Indigenous Peoples of New York

Learn about the Indians of New York, tribes and bands, state recognized tribes, agencies, records, and repositories.

Tribes and Bands of New York
The following list of American Indians who have lived in New York has been compiled from Hodge's Handbook of American Indians... and from Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America. Some may simply be variant spellings for the same tribe.


 * Delaware or Lenni Lenape
 * Erie
 * Iroquois
 * Mahican
 * Mohegan
 * Montauk
 * Neutral
 * Oneida
 * Onondaga
 * Saponi
 * Seneca
 * Tuscarora
 * Tutelo
 * Wappinger
 * Wenrohronon

New York State Recognized Tribes

 * Unkechague Poosepatuck Tribe
 * Tuscarora Nation
 * Tonawada Band of Seneca
 * Unkechague Indian Nation of Poospatuck Indians

Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca

Six Indian Nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora

Prevost, Toni Jollay. ''Indians from New York: a Genealogy Reference. ''Bowie Maryland: Heritage Books, c 1995. 3 V. WorldCat

Agencies
Agencies and subagencies were created as administrative offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its predecessors. Their purpose was (and is) to manage Indian affairs with the tribes, to enforce policies, and to assist in maintaining the peace. The names and location of these agencies may have changed, but their purpose remained basically the same. Many of the records of genealogical value were created by these offices.

The following list of agencies that have operated or now exist in New York has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians , and others.


 * New York Liaison Office, Federal Bldg, 100 S. Clinton St., Syracuse, NY 13202]]
 * New York Agency 1829-1880
 * Seneca Agency 1824-1832
 * Six Nations Agency 1824-1834
 * Osage River Agency

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

Family History Library
Records of American Indians in New York are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog Place Search under NEW YORK - NATIVE RACES and in the Subject Search under the name of the tribe or language group, such as IROQUOIS and ALGONQUIAN. Additional records are listed in the Subject Search under INDIANS OF NORTH AMERICA - NEW YORK.


 * Duke University Oral History Collection 8 films Family History Library 1st film
 * Census 1854 New york Indians living in Kansas FHL Film:989204
 * Census films 1885-1924 Family History Library films: 579700-579709
 * Land and Property Cayuga County, Reservation deeds, 1822-1901 FHL films: 852061-852074
 * Holland Company Records 1790-1800 (Buffalo and Erie Counties) 23 films Family History Library 1st film
 * Cattaraugus Reservation-Vital Records 1883-1940. Family History Library film

Reservations
From the mid-1800s, the official policy of the United States government toward the American Indian was to confine each tribe to a specific parcel of land called a reservation. Agencies were established on or near each reservation. A government representative, usually called an agent (or superintendent) was assigned to each agency. Their duties included maintaining the peace, making payments to the Native Americans based on the stipulations of the treaties with each tribe, and providing a means of communication between the native population and the federal government.

Sometimes, a single agency had jurisdiction over more than one reservation. And sometimes, if the tribal population and land area required it, an agency may have included sub-agencies.

The boundaries of reservations, over time, have changed. Usually, that means the reservations have been reduced in size. Sometimes, especially during the later policy of "termination," the official status of reservations was ended altogether.

For a current reservation map - New York - Indian Reservations- The National Atlas of the United States of America. Federal Lands and Indian Reservations. by the U.S. Department of Interior and U.S. Geological Survey.

The following list of reservations has been compiled from the National Atlas of the United States of America, the Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America , and other sources. Those reservations named in bold are current federally-recognized reservations, with their associated agency and tribe(s). Others have historically been associated with the state or are not currently recognized by the federal government.


 * Akwesasne Reservation:
 * Allegany Reservation: State, under jurisdiction _______ Tribe: Seneca
 * Buffalo Creek Reservation:
 * Cattaraugus Reservation: State, under jurisdiction of ______ Office Tribe: Seneca
 * Cayuga Nation: under jurisdiction of New York Liaison Office, Tribe: ______
 * Erie Reservation:
 * Oil Springs Reservation:
 * [[Reservation: Oneida Tribes: Oneida Acres: 350 Established by: Treaty of Nov. 11, 1794 (VII, 44); arrangement with the State of New York. (See Ind. Aff. Rep. for 1877. 168.)
 * Oneida Indian Reservation: Oneida Tribes: Oneida, Onondaga, St. Regis Acres: 6,100 Established by: Treaty and arrangement with the State of New York November 11, 1794.Oneida Reservation:
 * Onondaga Reservation:
 * Poosepatuck Reservation:, , Tribe: Poosepatuck Established 1666
 * Seneca Nation: State, under jurisdiction of New York Liaison Office: Tribe: Seneca
 * Shinnecock Reservation: State, under jurisdiction of ______ Tribe: Shinnecock
 * St. Regis Reservation: under jurisdiction of New York Liaison Office, Tribe: Mohawk
 * Tonawanda Reservation: under jurisdiction of New York Liaison Office, Tribe: Tonawanda Band of Seneca
 * Tuscarora Reservation: under jurisdiction of New York Liaison Office, Tribe:______

Collections

 * Hoopes American Indian Collection, 1850-1969. New York State Historical Association.

See Also:
New York History for a calendar of events

New York -Military for a list of forts

New York - Church Records