folders include materials related to the Phelps Dodge settlement agreement, the San Carlos Apache Water Rights Settlement Act of 1992, and the Central Arizona Project, particularly allocation of water between the San Carlos Apache Tribe and the Ak-Chin Indian Community
Physical Description2 folders
1 folder
3 boxes
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
3 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 box
2 folders
2 boxes
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
2 boxes
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
4 boxes
2 folders
1 folder
2 folders
Folder 6 also includes information about water rights of five central Arizona Indian tribes (Ak-Chin Indian Community, Fort McDowell Mohave-Apache Indian Community, Gila River Indian Community, Papago Tribe, and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community)
Physical Description6 folders
2 folders
1 folder
3 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
Series 2 is composed of publications, drafts of legislation, memoranda, correspondence, court documents, and other materials related to issues impacting multiple tribes or the Native American community as a whole. Topics documented include land claims, water rights (especially as they pertain to the Central Arizona Project), mining, child welfare, religious freedom, education, tribal governance, and social services (the latter three issues particularly as they pertain to Public Law 93-638, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act).
Materials in this series have been intellectually grouped together; however, they remain in their original physical order as received from the donor.
Physical Description12 boxes
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
3 folders
Includes information about the Central Arizona Project
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
Series 3 contains administrative materials from Gerard, Byler and Associates and William Byler Associates, including the firms' financial statements, contracts between Byler's firms and his American Indian tribal clients, and invoices sent to the tribes for Byler's legal services.
Materials in this series have been intellectually grouped together; however, they remain in their original physical order as received from the donor.
Physical Description6 boxes
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
5 folders
2 folders
1 folder
Series 4 is composed of papers from legislative campaigns that were generated by consultant Fraser Barron and collected by William Byler, including notes, correspondence, government documents, and reports. The papers mostly pertain to the Havasupai tribe's claims to territory in the Grand Canyon and the water rights of other Arizona tribes.
Materials in this series have been intellectually grouped together; however, they remain in their original physical order as received from the donor.
Physical Description1 box
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder