Indigenous Studies

The journals of Christopher Gist reflect the surveyor's experiences and observations while exploring the Ohio Territory in the early 1750s. They provide a unique record of early interactions with Native Americans during this period of British expansion that precipitated the French and Indian War.

Depredation Claims seek reimbursement for property owned by frontier settlers, typically livestock, that they argued was stolen by Native Americans. This collection contains correspondence, legal forms, and transcriptions pertaining to several Indian Depredation Claims between 1891 and 1899. These cases occurred in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Nevada.

"The Iroquois Land Deed" documents a secret agreement between the Susquehanna Land Company and the Haudenosaunee Nation regarding the sale of the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania to Connecticut settlers. The deed outlines the stipulations of the agreement, the names of the colonial land purchasers, and the marks of the Haudenosaunee involved in the negotiations. Digital reproductions of this collection are available online.

The Pittsburgh Waste Book, so described on its cover, is the ledger of trader George Allen who had been appointed Indian Agent by the Commissioners for Indian Affairs in March 1759, and is reputed to be the first known merchant's account book written in Pittsburgh. The book contains accounts and transactions taking place at Fort Pitt between June 19, 1759 and June 19, 1760. The ledger details the dates, goods, quantities, and prices for trading and also records names of traders

The National Archives (NARA) collaborated with the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) to launch the Indigenous Digital Archive’s Treaties Portal . This website provides public access to digital copies of NARA’s series of ratified Indian Treaties.

Researchers can find information relating to American Indians and Alaska Natives from as early as 1774 through the mid-1990s at National Archives locations throughout the country.

The Carlisle Indian Industrial School is a major site of memory for many Native peoples, as well as a source of study for students and scholars around the globe. This website represents an effort to aid the research process by bringing together, in digital format, a variety of resources that are physically preserved in various locations around the country.