Native American Heritage

Bureau of Indian Affairs Records

Applications and Case Files

The National Archives maintains many applications and case files that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) received and processed from American Indians and other individuals from the early 1800s through the late 1900s. The BIA created these records for a variety of purposes including:

Education or training
Finances
Land, lease, mining, timber, or water
Removal of restrictions
Social welfare, benefits, or relief
Tribal citizenship, enrollment, membership

Generally, these records may provide personal information and supporting materials including affidavits, correspondence, government forms, and reports.

To begin your search:

Know the name and tribe
Identify what type of information you are seeking (e.g., enrollment)

For additional resources, explore the:

Examples of Applications and Case Files

The majority of these records are not currently digitized or microfilmed.

Finances	Land, Leases, Mining, Timber, Water	Tribal Citizenship, Enrollment, Membership
Ledger of Applications for Expenditures, 1908 - 1911, La Pointe Agency, National Archives Identifier: 5730607 ( National Archives at Chicago) Applications for Individual Indian Money Expenditures, 1915 - 1918, Cushman Indian School, National Archives Identifier 2790591 ( National Archives at Seattle) Applications for Kansas Claims of New York Indians, 1901 - 1904, Office of Indian Affairs, Finance Division, National Archives Identifier: 1949009 ( National Archives at Washington, D.C.)	Water Use Applications, 1911 - 1921, Flathead Indian Agency, National Archives Identifier: 2546054 ( National Archives at Denver) Registers of Mining Applications, 1900-1916, Five Civilized Tribes, National Archives Identifier 731325 ( National Archives at Fort Worth) Applications, 1865 - 1871, Office of Indian Affairs, Land Division, National Archives Identifier: 2007276 ( National Archives at Washington, D.C.)	Cancelled Choctaw-Chickasaw Applications, 1903-1904, Office of the Commissioner of the Five Civilized Tribes, National Archives Identifier: 2431775 ( National Archives at Fort Worth) Applications for Enrollment, 1910 - 1918, Vermillion Lake Indian School, National Archives Identifier: 7269298 ( National Archives at Kansas City) Records Relating to Applications for Identification as a California Indian, 1929-1931, Mission Agency, National Archives Identifier: 561749 ( National Archives at Riverside)

A Note About Privacy Restrictions

Documents that are less than 75 years old may contain personal information about individuals who are still living. These records are restricted under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Exemption (b)(6), and must be screened by National Archives staff before being released to researchers. Personal information may be redacted. To learn more about FOIA, please visit: www.archives.gov/foia.

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