WARNING: Certain materials have been restricted due to cultural sensitivities; however, some material may have been inadvertently missed. Please notify a librarian if you encounter additional materials.

The Martin A. Brunor Papers contain research conducted by Brunor on and about the island and Indigenous peoples of Rurutu and other Austral Islands. The collection includes photographs, notes, typed manuscripts, transcriptions of Rururtan manuscripts, film, and taped interviews. The collection also contains personal materials not directly related to Brunor's professional work, such as financial documents, diaries in physical and audio form, and family papers. Where possible, the original order has been maintained; however, this may not be the original order of the creator, but of subsequent librarians and/or curators. When possible, original titles have been used in quotation marks. Any materials dated 2020, are photocopies made in 2020. This collection has been divided into four series. It should be noted that the processing and arrangement of this collection was completed by someone unfamiliar with the languages and history of the Austral Islands and as such, is subject to error. Any and all corrections to arrangement and translation are welcome.

Series I. Research, contains research and the products of Brunor's research, relating to Rurutu and other Austral Islands and has been divided into three subseries. Subseries A. Manuscripts contains typed manuscripts, in various stages of completeness, written by Brunor. It is difficult to determine if some of them are drafts or final versions, as only a few of them are identified as either, and most of them do not appear to have a definitive beginning and ending, making it possible that they were intended to be part of a larger manuscript. At times it is difficult to distinguish between what Brunor intended to be a manuscript and what were just his notes; therefore, any items that could not positively be identified as either, were placed in Subseries B. There are some photographs interleaved throughout the manuscripts; however, most of the photographs can be found in Subseries B. Included in this subseries is a recording of Brunor transcribing one of his manuscripts. A number of manuscripts were damaged by black mold; these items were able to be photocopied, and the originals were disposed of. There are a number of typed manuscripts called "Victory in the Night". It is unclear if these are transcripts of Rober Andrew Robertson's 1875 manuscript "The Victory in the Night" with Brunor's commentary throughout, or if it is Brunor's manuscript. There are a number of photocopied manuscripts that are labeled by page numbers, it is not clear if these are all the same manuscript; however, they have been kept in the order in which they were donated. Original titles have been used when available.

Subseries B. Notes and Documentary Materials contains typed, handwritten, and recorded notes, film, and photographs. It is possible that not all of the photographs were taken by Brunor, as some say to credit the American Museum of Natural History, New York. The audio and film recordings remain restricted due to their formats, with the exception of five that have been digitized. A number of manuscripts and photographs were damaged by water and mold.

Subseries C. Secondary Sources contains secondary sources gathered by Brunor. These include photocopies of published articles and books,articles, pamphlets, and recordings. There is also a folder of miscellaneous notes.

Series II. Austral Islands Primary Sources contains original manuscripts and photocopies of manuscripts, most of which are in Maori; the location of the originals is unknown. This series has been divided into three series; however, it should once again be noted that this arrangement was done by someone unfamiliar with the languages and history of the Austral Islands, and as such, is subject to error. Any and all corrections to arrangement and translation are welcome.

Subseries A. Histories contains written histories about Rurutu that Brunor collected. Subseries B. Land Books and Genealogies contains Parau Tupuna and Parau Papa, books describing family histories, genealogies, and land histories of the Islands. This series also contains copies of maps created by Éric de Bisschop, which were integral to drawing the modern land boundaries of the Islands.

Subseries C. Other contains non-English material that was not able to be identified by the processor.

Series III. Personal Papers contains material other than research and manuscripts. This series has been divided into four subseries. Subseries A. Correspondence contains correspondence between Brunor and friends, family, and colleagues. Topics of discussion are both personal and professional. Some of the correspondence from Brunor to Stephen Phillips had not yet been opened at the time of processing; thus, it was opened by the archivist. Material in this subseries is in both paper and audio format. Subseries B. Diaries and Journals contains diaries and journals that Brunor kept, in both paper and audio formats. This also contains some transcriptions of the audio diary entries.

Subseries C. Financial Papers contains checkbooks, estate papers, bills, invoices, bank account statements, and tax documents. There is also a folder of financial material that belonged to Emile Brunor. One folder is restricted due to containing personal identifying information. Subseries D. Other contains miscellaneous items, such as a typescript of a manuscript of an "autobiographical nature", travel documents, photographs, and materials about Emile Brunor.

Series IV. Other contains unidentified recordings. The hope is that once these recordings are migrated to a digital format, they can be further described and integrated into one of the other series.