Digger Indians

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Guide to  ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and other agency records.



History
Digger Indians is a somewhat derogatory general term applied to several tribes or groups of Native Americans who lived in the Great Basin area of the United States. It referred to those who dug roots for food and was often applied to various groups of the Paiute Indians who lived in eastern and central California, western and southern Nevada, eastern Oregon, southern Idaho, southern Utah, and northwestern Arizona. The term has occasionally been applied to members or groups of other tribes who dug roots for subsistence.

Records
The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:


 * Allotment records
 * Annuity rolls
 * Census records
 * Correspondence
 * Health records
 * Reports
 * School census and records
 * Vital records

For Further Reading
For background information to help find American Indian ancestors see For Further Reading.