Indians/Native Americans
This page contains links to American history relating to Native Americans.
During November we celebrate Native American/Alaskan Native Heritage Month. Check out these statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, as well as the reference links below.
Poster of Sioux Indian from the Library of Congress s American Memory Project
- NARA Resources
- National Park Service Resources
- Digital Collections
- Genealogical Resources
- Historical Background
- Laws and Treaties
- Tribal Resources
NARA Resources
- American Indians NARA Microfilm Publications
- Microfilm publications of NARA records relating to American Indians, including records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, census rolls, and treaties relating to territories.
To search the catalog:- From the main Microfilm Catalog page, click Advanced Search (next to the Search button).
- In the right hand column, under Subject Catalog, select "American Indians."
- Hit "Search."
- Index to the Applications Submitted for the Eastern Cherokee Roll of 1909 (Guion Miller Roll)
- The index includes the names of all persons applying for compensation arising from the judgment of the United States Court of Claims on May 28, 1906, for the Eastern Cherokee tribe.
- Index to the Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory (Dawes)
- This is the index to the names of individuals entitled to inclusion on the rolls of the various tribes comprising the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory (Oklahoma).
- Indian Bounty Land Applications
- A Fall 1993 article from the NARA publication Prologue by Mary Frances Morrow.
- Indian Census Rolls
- NARA's web site describes microfilm publications of census information for American Indians.
- List of Indian presents purchased by Meriwether Lewis in preparation for the expedition to the West
- NARA's Expansion and Reform (1801-1861) exhibit displays the full text list of gifts for Indians purchased for the Lewis and Clark expedition.
- Native American Heritage
- Links to finding aids and records of Native Americans in the National Archives.
- NHPRC: Grants to Oklahoma, FY 1976-2013
- Compiled list of National Historical Publications and Records Commission's grants to Oklahoma, which includes grants to several tribes of Oklahoma.
- Records for the Study of Ethnic History in the National Archives at San Francisco
- A finding aid for the location and use of records pertaining to Native Americans and Americans of minority descent.
- Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
- Record Group 75, from the Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives & Records Administration.
- "Semper Fidelis, Code Talkers"
- The winter 2001 issue of NARA's publication Prologue features an article on the Navajo "code talkers" used by the Marine Corps in World War II. The original twenty-nine Navajo code talkers received the Congressional Gold Medal for their wartime contributions in maintaining an unbreakable code.
- "Snakes & Scribes: The Dawes Commission and the Enrollment of the Creeks"
- This article by Kent Carter appeared in the Spring 1997 issue of Prologue.
- Teaching with Documents: Memorandum Regarding the Enlistment of Navajo Indians
- This NARA site features a lesson plan built around a memorandum regarding the enlistment of Navajo Indians by the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II.
- Teaching with Documents: Maps of Indian Territory, the Dawes Act, and Will Rogers' Enrollment Case File
- This NARA site features a history of the Dawes Act, which allowed the president to divide commonly-held tribal reservation land into small individually-allotted parcels.
- "Thus Spoke Chief Seattle: The Story of an Undocumented Speech"
- An analysis of an Indian chief's oration, supposedly spoken in 1855, which dealt with the "woes and wrongs done to American Indians." Published in Prologue.
- Treaty of 1868
- From a NARA online exhibit, this web page presents the 1868 treaty recognizing the Black Hills as part of the Great Sioux Reservation.
National Park Service Resources
- Ancient Architects of the Mississippi
- Information about the Mississippi societies that flourished throughout the Southeastern part of North America from 800 C.E. to the time of European contact.
- Ethnic Heritage: American Indian
- The National Park Service's list of over 70 historical parks with ties to American Indian cultural history.
- National NAGPRA
- The National Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA, is a federal law passed in 1990 that provides a process by which museums and federal agencies return certain Native American cultural items to lineal descendants, culturally affiliated Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations. This site provides to links related to this act.
- Connecting with Native Americans
- This National Park Service site is dedicated to helping tribes preserve their cultural heritage. Contains links to NPS programs and sites related to Native American heritage.
Digital Collections
- American Indians of the Pacific Northwest
- A 1998 American Memory Collection Library of Congress/Ameritech Award Winner site. This site illustrates many aspects of life and work for the American Indians of the Pacific Northwest in over 2,300 photographs and 7,700 pages of text.
- Photographing the American Indian
- The Massachusetts Historical Society presents photographs of Native Americans from the central and western parts of the United States that were collected by four prominent Bostonians during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
- Indian Peoples of the Northern Great Plains Digital Collection
- Images of the Indian Peoples of the Northern Great Plains is a searchable online photograph database created with grant support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant Program.
- Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian
- "Edward Sheriff Curtis published The North American Indian between 1907 and 1930 with the intent to record traditional Indian cultures. The work comprises twenty volumes of narrative text and photogravure images. Each volume is accompanied by a portfolio of large photogravure plates. The entire work is presented here, supported largely by funds from the Institute for Museum and Library Services." Part of Northwestern University's Digital Library Collections.
- George Catlin and His Indian Gallery
- Smithsonian American Art Museum presents this online exhibit of George Catlin's paintings of Plains Indians in their own territories.
- Denver Public Library Digital Collections
- "This online collection contains a selection of photographs, maps, broadsides, architectural drawings and other documents from the collections of the Western History/Genealogy Department" of the Denver Public Library. Includes material related to Native American history.
- President Andrew Jackson's Message to Congress 'On Indian Removal'
- President Andrew Jackson's December 6, 1830, message calling for the relocation of eastern Native American tribes to land west of the Mississippi River in order to open new land for settlement by citizens of the United States.
Genealogical Resources
- Genealogical Research for Native Americans
- This "Encyclopedia Smithsonian" page offers a recommended reading list to trace one's Native American ancestry.
- Cyndi's List: Native American
- From Cyndi's List, a nearly comprehensive coverage of the genealogical and historical links relating to Native American heritage.
- American Indian Tribal Directory
- Federally recognized tribes are included on this site.
- Native American Genealogy
- From the State Historical Society of Missouri, an introduction to available records.
- Guide to Tracing Your American Indian and Alaska Native Ancestry
- A publication of the Bureau of Indian Affairs which provides information useful in researching Native American ancestry.
- Native American History and Genealogy
- A free genealogy web site that includes links to searchable online databases, tribal registers, registration rolls, and more.
Historical Background
- American Indians/Native Americans
- University of Louisville libraries have compiled a list of government resources dealing with Native American topics.
- Legends of our Times: Native Ranching and Rodeo Life on the Plains and Plateau
- A cooperative site of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian and the Canadian Museum of Civilization, this site complements a traveling exhibit exploring the complex relationships between North American Plains Indians and the horse, dog, and buffalo.
- North American Indians: Books to Start With
- This "Encyclopedia Smithsonian" site offers a bibliography of books about Native Americans.
- National Museum of the American Indian
- Web site for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Resources include national events calendar, museum information and resources for teachers and students.
- Marin Indian Museum of the American Indian
- This site focuses on the California Coast Miwoks.
- Traders: Voices from the Trading Post
- This site from the Northern Arizona University Special Collections Department covers a history of trading posts, oral history interviews, and the goods and services offered at trading posts in the American West. Oral interviews focus on trading posts in Navajo and Hopi reservations.
- Who Stole the Teepee?
- This Smithsonian site explores the influence of U.S. culture on Native American traditions and beliefs.
Laws and Treaties
- Indian Affairs: Laws & Treaties
- Edited by Charles Kappler, this seven-volume set is a compilation of U.S. laws, treaties, and executive orders pertaining to Native American Indian tribes, covering the years 1778 to 1970.
- Native American Legal Resources
- Highlights of these resources include the American Indian Law Review and the Native American Constitution and Law Digitization Project. From the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
- Treaties Between the United States and Native Americans
- From the Avalon Project at the Yale Law School, this site contains treaties relating to Native Americans.
- Statutes of the United States Concerning Native Americans
- Laws enacted by Congress affecting Native Americans compiled by the Avalon Project at the Yale Law School.
- Indians of North America
- The Law Library of Congress provides a listing of valuable Indian Treaties, judicial decisions, U.S. Codes, and lawmaking agendas relating to Native American history.
- Native American Law
- This site, from the Washburn University School of Law, is a compilation of resources including caselaw, government agencies, research guides, organizations, and much more.
Tribal Resources
- First Nations Seeker
- A portal with directory and links to North American Indian web sites.
- Native American Resources
- RootsWeb provides a listing of Native American genealogical resources. Historically significant documents, maps, and primary sources are provided under general and tribal listings.
- American Indian and Alaska Native Resources
- Links to American Indian and Alaska Native Policy and Handbook for Consultation with Federally - Recognized Indian Tribes on the United States Census Bureau website.
- Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians
- The U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians manages Indian funds held in trust by the federal government.
- United States Department of the Interior Indian Affairs
- Official home page for the Department of the Interior Indian Affairs. Information on tribal governments and inter-tribal organizations, treaties, and Indian culture is provided.
- Tribal Directory
- This Bureau of Indian Affairs web site provides the Tribal Leaders Directory and the Tribal Entities List as it is published in the Federal Register.