A carved wooden boat seat with two legs and a concave center. The seat has a design etched into its surface of a spider web. A spider is at the center of the web.
The oral history consists of 2016.129.18.1a and 2016.129.18.2a: two versions (unedited, and edited) of a single digital video recording.
128.98321 GB
Dr. Charles D. Kleymeyer was interviewed as part of the NMAAHC Donor Oral History Collection. Dr. Kleymeyer is a close friend and research partner of Juan Garcia. Juan Garcia Salazar, an Afro-Ecuadorean, donated the very first item to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, a carved stool of clear tropical hardwood etched with a spider web motif, symbolizing West African folklore character, Anansi the Spider. This item is featured in our Cultural Expression Gallery. Dr. Kleymeyer, who lives in the DC Metropolitan area, has often acted as interpreter for Garcia Salazar and was present when the stool was delivered to NMAAHC Director Lonnie Bunch.
In this oral history interview Dr. Charles D. Kleymeyer discusses his life and work at length, including his memories of growing up near the African American community of Lyles Station in Indiana and the extensive work he did for many years with African and Indigenous peoples in Ecuador while working for the Inter-American Foundation (IAF). It was his work with the IAF that brought him into contact with Juan Garcia Salazar and he discusses their relationship in detail.
Unedited File: Unedited digital file of oral history interview. This file is necessary in case we need to refer to the original recording for any reason and/or want to use a portion of the file that has been edited out.
Edited File: Videographer has minimized or eliminated interruptions, false starts and any unnecessary sounds. An agreed upon slate has also been added with title, date, and logo. Separate files of the same interview have been concatenated. This is the copy that will be made available to the public and/or researchers and uploaded to the website.