CMU LibGuides: Indigenous Studies: Introduction

A Brief History

The land that is now Pennsylvania encompasses land that belonged to a variety of Indigenous communities. Pittsburgh shares more Indigenous history with Ohio than with much of Eastern Pennsylvania. The city of Pittsburgh "occupies the ancestral land of the Seneca, Adena culture, Hopewell culture, and Monongahela peoples, who were later joined by refugees of other tribes (including the Delaware, Shawnee, Mingo, and Haudenosaunee), who were all forced off their homelands and displaced by European colonists." (University of Pittsburgh Land Acknolwedgement

*Despite being denied land in Pennsylvania, Indigenous Peoples of these lands are present across the U.S. and maintain sovereign nation status:

Currently, the Council of the Three Rivers American Indian Center (COTRAIC) supports the Native American community in the Greater Pittsburgh area, as well as others with similar economic difficulties. COTRAIC was formed in the early 1970s order to preserve Native American culture and values, as well as supporting immediate needs of the Native community in Pittsburgh.

Indigenous Ways of Knowing

Indigenous Ways of Knowing are by no means new, but Indigenous scholars have been working consistently to have their voices heard in academia. This research guide is a jumping off point for understanding Indigenous scholarship, methodologies, data sovereignty, and archives.

X̱wi7x̱wa Research Guides
List of all X̱wi7x̱wa Research Guides, and links to UBC Library Indigenous Research Guides. Includes guides on Indigenous languages, activism, media, treaties, literature, arts, research methodology, history, and more.
University of Colorado Boulder, Indigenous Ways of Knowing
An excellent collection of resources on and explanations of Indigenous Knowledges & research methods
BC Campus, Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being
While there is great diversity among Indigenous Peoples, there are also some commonalities in Indigenous worldviews and ways of being. Indigenous worldviews see the whole person (physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual) as interconnected to land and in relationship to others (family, communities, nations). This is called a holistic or wholistic view, which is an important aspect of supporting Indigenous students.
Queens University, Indigenous Research Ethics
Building ethical relationships and research partnerships with Indigenous communities takes time. Researchers who wish to engage in research with Indigenous peoples are encouraged to learn about the research priorities of specific communities, and design research collaboratively from the start rather than invite the community members to participate in a project that has already been shaped.

Searching the CMU Library Catalog

Keywords & Subject Headings

Since most academic libraries use the Library of Congress Classification System and Subject Headings, much of the terminology needed to locate materials in academic libraries about Indigenous Peoples is outdated and inappropriate. While there are activists that have been working on changing this, a variety of keywords are needed to encompass the terminology.

Indigenous Terminology
Simon Fraser University Library has put together a guide to First Nations terminology, which includes names of groups as well as possible subject headings that researchers may use to find materials related to Indigenous peoples in library catalogues.

Indigenous Studies

Whose Land?

Librarian for History and Languages, Cultures, & Applied Linguistics (LCAL)

A Brief History

Indigenous Ways of Knowing

Searching the CMU Library Catalog

Keywords & Subject Headings