Research Native Americans
From wsuwiki
This wiki page provides library and other resources oriented towards research on Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest. It is intended for students in Winona Wynn's Spring 2006 English 201 class, but might be of interest to others. This is a wiki page so anyone with a Washington State University Network ID can edit this page (you can view the editing history of this page); WSU students can also make additions, suggestions, or other comments on the DISCUSSION page associated with this page. --Lorena O'English 13:27, 29 Mar 2006 (Pacific Standard Time) (WSU Librarian)
Introduction
Students in my current classes who have either attended the "Field Trip Experience" to the Nez Perce Interpretive Center, or who are exploring related topics, may find this page useful. In addition, I have placed several resource materials on reserve in the Media/Reserves section of the Holland Library. There is a film on the history of the Nez Perce, and also a great resource book describing the Nez Perce Treaty years and their impact. To access these materials, ask for Winona Wynn's resource materials.
Library Research at the Washington State University Libraries
Check out the LibrarySearch page - lots of information about how to find good stuff in the WSU Libraries. If you have questions, you can get reference desk hours, phone numbers and email webforms at our Ask a Question page.
Pacific Northwest Tribal People
University of Washington essay on the history of the Lushootseed, or Pacific Coastal People
Reference Resources
Handbook of North American Indians - Hol Ref E77 H25
The American Indian in the United States: A Documentary History - E93 W27
Native American Literatures: An Encyclopedia of Works, Characters, Authors and Themes
Hol Ref PS 153.152 W47 1999
Native America Today: A Guide to Community Politics and Culture
E98 T77 P75 1999
Native American Issues: A Reference Handbook
Hol Ref E 98 T77 T56 1996
Finding Books
Books can be found in the WSU Libraries catalog, Griffin. The Summit service is available for getting books from over other 35 college and university libraries in Oregon and Washington.
Like academic disciplines, libraries have their own vocabulary. The terms we use in conversation aren't always the terms used by libraries. The library term for Native Americans is "Indians of North America." It might be followed by more specific terms, such as
Indians of North America - Washington (state) or Indians of North America - Idaho or
Indians of North America - Northwest Pacific or Indians of North America - History. Using these terms can often make your searching easier.
You can also search for specific tribal names, i.e. "Nez Perce." A sample search in the WSU Libraries catalog Griffin might look like this:
"indians of north america" and pacific and treaties (You can see the results of this search here.
- In addition to encyclopedic or reference books on Native Americans, you may want to peruse books by Native American Authors such as Sherman Alexie, Vine Deloria Jr., Devon Mehesuah, Linda Hogan, James Welch, Leslie Marmon Silko, etc.
Finding Articles
You can find article citations and fulltext articles on the Databases, Articles and E-Journals page. A few of the database indexes that might include articles on Native Americans include:
America: History and Life - covers the history of the United States and Canada.
Anthropological Literature - The schgolarly literature of anthropology.
Ethnic NewsWatch - mostly fulltext newspapers and magazines from ethnic groups; mostly from North America. Use the Historical New York Times Online database to search articles since 1851 (including articles, letter to the editor, images and classified ads).
Human Relations Area File - Ethnography - A fulltext database with information on cultures worldwide, including substantial Native American content. Also available in microfilm form extending further back into time.
Sociological Abstracts - the scholarly literature of sociology.
Electronic Collections Online - Lots of fulltext; includes Sage Race Relations Abstracts.
Lexis-Nexis Academic - News and legal content, as well as business information.
GPO Monthly Catalog - Use this resource to find government publications about Native American issues. You may also want to use Congressional Nexis-Lexis to find current or older congressional hearings, Bureau of Indian Affairs publications, and other relevant documents.
Specialized Resources: Metasites on the Web
NativeWeb
American Indian Studies - From California State University Long Beach. Includes links, essays, photos and artwork.
Virtual Library: Native Americans
Specialized Resources: Law and Treaties
Native American Constitution and Law Digitalization Project -
Kappler Project - Digitized version of Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, compiled and edited by Charles J. Kappler (Hol Ref KF 8203). This only covers events up to 1971.
Native American Treaties and Information
Tips on how to evaluate Native American Resources: go to the University of Arizona's site on "Techniques on Evaluating American Indian Websites
Specialized Resources: Images
Note: see metasite links above and other primary sources links below.
Specialized Resources: Other Primary Sources
These collections include images, primary source documents, maps, essays and more:
Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections (MASC), Washington State University - Collections include the McWhorter Collection (papers of Lucullus Virgil McWhorter) and others. (Note: be sure to look at the bottom of the page for the "descriptive inventory" and "index" links!) Another note: MASC resources cannot be checked out and must be used in the MASC Reading Room.
Library of Congress American Indians of the Pacific Northwest
University of Washington - American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Digital Collection
Web Note: Get in the habit of applying these evaluation criteria to any open web source you are considering using.