Research Guides
Government Sources by Subject: Native Americans
Treaties and Laws
- Documents of American Indian diplomacy: Treaties, Agreements, and Conventions, 1775-1979, compiled by Vine Deloria, Jr., and Raymond J. DeMallie (eBook)
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Final text of treaties made between American Indian Tribes and the United States Government. See also the print version
To find Native American constitutions and by-laws or corporate charters, check SuDoc number I 20.9/2 in the Government Publications stacks (location gvsus).
- Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties, Oklahoma State University, Charles J. KapplerVolumes I through VII; both fully searchable digitized text and page image; contents accessible from the Table of Contents, the Index of each volume, or through keyword searching.
- Early Recognized Treaties with American Indian Nations, University of NebraskaProvides access to the nine federally recognized Indian treaties that are absent from volume 2 of Charles J. Kappler?s Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties.
- Documents relating to the negotiation of ratified and unratified treaties with various tribes of Indians, 1801-69, NARAMicroform; we also have other reels from the NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) record groups for the Bureau of Indian Affairs; check the Libraries catalog for other microfilm and microfiche sources.
- Indian Land Cessions in the United States1896/97--this is a chronological list of all treaties, executive orders, and more, dealing with Native American lands--includes maps outlining the areas affected; print only.
- Indian and Tribal Law, Gallagher Law LibraryIncludes finding aids, primary & secondary sources, tribal materials.
- Territorial Papers of the United States, 1764-1953: Series 1 This link opens in a new window
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Territorial government documents including Native American negotiations and treaties, official correspondence with the federal government, military records, judicial proceedings, population data, financial statistics, and land records. - U.S. Congressional Serial Set This link opens in a new window
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Click on Indian Affairs on the main page to access reports, documents, treaty information and journals of the chambers of congress, and much more primary material, 1789-1980.
- Washington State Gaming CompactsA collection of tribal - Washington State gaming compacts including amendments and appendices (CD ROM)
Tribal Recognition, Reservations, Maps
- 2010 Census, Tribal Tract Reference MapsFederal American Indian reservation-based maps showing tribal census tracts and tribal block groups; the boundaries and names of American Indian reservations, off-reservation trust lands (ORTLs), Alaska Native areas, Hawaiian home lands, states, counties, county subdivisions, and places; and a base feature network including roads, railroads, and water bodies.
- American Indian Reservations and Trust AreasPrint only.
- Federally Recognized Tribes of Washington State (PDF)Population information from the Washington State Data Book. Part 6 is a list of Federally Recognized American Indian Reservations and Trust Lands. Part 7 is the coinciding map.
- Indian Issues: Improvements Needed in Tribal Recognition Process; Report to Congressional Requesters (PDF)This GAO report contains an appendix which shows, in Table 3, how tribes have become federally recognized since 1960--"Forty-seven tribes have been individually recognized since 1960"
- Indian Reservations in the Continental United States, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the InteriorIndexed map, downloadable and printable at most copy centers (PDF).
Indian Claims Commission Decisions
- Indian Claims Insight
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Indian Claims Commission decisions, transcripts, docket books, journals and more, dating from 1789 to the present - Indian Claims Commission Decisions, HEIN Online1948-1978; access information by volume and date; from HEIN Online's American Indian Law Collection. Access for all on-campus; login required from off-campus.
The resources below are a mix of electronic, print and microfiche and include the cases themselves, expert testimony and indexes.
Note: the 370 original petitions filed with the Indian Claims Commission were separated into 611 different claims. Each of these were given a docket number.
- Indian Claims Commission Decisions, Oklahoma State UniversityAccess information by volume, then page. Docket number and plaintiff tribe are also given in this table. To find information by tribe, do a Search by selecting Indian Claims Commission Decisions from the dropdown menu and then entering the tribe's name.
- Decisions of the Indian Claims Commission Findings:...indexIn print; an index to their opinions, orders, and final awards, indexed by tribe, docket number or case; 1948 - August 17, 1973.
- Before the Indian Claims CommissionIn microfiche; cases decided by the Indian Claims Commission; located in the Gallagher Law Library.
- Expert Testimony Before the Indian Claims CommissionMicrofiche M-436; see also the Index for this title.
- United States Indian Claims Commission, August 13, 1946-September 30, 1978: final reportIn print; members of the Indian Claims Commission, alphabetical index of Indian Claims Commission cases through September 1, 1978, alphabetical tribal index, and more. . .located in the Gallagher Law Library.
Additional Resources
- Annual Reports, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Prelinger LibraryEnter "indian affairs" in the search box to find list of annual reports available; Prelinger Library has scanned an incomplete run of the Annual Reports which are available for free download as searchable PDFs and as .txt files
- Federal Websites - Native AmericansLinks to federal agency websites by topic; all are either for or about Native Americans.
- Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the InteriorThe oldest bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior; includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)
Presidential Executive Orders
Highlighted Resource
- Indigenous Peoples: North America
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Digitized primary sources covering the cultural, political and social history of Native Peoples from the 17th through the 20th centuries.
Duwamish ca. 1904
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Indian Affairs Document Library
- Document Library, Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the InteriorFind documents in the frequently requested, most recent, or category lists.
Indigenous Peoples Worldwide
- Permanent forum on Indigenous Issues, United NationsFocuses on indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights.
- Indigenous Peoples, World BankThe World Bank in global dialogue and working on development projects with indigenous peoples.
Native American Census Data
- Explore Census DataFind data on Native Americans and Native American geographic areas by searching "Topics" → "Race and Ethnicity" and/or "Geography."
More Focus
- Handbook of North American Indians, Smithsonian InstitutionAn encyclopedia summarizing knowledge about native peoples north of Mesoamerica, including cultures, languages, history, prehistory, and more. . .Print only.