History of Indigenous Peoples of the United States

An overview of the relationships between American Indians and non-Indians and the records kept by non-Indians of the Native Americans

When European settlers first came to the shores of North America, the native population had a natural curiosity about the new arrivals. In fact, there was a mutual curiosity. Some of the new settlers distrusted the natives, while some turned to them for help. Once settlements were established, some colonists had a desire to convert the natives to Christianity and the European way of life.

Almost from the beginning the colonists realized the Native Americans had “title” to lands. Efforts were made to “extinguish” those property rights by purchase, by treaty, and by removing the Native Americans from their home lands to unsettled areas.

From 1795 to 1822, the official policy was to trade with the Indians through “factories,” or government owned trading houses.

Eventually, the American Indians, by policy of the federal government (and in a few instances, state governments) were confined to reservations.

In most of the United States, the administration of government policies toward the American Indians was handled by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its forerunners.

Each if these policies caused records to be created. The desire to Christianize the Indians led to church records of the efforts of the respective denominations. Extinguishing property rights led to Indian deeds to the non-Indian settlements and to treaties in which the Indians gave up their property rights. Treaties often led to annuity rolls, or record of payments to the Native Americans.

The movement of groups of American Indians from one locality to another led to removal records or emigration records. Records of the factories and the trading with various tribes were also kept.

Once they were confined to a reservation, a variety of records were kept by the agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Indian census rolls, allotment records, school records, health records and a number of other documents.

With the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act (also known as the Wheeler-Howard Act) in 1934, American Indian Tribes set up their own tribal governments. Many of these tribal governments began recording vital records, tribal enrollment records and other records of value to genealogists.

External Links: American Indian Policies.

Bibliography: Deloria, Vine, ed. American Indian Policy in the Twentieth Century. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1992.

Smith, Jane F. And Robert M Kvasnicka, eds. Indian-White Relations: A Persistent Paradox. Washington, D.C.: Howard University Press, 1976.