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The series consists of operational records of the Department of Anthropology at the British Columbia Provincial Museum and it's predecessor, the Provincial Museum of Natural History and Anthropology. The records are often referred to as the Wilson Duff Papers, as a significant portion of the series consists of original research notes made by Duff, curator of Anthropology at the museum from 1980-1965, in the course of his work with Indigenous communities in British Columbia. Some field notes of other museum anthropologists are also included, as well as correspondence, subject files, and records relating to totem poles in British Columbia.

Staff of the Department of Anthropology conducted research work documenting the history, culture, and languages of Indigenous communities in British Columbia. Records include field notes, maps, transcripts of interviews, correspondence, subject files, and copies of published and unpublished works.

The series has been arranged into the following five sub-series:

A: Wilson Duff research notes
B: Administrative records and correspondence
C: Totem poles 1950-1975
D: Subject files 1945-1968
E: Ethnology field notes

Fonds consists of mulitmedia records documenting Ida Halpern's professional work and private affairs of her life in Canada. The records document predominantly Halpern's study of the art and culture of First Nation's communities on the West Coast of British Columbia. In particular, Halpern's studies focus on the musical traditions and cultures of First Nations communities. Halpern's recordings include music from the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples, Nuu-chah-nulth peoples, Haida peoples, and the Coast Salish peoples. There is also a considerable amount of textual material concerning Halpern's study of her recordings and publication of her conclusions on her work. Material from her writings as a music critic and supporter of local arts comprises a smaller portion of the fonds. There are also records of Halpern's private affairs in the form of correspondence, photographs and various ephemera.

Reflecting her academic training as a musicologist, the series consists primarily of Ida Halpern’s musical research into the traditional arts and culture of the aboriginal peoples of the Pacific Northwest of Canada. Beginning in 1947 Halpern made a concerted effort to record original hereditary songs and ceremonies of various aboriginal communities across the West Coast. Her method focused on opportunity rather than strategic selection of aboriginal communities. The result is a scattered selection of recordings primarily from Kwakwaka’wakw (European literature: Kwakiutl) communities, but also including Nu-cha-nulth (European Literature: Nootka), Haida, Tsimshian, and Nuxalk (European literature: Bella Coola). Halpern recorded both in the setting of local communities and, when opportunity arose, in Vancouver. She began her work on a disc cutting Meissner recorder but as technology progressed she moved to audio reels and finally cassette tapes. Her magpie approach may have lacked coordination but she succeeded in capturing a significant sampling of performances from the last generation of Aboriginal leaders fluent in the arts, languages, and ceremonies of their peoples. The recordings are of unique value for three reasons in particular. First Halpern used her musical background to make unprecedented sophisticated musical analysis of the First Nations musical works she recorded. Second, Halpern arrived on the Northwest Coast at the cusp of a popular appreciation for art and culture of local First Nations societies. Her work helped to bring uncommon public attention to the artistic and social identities of these indigenous communities. Third, many of the Elders Halpern recorded were willing to offer a selection of songs, naming ceremonies and other traditional creations because they recognized the generational decline in the common usage of their indigenous culture and the corresponding need for its preservation. Halpern arranged the recordings by performer and usually by date. Not conversant in any of the languages she was recording, Halpern wrote phonetic renderings of the titles of recorded songs on the covers of the discs, reels, and cassettes. Halpern occasionally made additional annotations to the covers of the recordings to explain the meaning of songs. Most of the cases, and often the discs and cassettes, are dated in her hand. During her studies of the music, Halpern also analyzed the pitch, time signature, melody, lyrics and other elements of many of the songs. For research see the “Research records” series.

Referred to as the Wilson Duff Papers, these records are microfilm copies of primarily the original research and field notes of Wilson Duff who was curator of Anthropology at the British Columbia Provincial Museum from 1950 to 1965 and deal with the ethnology of aboriginal peoples in British Columbia. Some field notes of other museum anthropologists are also included. The original papers consist of approximately 1.5 meters of textual records. The majority of them were microfilmed in order to make the contents available to clients of the then British Columbia Archives and Records Service. The Royal British Columbia Museum retained the original papers including some maps, typescripts and oversize material that were not microfilmed.

Wilson Duff received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a Masters Degree in anthropology from the University of Washington (Seattle) in 1951. From 1950 to 1965 he served as Curator of Anthropology for the British Columbia Provincial Museum (now the Royal British Columbia Museum). He also directed the British Columbia Government Anthropology Program from 1960 to 1965. From 1965 until his death in 1976 he was a Professor of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. During his term as Curator of Anthropology with the Museum, Wilson Duff conducted the research work documented in these papers. The papers are a diverse collection of material, consisting of field notes, maps, official and unofficial records, and copies of published and unpublished works. Records of later museum anthropologists also form a part of this collection. The Wilson Duff Papers document many aspects of Indigenous history and culture, and include important linguistic information. They also document the activities of Wilson Duff and other staff of the Provincial Museum.

The item consists of an audio disc recorded by Mildred Valley Thornton around 1950. It contains songs by Mungo Martin which are listed on the record label and in notes in accession file.
Side 1:

1. Nimpkish feast song.
2. Marriage song of Kwakiutl.
3. Raven song.
4. Nimpkish Potlatch song (announced by MVT)
5. Cwa-waa-enuk feast song.
   Side 2:
6. Thank you song for Lwakiutl [Kwakiutl] (song for my painting of Potlatch as given by Northern Tlingit)
7. Potlatch song
8. Marriage song of Koskimo.
9. Feast song of Kwakiutl.
10. War song of Kwakiutl.
11. Hamatsa song of Kwakiutl.
12. Warrior song re my painting
13. Grouse song.
14. Hok-kok song Kwakiutl.

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Halpern's comment quoting Martin: "Peter made it." From Heda Haida - Queen Charlotte Islands Tribes.

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Halpern's comment quoting Martin: "Hawaeitela He Je Je Jihi. Jihi is always the ending. Bob Halos (probably Bob Harris), only man here. Quinkeit Siwit." Halpern wrote Haweitela which is probably A'wa'etła̱la -Knight Inlet Tribe.

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Wolf Song, no transcript. Chorus: "Heja Heja, Heya Heya!" From 'Na̱mg̱is - Alert Bay Tribe.

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Type of Peace Dance. Halpern's comments quoting Martin: "Bella Bella, HA HO Ha. Same dancing as song #62 with same head dress. Different singing. Bella Bella story. Raven tells the Beaver that he sees the eagle. The Beaver has jumped into the belly of the seagull to take the herring. Chorus: HA HO HA Ha wo ha! From Hiłdzakw - Bella Bella Tribe."

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Type of Peace Dance. Halpern's comments quoting Martin: "Bella Bella, HA HO Ha. Same dancing as song #62 with same head dress. Different singing. Bella Bella story. Raven tells the Beaver that he sees the eagle. The Beaver has jumped into the belly of the seagull to take the herring. Chorus: HA HO HA Ha wo ha! From Hiłdzakw - Bella Bella Tribe."

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Halpern's comments: "Woman Dance Song. All even beats. Drum beat solo quite dramatic. Some men make this song for women. Winter dance, Fort Rupert. Kwakiutl. One, two, or three women. One way, counter clockwise. Old song, Winter dance part of Potlatch." Song owner: Johnny Hunt. From Kwagu'ł - Fort Rupert Tribe.

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Halpern's comments: "Mungo Martin ; ’Na̱ḵap̓a̱nka̱m closes his eyes and sings old feast song for Madispi Tribe" From Madispi 'Ma'diłbe' Matilpi Tribe, Call Inlet.

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Halpern's comments: "Another Madispi Feast Song. Very old - over 300 years." From Madispi 'Ma'diłbe' Matilpi Tribe, Call Inlet.

K̓wila'yala, Feast Song. This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Old Sawich Song. From SAWICH Ławit̕sis - Turnour Island Tribe.

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Halpern's comment quoting Martin: "This is a two part song. Very old Haida song with hair dress. Young men are dancing. Eagle fur white." Provenance is uncertain Martin either inherited it through marriage or war or more likely learned it from someone. From Heda Haida Queen Charlotte Tribes.

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Halpern's comment quoting Martin: "Dancing. Haida song. Dancing around the fire, kneeling down. When turning around they change the time. Lots of young men are dancing and singing." This is a two part song from Heda Haida - Queen Charlotte Islands Tribes. Lyrics include "sikax̱o nusi wuhu."

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Quoting Martin "From Heda Haida - Queen Charlotte Islands Tribes. A Haida love song."

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Halpern's comment quoting Martin: "Sometimes old people come down with Haida to town. Another song, 100 years old, whiskey song. The town is called Gastown (Vancouver)." From Heda Haida - Queen Charotte Islands Tribes.

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Ida Halpern notes quoting Martin: "Bella Coola, only woman are allowed to sing, not men. Men just sing a little bit. Woman dance and man sing. seven songs. wolf mask. HISIWI-head. Wolf song- always the same song for wolf dance. Kluquala. 40 old songs, people sing gradually less and less. Om Hit ( Umx'id is Tom Omhid) knew 10 of them. Mungo knows only eight. They were sung before the white man came. Nobody makes wolf songs now. Kwakitul and Kimquit have wolf songs. One time going around counter clockwise, if they went the other way they were thrown out since it was not allowed. Kekemachut dead long ago. Night time dance-Kimquit Indian. Potlatch dance-only Wolf power can sing it. Hamatsa is only one song-for one mask. Wolf Society-only the Kwakiutl have this one. Quinqiut Indians have another Wolf dance. Sometimes he gets a coast singer, LAS TOL to help and sing with him. Little Que Kodilikla is his father's mother, mother side. Gilbert Island Indian. Gigilkam Kwakiutl have the wolf dance from Fort Rupert. Geila Geila - come here. Contemporary community observatin: "Xisiwe'" meaning "teeth showing on forehead" is the name of the wolf mask. Umx'id is artist and contemporary of Mungo Martin ; ’Na̱ḵap̓a̱nka̱m. Tluquala Oługwala -Supernatural treasure (wolf). Que Kodilikla Ḵiḵadiliḵa̱la is wolf clan of Kincome Inlet Tribe." The wolf is the symbol of cunning and wisdom, it is in the first rank of animals in the Kwaka̱ka̱̕wakw spiritual universe. In myth, the wolf was the first to initiate young humans into the Winter Dance ceremonial.

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Halpern's comments quoting Martin: "song is recitative. West Coast, Half Nootka, Half Nimpkish. Accompanied by dance. He is coming around, dancing. Florence Hunt." This is not a wolf song, but a sea serpent song. It is likely Mowacheht (Friendly Cove Tribe) rather than Nootka. From Nimpkish 'Na̱mg̱is - Alert Bay Tribe.

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Halpern's comment quoting Martin: "It belongs to Nasonis of the Nootka people. It is a Red Cedar Bark Dance. Women's Dance. Belongs to chief who stays outside first during ceremony and then comes in and sings." Nasonis is Halpern's rendition of, Nasunis, a west coast chief's name. Kesuh is Halpern's rendition of K̓e'su an Indian name. From Kwagu'ł - Fort Rupert Tribe.

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Halpern's comments quoting Martin: "Osis Talis - mother half Bella Bella. Bella Bella goes around the world." Mungo talks about the whale going around the world, spouting. Osis Talis is Udzistalis or "too great in the world." Song owner: Bella Bella Tom. From Kwagu'ł - Fort Rupert Tribe.

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Haplern's comment quoting Martin: "Deer mask song-skin around body. Old Kwakiuitl song. Belongs to Nikaitsi = Big Mountain." Winter dance. Song owner: Nikaitsi Na̱gedzi "Big Mountain" Charlie Wilson. Transformation mask and song are both rare. From 'Walas Kwagu'ł - 3rd Tribe of Fort Rupert.

This song was recorded in the home of Ida Halpern, 3707 West 37th, Vancouver, B.C. Halpern's comments: "Another Madispi Feast Song. Very old - over 300 years." From Madispi 'Ma'diłbe' Matilpi Tribe, Call Inlet.