The Indian Census Rolls refer to census rolls submitted annually by agents and superintendents at American Indian reservations, starting in 1885. These rolls include individuals and families who maintained a formal connection with Federally recognized tribes. They are housed at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Digitized Indian Census Rolls are available online at Ancestry.com and Fold3.com. The Internet Archive also provides access to many digitized Indian Census Rolls, including:
Blackfeet
Sioux
Bureau of Indian Affairs Central Classified Files, 1907-1939
Level 1 microfilm: 970.5 R311
Series A: Indian Delegations to Washington
Series B: Indian Customs and Social Regulations
Series C: Indian Health and Medical Affairs
Series D, pt. 1: General Organization, Regulations, and Types of Schools
Series D, pt. 2: Correspondence and Reports on Reservation Day and Boarding Schools
FBI Files on the American Indian Movement and Wounded Knee
Level 1 microfilm: 973.0497 F287
Reels 1-26
Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940
Level 1 microfiche: 970.631 I39
The Mansfield Library has those rolls for Montana tribes.
Indian Claims Commission
Level 1 microfiche: 343.73025 E96
Index to the Expert Testimony Before the Indian Claims Commission, The Written Reports, compiled and edited by Norman A. Ross.
Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs. 1824-81
Level 1 microfilm: 970.478 U58L
List of Documents Concerning the Negotiation of Ratified Indian Treaties, 1801-1869
Level 1 microfilm: 970.5 U58d
“Ratified Indian treaties are one of the basic sources of documentation of the Government's policy toward Indians and the legal status of the tribes.” This list of selected documents in the National Archives “includes all documentary materials in the records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Office of the Secretary of the Interior that are easily identifiable as throwing light on the authority, intent, and understanding of the men who negotiated these Indian treaties.”
Records of the Idaho Superintendency of Indian Affairs, 1863-1870
Level 1 microfilm: 970.5 U58re
Records of the Montana Superintendency of Indian Affairs, 1867-1873
Level 1 microlfilm: 970.5 U584m Index
Records of the Oregon Superintendency of Indian Affairs, 1848-1873
Level 1 microfilm: 970.5 U58m
Records of the Washington Superintendency of Indian Affairs, 1853-1874
Level 1 microfilm: 970.5 U58rw
Federal government information is still making its way online. Recent reports are often available online, but historical materials are being digitized slowly by agencies, libraries and corporate vendors. The majority of historic government information is available in print at this time.
Tracking down older government information can be challenging (but worthwhile). Items from 1976-present should be in the library catalog. The library is working on getting records for all of its government documents in the catalog, but it will take time to get 200 years worth of material in the catalog. If you can't find a record for an item in the catalog, the library may still own it; remember the 1976-present limitation. Try WorldCat, the digital Serial Set, or some of the print indexes to track down a call number.
Contact the Government Information Librarian for help finding government reports.
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This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new windowAnnual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb37575968z/date
Level 1: SI 2.1: year (1879-80 to 1930-31, 1945-1964)
Established by an act of Congress, this series began in 1880 and continued through 1931. It consists of reports of ethnological research among North American Indians. The 48th Annual Report contains “General Index, Annual Reports of the Bureau of American Ethnology." A digitized version of the series is also available through the French National Library.
Bulletins of the Bureau of American Ethnology
Level 1: SI 2.3: nos. 1-200 (1887-1967)
Also authorized by Congress, the bulletins were published between 1887 and 1967 and cover a broad range of topics in the field of anthropology.
Handbook of North American Indians
Level 2: Q&F Oversize 970.00497 H23617 and Level 1 Documents Reference: SI 1.20/2:
“A 20-volume set planned to give an encyclopedic summary of what is known about the prehistory, history, and cultures of the aboriginal peoples of North America who lived north of the urban civilizations of central Mexico.” The Mansfield Library has all volumes with a publication date. Other volumes are planned but have not yet been published.
Commissioner of Indian Affairs Annual Reports
Level 1- Microfiche Silver: W 1.1: 824-836 and I 20.1: 1837-1968
Board of Indian Commissioners Annual Reports
Level 1- Microfiche Silver and Print: I 20.5: 1869-1932
Indians of (series):
Level 1: I 20.51:
Congressional Record
Level 1: X 1.1
Available in both microfiche and paper using the same call number. The current Congressional Record is available through Congress.gov (https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record). The Congressional Record is useful for tracking legislation. It provides the text of floor debates, references to related House and Senate Reports, and roll call vote results. The index volumes are particularly helpful for finding bills by subject, finding all remarks by a particular legislator in a session, and providing a quick overview of the path of a bill through Congress.
Committees of Congress
There are many Congressional committees that touch on American Indian-related issues in the course of working on legislation in their respective subject areas. The ones below have focused more strongly on tribal issues in their work.