Library of Congress International Collections

Newly digitized: a popular nineteenth-century Thai Buddhist illustrated manuscript featuring the Buddhist saint พระมาลัย (Phra Mālai’s) visit to Buddhist heavens and hells. During his visit to hell, Phra Mālai bestowed mercy on those suffering. His story serves as a reminder of the need for good karma. The text was often recited at Buddhist funerals in nineteenth-century Thailand. View online: https://www.loc.gov/item/2010422045/?loclr=blogint

Beautiful Khmer manuscripts of the រាមកេរ្តិ៍ Reamker (Rāmakerti) and some of the earliest printed texts of Cambodian Buddhism using Western technology are just a few of the remarkable treasures to be found among the library of Suzanne Karpelès. She is credited with creating the Buddhist Institute in both French colonial Cambodia and Laos. Her library is preserved at the Asian Reading Room, Library of Congress where it was donated, along with Paul Mus’ papers cover the opening years of the First Indochina War, 1945-1949. To learn more, see the following blog post: https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2024/05/from-the-library-of-suzanne-karpeles-jewels-of-early-cambodian-buddhist-printing-and-modernist-khmer-and-pali-manuscripts/?loclr=blogint
Caption for images below: Top left – 1928 “Quelques Monuments D’Angkor” by Huot Tath. Top-right – 1929 Khmer translation of the Dasadharmasutra by Buddhavamsa Mey with detail of an inscription noting donation of a copy of the work to Suzanne Karpelès. Middle – Chap Bin, “[Life of the Buddha],” 1934. Bottom – រាមកេរ្តិ៍ Reamker (Rāmakerti) on Leporello paper, [late 19th century-early 20th century]. Southeast Asian Rare Book Collection. Library of Congress Asian Division.

Have you ever wondered what’s in the Library of Congress’ Southeast Asian collection, where collection items come from, and who uses them? Southeast Asian reference librarians answer these questions in the following blog post: https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2024/07/southeast-asian-collections-at-the-library-of-congress-reference-librarians-answer-frequently-asked-questions/?loclr=fbint

August 2nd marks the birthday of Venezuelan author Rómulo Gallegos (1884-1969). To celebrate, Caribbean Studies Reference Librarian Joseph Torres-González writes about finding Rómulo Gallegos and "Doña Bárbara," one of Gallegos’ best known books that Torres González first encountered in high school, in the Library's PALABRA Archive. Read the post in English (https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2024/08/finding-romulo-gallegos/?loclr=fbint) or en español (Spanish): https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2024/08/encontrando-a-romulo-gallegos/?loclr=fbint.

Happy 4th of July! This day holds significance not only for the United States but also the Philippines. Over the years, July 4 has marked different celebrations connected to Philippine-US relations. On July 4, 1946, the United States formally recognized the independence of the Philippines and July 4 was celebrated as Philippine Independence Day until 1962, when it was switched to June 12, the date of the proclamation of Philippine independence from Spain in 1898 by the Philippine revolutionary leader, Emilio Aguinaldo. July 4 became Republic Day in the Philippines, a time to commemorate the foundation of the Philippines as an independent republic. Then in 1984, President Ferdinand Marcos moved Philippine-American Friendship Day, which had been celebrated on November 15 (the date in 1935 when the Philippine Independence Act was officially implemented through the establishment of the government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines), to July 4. Since then, July 4 has become associated with Philippine-American Friendship Day, a special day to celebrate the close ties between the two nations. In celebration of this spirit of friendship, pictured here is a photo of President Roosevelt receiving a gift of handmade flags from Philippine residents as a token of goodwill from the Philippines to the United States (https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2016883898/?loclr=fbint).

This year marks 75 years of US-Indonesia diplomatic relations, which were formally established in December 1949 when U.S. Ambassador H. Merle Cochran presented his credentials and a message of congratulations on Indonesian independence to President Sukarno of Indonesia. A display in the Asian Reading Room celebrates this milestone in bilateral ties by featuring stamps from Indonesia's revolutionary era. These stamps depict Indonesian leaders alongside figures of American democracy such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Also on display are selections of photos from an album gifted by the Ambassador of Indonesia in 2000 to mark 50 years of US-Indonesia relations. The display lasts from June to the end of July—come check it out at the Asian Reading Room (https://www.loc.gov/research-centers/asian/about-this-research-center/?loclr=fbint)!

The African Section of the African & Middle Eastern Division greeted H.E. Dr. William Samoei Ruto, President of Kenya with a curated exhibition of Kenyan materials. Hosted by Senator Christopher C***s, President Ruto’s visit to the Library of Congress was a prominent part of the President’s official state visit. Several other members of Congress attended including Senator Raphael Warnock.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Annan Productions

It was 80 years ago today that American troops launched one of the most daring seaborne invasions in history: the Invasion of Normandy. In honor of D-Day, we have an interview with Erika Hope Spencer, Reference Specialist, French Collections (Latin American, Caribbean & European Division) and Megan Harris, Reference Librarian, Veterans History Project (American Folklife Center): https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2024/06/80th-anniversary-of-d-day-normandy-landings/?loclr=fbint.

Caption: Pointe du Hoc is a prominent point located on the Normandy Coast of France between the two US landing beaches of Omaha and Utah. It overlooks the English Channel, with visible trace bomb craters along the shore. Photo credit, Erika Hope Spencer.

Etched in Stone: The Gates Unlocked: A new blog by the African and Middle Eastern Division, the third installment in a four-part series, examines the decipherment of the previously impenetrable cuneiform script and the journey it took to get there.
https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2024/05/etched-in-stone-the-gates-unlocked/?loclr=fbint
The first and second blogs are also available:
Etched in Stone: First, There Was The Word
https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2022/12/etched-in-stone-…ere-was-the-word/?loclr=fbint
Etched in Stone: The Word Travels Fast
https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2023/01/etched-in-stone-…ord-travels-fast/?loclr=fbint

This June 6, the Library of Congress and the Embassy of Indonesia commemorate 75 years of Indonesia-US diplomatic relations through an exhibition of the Library’s world-class Indonesian collection : rare texts, pictorial works, and more. Also experience a cultural performance and enjoy Indonesian refreshments (as venue space and availability permit). Registration for the event is required but free: https://www.loc.gov/item/event-412706/celebrating-75-years-of-indonesia-united-states-relations/2024-06-06/?loclr=fbint

Join us for this onsite event (details below), as we welcome Bartholomew Dean for a discussion of his recent book "The End of the Future: Trauma, Memory and Reconciliation in Peruvian Amazonia" (Vanderbilt Press, 2023), in which he explores the murky waters of memory and its contentious role in the quest for reconciliation after the scourge of civil war.

Dr. Dean is a professor of anthropology at the University of Kansas, where he leads the Public Anthropology Working Group at the Institute for Policy & Social Research.

Wednesday May 22, 2024 from 3-4pm in the Thomas Jefferson Building LJ 119 (101st Street SE, Washington, DC 20540). More information & free tickets: https://www.loc.gov/item/event-412686/bartholomew-dean-on-the-end-of-the-future/2024-05-22/

In case you missed it! Dr. Thongchai Winichakul's timely lecture, “Moments of Silence in Modern Thai History: The Unforgetting of October 6, 1976” is now online: https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-11297. Dr. Thongchai spoke about a pivotal moment in modern Thai history, the October 6, 1976 massacre at Thammasat University, one of the top institutes of higher learning in Bangkok, Thailand. This is not merely an academic exercise for Dr. Thongchai as he was a participant in events in his role as a student protest leader at the university on October 6, 1976. He explores the challenging question of positionality among other profound questions of accountability, rule of law, and more—all of major importance in Thailand today.

The Asian Division has posted a job announcement for two supervisory librarians, one in the East Asian Section and one in the South Asian, Southeast Asian, Tibetan and Mongolian Section. Applications will be accepted through June 7, 2024. For more information and instructions on how to apply, see the full announcement on USAJOBS at https://www.usajobs.gov/job/790234600.

Come and join us to work on the largest Asian collections outside of Asia! (https://www.loc.gov/research-centers/asian/about-this-research-center/?loclr=fbint)

As part of the Library’s National Poetry Month celebrations, the Latin American, Caribbean, and European Division (LAC&E) is making digitally available 24 previously unpublished audio recordings (https://guides.loc.gov/palabra-archive/yearly-digital-release?loclr=fbint) from the PALABRA Archive.

The PALABRA Archive (https://guides.loc.gov/palabra-archive/introduction?loclr=fbint) is a collection of original audio recordings of 20th and 21st century Luso-Hispanic poets and writers reading from their works. Since the launch of the online repositories of the Library’s literary audio archives almost a decade ago, the tradition around the PALABRA Archive has been to celebrate and release recordings during National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15). This year, however, marks the beginning of an April release, to join in with the wider literary activities held by the Library during that month.

Pictured here is Homero Aridjis, an author with a recording released in April 2024 (photo by Jacky Muniello).

New Release: The Library’s South Asian Digital Collection brings together an initial batch of 900 books, serials, and manuscripts in languages such as Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit, Tamil, and Urdu, among others, https://www.loc.gov/collections/south-asian-digital-collection/?loclr=fbint. All items are freely accessible online, with most generally dating between the early 19th and early 20th centuries. At launch, you will find materials related to colonialism in South Asia; vernacular literature; religion and philosophy; grammar and linguistics; the rebellion of 1857; and American and European accounts of travel in colonial India. See the images on this post for some collection highlights, as well as the new 4 Corners of the World Blog for more on the collection’s release and prominent themes, https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2024/04/now-online-south-asian-digital-collection/?loclr=fbint.

Collecting Afghanistan: new blog post by specialist at the African and Middle Eastern Division discusses various sources available in the Library of Congress collections that cover Afghan history and civilization over the ages.

https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2024/04/afghanistan-reflected-in-the-collections-at-the-library-of-congress//?loclr=fbint

The Ainu and Ezochi Rare Collection includes twenty works authored by Takeshirō Matsuura 松浦竹四郎 (1818-1888), an explorer and cartographer of Ezochi (or “Ezo land”). Ezochi spanned areas now known as the Japanese island of Hokkaidō, as well as Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands in Russia. Matsuura conducted six field studies in Ezochi between 1844 and 1858, collecting information on topography, routes, place names, and the life and culture of the Indigenous peoples of Ezochi, who provided Matsuura with guidance and support during his travels across the regions.

The explorer documented his onsite research in self-published books, such as "Kita Ezo yoshi" 北蝦夷餘誌, which recorded his findings in Karafuto (South Sakhalin). The illustration from the book displayed here shows Matsuura being led by an Ainu person from the Taraika (Gulf of Patience) area on Sakhalin's central east coast and followed by individuals belonging to two Indigenous people groups: the Orok, from the central part of Sakhalin, and the Nivkh, from the northern half of Sakhalin (full image: https://www.loc.gov/resource/ainu1264.00340424815/?sp=21&?loclr=fbint).

Read more about this collection at https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2020/06/now-online-the-ainu-and-ezochi-rare-collection/?loclr=fbint and https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2019/04/the-case-of-frederick-starrs-missing-ainu-book-collection/?loclr=fbint.

*New Digital Collection*
March 31, 2024, marks the 170th anniversary of the signing of the US-Japan Treaty of Peace and Amity and the beginning of official relations between the two countries. In connection with this historical anniversary, the Library of Congress has launched a new digital collection, Pacific Encounters in Nineteenth-Century Japan (https://www.loc.gov/collections/pacific-encounters-in-nineteenth-century-japan/about-this-collection/?loclr=fbint). It features rare materials at the Library that document early Japanese interactions with the United States as well as countries in Europe, namely Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Russia.

Check out this new blog post to learn more (https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2024/03/now-online-pacific-encounters-in-nineteenth-century-japan/?loclr=fbint).

Thongchai Winichakul will be speaking at the Library of Congress on April 4, 2024 about his latest award winning book, “Moments of Silence in Modern Thai History: The Unforgetting of October 6, 1976” (https://www.loc.gov/item/event-412141/moments-of-silence-in-modern-thai-history-the-unforgetting-of-october-6-1976/2024-04-04/). Thongchai brings a critical eye to events surrounding the October 6, 1976 Thammasat University massacre in which over 40 students were slain. Thongchai himself was a student protest leader at the university. He further delves into decades of official silence around the event and how it has shaped modern Thai history. Join us for this hybrid event either online or in person at the Whittall Pavilion in the Thomas Jefferson Building April 4, 2024 at 3:00-4:30 pm EDT. Register on Zoom for the event: https://loc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/6717089757023/WN_EQU8v6wiToqdtiRKy-JtLg #/registration.

Nawruz Piruz

March 20th or 21st, (Spring Solstice) marks the beginning of the Nawruz festivities which celebrate the solar New Year according to the Persian calendar and the beginning of Spring. The annual Nawruz festival is celebrated in Iran and in parts of Central Asia, the Caucuses, and South Asia. In the spirit of the “new day” (Naw ruz), this 18th Century quatrain (ruba’i) written by Indian calligrapher Muhammad Ali Agha states:

It is 'id, congratulations on the new celebration.
May the crown of fortune be your summit
May the Chapters of Victory and Blessing
Be your protectors and supporters in both worlds.

Ramadan Mubarak

Every year, Muslims celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, a month filled with fasting and prayer. Since Islam follows a lunar calendar, Ramadan can fall anywhere between the dead of winter to the middle of summer depending on the lunar year. During the month, observant Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, without any food or drink, not even water, and spend their nights in prayer and meditation. To learn more about Ramadan, see: https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2017/05/the-visitor-the-holy-month-of-ramadan-and-muslim-practice/?loclr=fbint

Photo: 18th Century découpage panel in the shape of a closed altar piece including a central roundel decorated with interlacing letters whose stems form a central six-pointed star. The round inscription contains a verse from the Qur’an. In the middle of the upper arch, a round hook suggests that it was used as a wall hanging. Library of Congress African and Middle Eastern Division.

New research guide: Tibetan Collections at the Library of Congress

This guide (https://guides.loc.gov/tibetan-collection/?loclr=fbint) introduces the rich Tibetan holdings available in the Asian Reading Room, as well as representative holdings in various other Library reading rooms related to Tibetan studies. The guide includes links to Tibetan digital collections, rare books, and event videos, and offers search strategies on how to use the collections. For questions, please contact Tibetan collection staff through Ask a Librarian (https://ask.loc.gov/asia/?loclr=fbint).

The African and Middle Eastern Division of the Library of Congress acquired the Lakech Aklilu Jezequel collection of rare Ethiopia-related historical postcards, photographs, and periodicals. Rare French-language periodical issues (423 items) document French perspectives on the Italian colonial project in the Horn of Africa from 1845-2000. Major events covered include the two major wars between Ethiopia and Italy (1896 and 1936), the establishment of the Franco-Ethiopian railway, Ethiopia’s progress under Emperor Haile Selassie and his downfall during the 1974 revolution. Complementing these textual resources are historical images in 372 historic postcards (mostly from the Italian-Ethiopian war period of 1935-41), and an utterly unique collection of 271 historical photographs in several albums. These include official photos of Emperor Haile Selassie’s state visit to France, portraits of political and religious leaders, and the construction of the railway connecting Ethiopia to Djibouti. (The photograph above is of Emperor Haile Selassie making his historic speech at the League of Nations in Geneva on June 30, 1936. In his speech, he appealed to world leaders to stop the Italian use of chemical weapons, killing Ethiopians by the hundreds.)

The Library of Congress recently added ten more books to the Ainu and Ezochi Digital Collection (https://www.loc.gov/collections/ainu-and-ezochi-rare-collection/about-this-collection/?loclr=fbint). The collection includes rare books, manuscripts, and maps produced during the 18th and 19th centuries that document the Indigenous Ainu people and the region known as Ezochi, the Japanese island and prefecture now called Hokkaido, as well as Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands in Russia. A total of 90 titles in 151 volumes are now freely available online.

One of the newly added books is "Moshiogusa," the first Japanese dictionary dedicated to the Ainu language, initially published in 1792. The Library holds the 1804 edition (https://www.loc.gov/item/00504923/?loclr=fbint). The dictionary was written by Kumajiro Uehara (?-1827), who is known as an early explorer of Ezochi (or “Ezo land”) and an interpreter of Ainu, Japanese and Russian languages. Uehara served as an interpreter for the administrative official of the Tokugawa Shogunate in Matsumae (southwest region of Hokkaido) when Vassily Mikhailovich Golovnin (1776-1831), a Russian naval officer, was captured by the Japanese while surveying the Kuril Islands and spent two years in captivity.

Read more about this collection at https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2020/06/now-online-the-ainu-and-ezochi-rare-collection/?loclr=fbint and https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2019/04/the-case-of-frederick-starrs-missing-ainu-book-collection/?loclr=fbint.

Through the end of March 2024, the Asian Reading Room will display a selection of South Asian comics, graphic novels, and zines. This display combines the textual with the visual and allows for a different kind of storytelling. These stories capture all walks of life, from epics written about historical figures who take on mythical proportions to the everyday stories of underrepresented peoples in society; they also grapple with thorny issues from the past, from fictionalized accounts of trauma that reveal the individual human costs of war to one nation’s version of contentious, historical events.

Graphic novels, comics, and zines sit comfortably between fiction and non-fiction, occupying a third literary space dependent on its illustrative component to tell a story carefully guided by the creator. Selections include “Vanni: A Family’s Struggle Through the Sri Lankan Conflict” (Sri Lanka) (https://lccn.loc.gov/2019028834/?loclr=fbint); “Munnu: A Boy From Kashmir” (Indian-controlled Kashmir) (https://lccn.loc.gov/2016317172/?loclr=fbint); “Lumankati” (Nepal) (https://lccn.loc.gov/2018315045/?loclr=fbint); “Umro ʻAyār” (Pakistan) (https://lccn.loc.gov/2019331305/?loclr=fbint); and a selection of zines from Bombay Underground (https://lccn.loc.gov/2020512819/?loclr=fbint) and Sister Library (India).

Rare 18th-century Thai map digitized! A new post on Worlds Revealed, the Geography and Map Division’s official blog, describes this recently digitized map. Read more about it in “From the Mountains to the Mekong” at https://blogs.loc.gov/maps/2024/01/from-the-mountains-to-the-mekong/?loclr=fbint. As the author notes, this map is unique “even among the nearly 6 million cartographic items” in Geography and Map’s collections. View this freely available map online at https://www.loc.gov/item/2023585188/?loclr=fbint.

Detail of “[Double sided manuscript map on cloth showing central and southern Thailand, the Thai border with Burma, and Cambodia],” recto. [Producer not identified], [between 1767 and 1782?]. Geography and Map Division.

Battling Poets: The new blog by the African Section of the African and Middle Eastern Division examines the Blake Robinson Recordings and provides an analysis of the history of poetry in Somalia and the tradition of “poetic battles” To read blog please see: https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2024/02/blake-robinson-r…music-and-poetry//?loclr=fbint

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Library’s International Reading Rooms!
Do you know about the epic love story of Popocatepetl and Iztaccíhuatl? Read about it in this new blog post, "Aztec Mythology and the Love of Reading Rooms" (https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2024/02/aztec-mythology-and-the-love-of-reading-rooms/?loclr=fbint).

Photo: Detail of [P]opocatapetl and Iztachihuatl from the cathedral. W.H. Jackson, photographer. 1880. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Learn more about different Lunar New Year traditions in this new blog post, "Celebrating Lunar New Year with the Library of Congress’s Collections" (https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2024/02/celebrating-lunar-new-year-with-the-library-of-congresss-collections/?loclr=fbint.)

Photo: Chinese New Year parade and celebration in Chinatown, Washington D.C. Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, [between 1980 and 2006]. (Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress).

Happy Lunar New Year!
The dragon-headed treasure boat on this 18th century Japanese print by artist Kitao Shigemasa carries the Seven Gods of Good Fortune: Ebisu, Jurōjin, Benzaiten, Daikokuten, Fukurokuju, Hotei, and Bishamonten (from left to right). This eclectic group of gods with roots in Japanese, Indian, and Chinese traditions was especially featured in pictures celebrating the New Year.

The picture includes many symbols of long life and prosperity, including pine, bamboo, a crane, and a turtle. Above the boat is this traditional New Year’s poem: Deep in slumber through the long night – now all awake / Over the waves rides the boat – what a great sound! (なかきよの とおのねふりの みなめさめ なみのりふねの おとのよきかな). People once put prints like this under their pillows on the first night of the new year to bring a lucky dream – we hope it brings you a great year ahead. See the print in the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs digital collections: https://www.loc.gov/item/2008661210/?loclr=fbint.

Shichifukujin takarabune 1 print : woodcut, color ; 32.6 x 46.1 cm. | Print shows the seven Japanese gods of good fortune (Ebisu, Daikokuten, Bishamonten, Benzaiten, Fukurokuju, Hotei, and Jurōjin) in a dragon-headed treasure boat, accompanied by a heron and a turtle.