Researching Indians' History

Background Sources | Secondary Sources: Books | Finding Printed Bibliographies | Secondary Sources: Journal Articles | Finding Published Primary Sources | Selected Web Resources

Most of the databases linked from this page are restricted to UW students, staff and faculty. To connect to these databases from home you will need to first click on the Off-Campus Access button in the upper-right hand corner and login.

For research help, please contact Theresa Mudrock, the history librarian via email at mudrock@u.washington.edu.

Background Sources

Encyclopedias and dictionaries provide background information and can be used to identify key people, events and dates which can then be used as search terms for finding additional information. More importantly, because encyclopedias often cover the major issues surrounding the subject, they can help you narrow your research from a broad “who, what, where, when” topic to a “how or why” question. In addition many encyclopedia articles include short bibliographies that will lead you to the major works on the topic.

Dictionary of American History Encyclopedia of American Indian civil rights Suzzallo Reference - KF8210 .C5 E53 1997 Encyclopedia of Native American legal tradition Suzzallo Reference - KF8204 .E53 1998 Encyclopedia of North American Indians [NetLibrary FAQ] Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference, Special Collections - E76.2 .E53 1996 Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference - E77 .G15 1998 A guide to the Indian tribes of the Pacific Northwest [NetLibrary FAQ] Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference - E78.N77 R79 1986 Handbook of North American Indians Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference, Special Collections - E77 .h35 Native America in the twentieth century: an encyclopedia Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference, Special Collections - E76.2 .N36 1994

Finding Books

Use the following databases to locate books in the UW Libraries and in other libraries around the region, nation and world. Books unavailable at the UW can be requested through Summit (if available at one of the member libraries) or through Interlibrary Loan.

UW Libraries Catalog A listing of the books, journal subscriptions and other material available at the University of Washington Libraries. Summit Joint catalog of more than 25 academic libraries in Oregon and Washington. Books can be requested and shipped to the UW for pick-up. OhioLINK Use OhioLink to access chapters of recent books, use the "Words" search option. OCLC WorldCat Joint catalog of thousands of major libraries in the U.S. and abroad. Useful for identifying materials for interlibrary loan purposes.

Finding Printed Bibliographies

Bibliographies are compilations of citations to research on specific topics. Most are published as one-volume books. You can also check out Bibliography of Native American bibliographies available in Odegaard Reference E77 .W67 2004.

To locate printed bibliographies search the UW Libraries catalog: Choose the Keywords Search Type in your topic keyword(s) and the following phrase -- and su:bibliography Examples: tulalip and su:bibliography indians and education and su:bibliography

Finding Articles

Use databases to find articles on a topic. Use those which best fit your research topic. For a complete list of databases see Research Databases on the Library homepage.

To find a copy of the article, use the Check for UW Holdings button available on most databases to locate a copy in the library. If there is no button, search the UW Libraries Catalog for the title of the journal to locate a copy. Be sure to have the complete citation (author, title, journal name, volume, pages and year) of your article.

Articles from journals which the UW does not own can be requested via Interlibrary loan.

America History & Life This is the best database to find articles dealing with all aspects of American and Canadian history. Also includes citations to selected books, dissertations and reviews. Anthropological Literature Index to articles and books dating back to the late 19th century covering anthropology and archaeology. Also see AnthroSource - fulltext collection of journals published by the American Anthropological Assn. JSTOR JSTOR is a collection of more than 40 full-text history-related journals. Some material in JSTOR dates back to the late 19th century and can be considered primary sources for some topics. Proquest Databases This is a good general beginning database to find articles on all subjects. Proquest includes newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals. Subsets of Proquest include Ethnic Newswatch (fulltext articles from the ethnic press such as Indian Country Today and The Ojibwe News) and Washington State Newstand (fulltext local newspapers dating back to 1990).

Finding Published Primary Sources

Using Secondary Sources to Find Primary Sources

Secondary sources, scholarly journal articles and books, are a great source for identifying potential primary sources. Find a few articles, books or dissertations related to your topic and then mine the footnotes and bibliography. You will have the best luck finding published primary sources such as articles, books and government publications within the UW Libraries.

Finding Primary Sources -- Books

The UW Libraries has a strong collection of books that can be considered primary sources for history. These include books written during the period for your topic (i.e., during the 1890s), books written by participants, published collections of correspondence and other personal writings, memoirs and reprints of collections of primary source material. Use the UW Libraries Catalog to search for these materials.

Limit your search by publication date. Search for books written by key participants and organizations. Browse the shelves in the appropriate subject area. Use special subject terms that designate primary sources: sources, personal narratives, diaries, correspondence, interviews Example: boarding schools and indians and correspondence indians and northwest and (sources or narratives or diaries or correspondence)

Finding Primary Sources -- Articles

The UW Libraries has a strong collection of magazines and journals from the 19th and 20th century. Many of them are in print (either in Suzzallo Periodicals or in a storage area), others are on microfilm. There is limited electronic indexing for early 20th century material.

The libraries also has a basic collection of major U.S. newspapers on microfilm for the 20th centuries. Complete runs are available for such papers as the New York Times, Chicago Tribune Oregonianand Seattle Times. The libraries has a strong collection on Northwest papers. Newspapers are housed in the Microform and Newspaper Collections (Mcnews) on the ground floor of Suzzallo.

Magazines and Journals American Periodicals Series Online Use APS Online to find full-text articles from American magazines written in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. Reader's Guide Retrospective General index to American magazines for the period of 1890 to 1980. Also available in print in Suzzallo Reference AI3 .R48. PAIS Index to political/economic journals and selected books and government reports from 1915 to the present.

Newspapers Ethnic Newswatch Fulltext articles from the ethnic press such as Indian Country Today and The Ojibwe News with some material dating back to 1960. Historic New York Times Fulltext version of the New York Times from 1851 to 2003. Pacific Northwest Regional Newspaper and Periodical Index Card index available in the Special Collections (basement of Allen South). The regional index covers local newspapers, magazines, and other material dealing with PNW history from the 1850s to the present. Current years are available online.

Finding Primary Sources -- Government Reports

The UW Libraries has a strong collection of U.S. government documents including Bureau of Indian Affairs publications, congressional hearings and reports and other material. Some material is printed while others are available on microfilm. Some material can be found through the UW Libraries Catalog, for other material use the sources listed below. Also see Cass Hartnett's guide to Congressional Resources. For more information about locating government documents check with the Government Publications section on the ground floor of Suzzallo Library.

A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875 Digitized collection of the "records and acts of Congress from the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention through the 43rd Congress, including the first three volumes of the Congressional Record, 1873-75." Part of American Memory. Congressional Universe Full-text debates, bills, reports dating back to approximately 1989 and indexing of congressional reports and hearings dating back to 1789. MarciveWeb Docs Catalog to U.S. government documents published since 1976. For earlier documents see the Monthly Catalog to United States Government Publications (GovPub. 328.73 Un37m) and its predecessors. US Congressional Serial Set Full-text Senate and House reports, documents, and journals for the period 1817-1906. Archival Research Catalog (ARC) Catalog of more than 120,000 digitized items from NARA's collection plus records for an additional 440,000 items. The American Indian and the United States: A Documentary History Collection of treaties, legal cases and other documents. Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference, Special Collections E93 .W27

Finding Primary Sources -- Microfilm Sets

These microfilm sets are collections of manuscript material, unpublished documents such as letters and organization records and reports. Microfilm is housed in the Microform and Newspaper Collections on the ground floor of Suzzallo Library. Guides to the sets are also kept in that area under the microfilm number.

American Indian Correspondence. The Presbyterian Historical Society Collection of Missionaries' Letters, 1833-1893 [35 reels] Microform-Newspapers A8384 Letters received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1881 [86 reels] Microform-Newspapers A1783 The Pacific Northwest tribes missions collection of the Oregon Province archives of the Society of Jesus, 1853-1960 [34 reels] Microform-Newspapers A8136 Papers of the Society of American Indians, 1906-1946 [10 reels] Microform-Newspapers A8210 Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs central classified files, 1907-1939 [partial collection on health aspects only, 29 reels] Health Sciences Library B1833 Records of the Moravian Mission among the Indians of North America [40 reels] Microform-Newspapers A8387

Selected Web Sites

For other websites dealing with Indian history see Native American History.

American Memory The premier site for American history. The Library of Congress has digitized more than 100 collections ranging from presidential papers to baseball cards. Most material predates 1930 such as Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian. American Indians of the Pacific Northwest A digital collection of original photographs and documents about the Northwest Coast and Plateau Indian cultures from the UW Libraries collection. Also see other UW Digital Collections. First Nations Collection "The First Nations Tribal Collection of the Southern Oregon Digital Archives consists of documents, books, and articles relating to the indigenous peoples of this bioregion." Frank Fuller Avery Image Collection "The collection consists of 800 images selected from 894 5x7 inch glass negatives taken by Avery during the period 1901 to 1916 when Avery was assigned to the Colville Indian Agency." Pacific Northwest Olympic Peninsula Community Museum "A web-based museum showcasing aspects of the rich history and culture of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula communities" with more than 12,000 images and artifacts.

Image: Tulalip School ca. 1912. American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Digital Collection.