The North Carolina Folklife Institute has been documenting the cultural traditions of our state for over five decades. The NCFI Archives hold a rich collection of photographs, recordings, field notes, oral histories, and community documentation that reflect the everyday lives, creative expressions, and enduring traditions of North Carolinians.
This work has always been driven by a commitment to community-based documentation. Our archives elevate voices that are often overlooked in dominant historical narratives centering tradition-bearers, culture keepers, and artists whose contributions shape the identity and spirit of our communities.
A Living Record of Cultural Heritage
The materials in our archives are not static artifacts – they are living records of North Carolina’s cultural life. They help tell the story of Black gospel quartets in eastern North Carolina, shape our understanding of Cherokee heritage sites, preserve the maritime knowledge of coastal fishing families, and document the language, music, foodways, and rituals passed down in immigrant and Indigenous communities.
Our collections include:
African American Heritage Music Project
Research and documentation of Black musical traditions throughout the state.
Black Folk Heritage Tour
A curated project highlighting historic African American cultural sites and practices.
Cherokee Heritage Trail
Documentation of significant places, craft traditions, and stories of Cherokee communities in western North Carolina.
Coastal Folklife & Maritime Traditions
Fieldwork on boatbuilding, fishing, and oral traditions in eastern North Carolina.
Folk Arts in Education
Archival resources and program documentation supporting traditional arts in school settings.
Jack Dana Guy Collection
Over 100 reel-to-reel tapes, 800 photographs, and films documenting Appalachian life in Beech Mountain, NC.
Tribal Community Research
Field documentation with the Coharie, Lumbee, Haliwa-Saponi, and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian communities
Accessing the Archives
Much of the archival material gathered through NCFI’s work is housed at the State Archives of North Carolina in Raleigh. These collections are catalogued and searchable online through the State Archives’ Discover Online Catalog (DOC):
State Archives of North Carolina Website
Discover Online Catalog (DOC)
While catalog records can be searched online, access to the physical materials must be coordinated and conducted in person. We recognize this can be a barrier, and we are actively working toward improving access to these important folklife collections, especially for communities whose traditions are represented within them.
Interested in Exploring or Partnering?
If you’re a researcher, educator, tradition-bearer, or community organization interested in our archival holdings or looking to collaborate on documentation and preservation efforts, we’d love to hear from you.
Contact us at archives@ncfolk.org
Learn more about the history of our organization