Native American History
We observe Native American Heritage Month in November to recognize the achievements and contributions of Native Americans. In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including “Native American Heritage Month” and “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month”) have been issued each year since 1994.
The National Archives holds hundreds of thousands of U.S. Government records relating to Native Americans, from as early as 1774 through the mid-1990s. These include every treaty signed with Native Americans, records from the Indian Schools, Indian Census Rolls, and Bureau of Indian Affairs records.
Indigenous Digital Archive’s Treaties Portal
NARA collaborated with the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) to launch the Indigenous Digital Archive’s Treaties Portal. This website provides public access to digital copies of NARA’s series of ratified Indian Treaties. The award-winning project was made possible by a generous gift from an anonymous donor and with the support of the National Archives Foundation, a nonprofit partner of the National Archives. Read more on the Archivist's blog and in the news release.
Research Resources
The National Archives holds hundreds of thousands of federal records relating to Native Americans. Find them in the research portal for American Indian records and Bureau of Indian Affairs photo finding aid. View related records in the National Archives Catalog.Native Communities
Our Native Communities program is an educational resource providing step-by-step instructions for locating important Native American records. We offer hands-on practice, and special Citizen Archivist Missions to make records easily accessible.History Hub
The American Indian Records Community on the History Hub is a space where you can learn about finding and managing American Indian records. Ask a question, answer an unanswered question, or share your tips on how you research.National Historical Publications and Records Commission
NHPRC-Mellon Start-Up Grants in Native American History: Support for collaborative Native American history projects including:
- Native Narratives: The Representation of Native Americans in Public Broadcasting, a digital exhibit exploring how mainstream American public media and media produced by Native Americans depict and document Native peoples.
- Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center, includes teaching kit for use in schools, libraries, and other educational institutions in the United States.
Ratified Indian Treaty 54: Ottawa, Chippewa, Wyandot and Potawatomi - Detroit, November 17, 1807 (National Archives Identifier 161303994)
From left, Elaine Webster of NMAI, joins representatives of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians to view the Treaty of Fort Wayne, 1809, on loan from the National Archives, at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, 2017. (Photo by Jennifer Miller for NMAI)
"Drawing of Massica, a Sauk, and Wakusasse, a Fox [Meskwaki]," ca. 1833. (National Archives Identifier 530973)
Kicking Bird (Tene'-angpote), a Kiowa chief, ca. 1870. (National Archives Identifier 518902)
Chiricahua Apache girl, granddaughter of Cochise, 1886. (National Archives Identifier 530900)
Navajo silversmith with examples of his work and tools, ca. 1880. (National Archives Identifier 518913)
A woman knits qiviut ("kiv-ee-ute"), the downy-soft underwool from the Arctic musk ox, ca. 1998–2011, (National Archives Identifier 166703640)
"Allen Day School pupils with Mrs. Bessie English," Ute Tribe, Colorado. (National Archives Identifier 106756284)
Four girls teams in the Tri-State Indian School basketball tournament, Rapid City, South Dakota, 1929. (National Archives Identifier 285699)
Chemawa Indian School Student Band, The Meteors, ca. 1971, Oregon. (National Archives 5585778)
Athlete and Olympic gold medalist Jim Thorpe in his Carlisle Indian School football uniform. (National Archives Identifier 519348)
Minnie Spotted Wolf was one of the first Native American woman to enlist in the United States Marine Corps Women’s Reserve. (National Archives Identifier 37489866)
"John Joseph Mathews, Osage Council Member, author, historian, and Rhodes Scholar, seated at home in front of his fireplace, Oklahoma," 1937. (National Archives Identifier 519163)
New Mexican Marine Indians - Code Talkers, ca. 1943. (National Archives Identifier 100385916)
Prima ballerina Maria Tallchief meets WACs in New York City, 1952. (National Archives Identifier 178140886)