This collection consists of textual documents and objects of material culture from the South Seas, including the Marshall Islands, the Caroline Islands, and the Marquesas Islands. The materials were either given to or bought by James and Betsy Berry in markets during their travels. They include newspapers, framed tapas created by a female artist from the village of Omoa on Hiva Oa Island, a man’s ceremonial garment and a woman’s everyday garment made of banana fiber, baskets, woven purses, and a coconut fiber rope. James Berry was a professor of Biology at Butler University and utilized the Charters South Seas Book Collection in Special Collections, Rare Books, and University Archives as a part of his biology research, which often took him abroad. His specialty was spiders.

The original inventory provided by the donors can be found in the accession file in Special Collections, Rare Books, and University Archives. Please contact the repository for more details.