Caitlyn Fong Visits the Collections and Archives

August 2026

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Since the summer of 2021, the Firebird Foundation for Anthropological Research has welcomed a dozen graduate student interns from universities around the United States to assist with the preparation of the collections and archives for research, including students in objects conservation and archival studies. Over the last few years, the material culture collections have migrated from a cabin in the woods behind the family home to our purpose-built archival facilities down the road. Similarly, the archives have been compiled from several spaces throughout the offices and are in the process of becoming more accessible. The Firebird Foundation is thrilled to be at the point where we can begin to share our holdings with the source communities and interested scholars. 

This July, we welcomed our first on-site researcher to the Firebird Foundation Collections & Archives! Caitlyn Fong, NEH Graduate Fellow at the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, spent time closely looking at our extensive collection of Bornean basketry to identify plant-based materials utilized in their construction. Caitlyn brought her passion and expertise in material science and paired it with Firebird’s library and archives to make meaningful connections to the Rungus Momogun and Bulusu’ material culture —including rare books on Bornean botany and the Appells’ original ethnographic field notes. Information gathered during Catilyn’s visit will be integrated into our catalog to provide a better understanding of the materiality of our holdings.