Library Guides: AIS 102: Intro to American Indian Studies/ENGL 198B Writing Link: Primary Sources

What Are Primary Sources?

Primary sources are the evidence of history. They are the first-hand accounts of an event or period of time created by participants or observers. There are many kinds of primary sources including texts (letters, diaries, government reports, newspaper accounts, novels, autobiographies), images (photographs, paintings, advertisements, posters), artifacts (buildings, clothing, sculpture, coins) and audio/visual (songs, oral history interviews, films).

For information on how to find specific types of primary sources see the sections on:

Find primary sources on selected American ethnic groups:

Native American/American Indian

Find primary resources Pacific Northwest:

Pacific Northwest

Databases and Other Tools

American Indian Experience This link opens in a new window
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Reference content, primary documents, and images illustrating the histories and cultures of North American Native peoples.
Bibliography of Indigenous Peoples in North America This link opens in a new window
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Covers all aspects of North America's aboriginal culture, history and life. Includes books, journals and government documents. Includes some links to full-text.

Digital Collections at the UW Libraries
Features materials such as photographs, maps, newspapers, posters, reports and other media from the University of Washington Libraries.
Ethnographic Video Online - Indigenous Voices
Collection of classic and contemporary ethnographic documentaries from the Academic Video Online Collection.
Finding Images
Guide to high-quality image databases and resources. Interdisciplinary image content, search strategies, evaluating images, & image citation guide.

North American Indian Thought & Culture This link opens in a new window
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Compilation of biographies, auto-biographies, personal narratives, speeches, diaries, letters, and oral histories.

Native Voices
Native Voices at the University of Washington is a center where students, faculty, and independent producers create documentaries and media research that contributes to the understanding, strengthening, and support of Indigenous people and communities. Native Voices envisions filmmaking from a decolonized, community based, and global perspective.
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Search UW Libraries Search to discover what Native Voices' titles are in the libraries' collection.

Library Guides

AIS 102: Intro to American Indian Studies/ENGL 198B Writing Link: Primary Sources

What Are Primary Sources?

Databases and Other Tools

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