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Research Guides

History : Native American: Primary Sources

A research guide to primary and secondary sources for Native American history.

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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. Primary sources include texts (e.g., letters, government reports, newspaper accounts), images (e.g., photographs, paintings,  posters), artifacts (e.g., buildings, sculpture, coins) and audio/visual (e.g., songs, oral history interviews, films).

Keep in mind that most primary sources dealing with Native Americans  prior to the mid-20th century are produced by non-Natives such as missionaries, government officials, and anthropologists. You will need to be aware of, and take into consideration, inherent biases in these sources.

Major Databases of Primary Sources

Newspapers & Magazines

This section includes links to publications produced by Indigenous peoples in the United States as well as more general resources that will contain information about Native American issues, events & peoples. Many of the major databases will also include publications.