Indigenous Peoples of the United States Regions

The purpose of this wiki is to guide the user to records that will assist them in finding records of individual Indians and to document their family history and genealogy.The following list is given to illustrate the possible ties and associations with other tribes of the same culture grouping. All tribes are not included.

This page compliments American Indian Cultural Groups


 * Geographical classifications may be determined by linguistics, cultural or other unique factors relating to the tribes. Geographic classification may cover a larger land mass and may include several or parts of the culture groups. Other classifications: Eastern Woodland, and California


 * Geographical Regions:


 * Northeast Region: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee
 * Southeast Region: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma
 * Mid-West or Plains Region: Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, and Kansas
 * Western or Great Basin Region: Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming and parts of Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Montana
 * Southwestern Region: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California
 * Northwest or Plateau Region: Washington, Oregon and Idaho
 * Alaska
 * Hawaii

Northeast Region

 * Draper, Lyman Copeland (1815-1891), Draper Manuscript Collection. (Trans-Appalachia) FS Library first film 889,098
 * Holland Land Company (1792-1821) FS Library film 1421412 -inventory] and FS Library first film of 202: 1,414,876
 * Records of the Moravian Missions: 1739-1851 FS Library first film 1,017,681

Removal: some tribes move because of encroachment, many began moving after the Revolutionary War

Southeast Region

 * Doris Duke OralHistory Collection - Oklahoma FS Library first film: 1,486,555
 * Oklahoma - Indian Pioneer Papers, 1860-1935 (Oklahoma Historical Society) FS Library
 * O'Donnell, James H. Southern Indians in the American Revolution. University of TN., Knoxville. FS Library book 970.1 Id5s
 * Gilmer, George Rockingham, 1790-1859. Sketches of Some of the First Settlers of Upper Georgia, of the Cherokees and the Author. American, GA American Book Co., 1926. FS Library book 975.8 H2g or film 897,227
 * Rand, James Hall. The North Carolina Indians. Chapel Hill, NC c 1913. FS Library book 975.6 B4b vol. 12 #2
 * South, Stanley A. Indians in North Carolina. Raleigh. NC Dept. of Archives and History. C 1965. FS Library 970.1 Al #79 or film 873,680 item 6
 * Coterill, R. S. The Southern Indians[FS Library 970.1 C828s] Source for information about the Five Civilized Tribes before removal.
 * Eastern Cherokee Claims Files (Guion Miller Rolls), 1902-1910.
 * Enrollment for the Five Civilized Tribes and Related Records, 1896-1907. (Dawes Rolls)
 * State Department Territorial Papers, Florida, 1777-1824. (M116) FS Library film 1,578,812
 * State Department Territorial Papers, Orleans, 1764-1813 (T260) FS Library film 1,549,412
 * Interior Department Territorial Papers: Oklahoma 1889-1912 (M828)


 * ONLINE: Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842. Digital Library of Georgia has put documents and images online relating to the Native American population of the Southeastern United States. The searchable database contains documents that include letters, legal proceedings, military orders, financial papers, and archaeological images.

Removal: Began with the Indian Removal Act of 1830

Mid-West or Plains Region

 * Draper, Lyman Copeland. Draper Manuscript Collection. (Trans-Appalachia) Prairie Duchene-Tecumseh Papers (Shawnee Chief 1763-1823) FS Library film: 889,097
 * John Gill Pratt Papers 1834-1899 FS Library first film 812,758
 * Major James McLaughlin Papers, McLaughlin, James. Major. 1855-1937. FS Library first film: 541,380 - Dakotas, KY, NY, Il, IN, VA, WI, TN. Guide to the microfilm edition of Major James McLaughlin Papers. FS Library book 973 A1No.2000
 * John J. Watts Collection, 1874 -1912. - Missouri - FS Library film 1,320,994 item 10 - index and FS Library film 485,322
 * Doris Duke Oral History Collection FS Library first film: 1,486,555
 * Jesuit Mission and College Records. 1832-1967 FS Library film 590,422 and 590,423
 * State Department, Territorial Papers, Northwest of the River Ohio, 1787-1801. FS Library film 1,571,572
 * State Department, Territorial Papers, Northwest of River Ohio, 1787-1801. (M470) FS Library film 1,695,391
 * State Department, Territorial Papers, Southwest of the River Ohio, 1790-1795. (M471) FS Library film 1,578,870
 * State Department, Territorial Papers, Dakota, 1861-1873 (M309) FS Library film 1,580,036
 * Interior Department Territorial Papers: Dakota, 1863-1889 (M431)
 * Territorial Papers of the United States: Iowa 1838-1846 (M325) FS Library film 1,601,629
 * State Department Territorial Papers: Kansas, 1854-1851 (M218) FS Library 1,602.223
 * Territorial Papers of U.S. Territory of Minnesota, 1849-1858. (M1050) FS Library film 1,695,152
 * State Department Territorial Papers, Missouri, 1812-1820. (M1134) FS Library film 1,692,223
 * State Department Territorial Papers: Nebraska, 1854-1867. (M228) FS Library film 1,5579,708
 * Territorial Papers of U.S. Territory of Wisconsin 1848-1856 FS Library film 1,601,731


 * ONLINE: Indian Peoples of the Northern Great Plains - Montana State University Library has created an online searchable photograph database.

Removal: By 1825, the Sac and Fox, Winnebago, Sioux and Potawatomi had moved west of the Mississippi River. The Chippewa moved up into northern Wisconsin.

Western or Great Basin Region

 * Doris Duke Oral History Collection - Oklahoma FS Library first film 1,486,555
 * State Department Territorial Papers, Colorado, 1859-1874. (M3) FS Library 1,464,017''
 * Interior Department Territorial Papers, Colorado, 1861-1888 (M431)
 * State Department Territorial Papers, Idaho, 1863-1872. (M445) FS Library 1,580.038
 * Interior Department Territorial Papers, Idaho, 1864-1890. (M191)
 * State Department Territorial Papers, Montana, 1864-1872. (M356) FS Library 1,602,228

Interior Department Territorial Papers, Montana, 1867-1889 (M192)


 * State Department Territorial Papers, Nevada, 1861-1864. (M13) FS Library 1,419,200
 * State Department. Territorial Papers, Nevada 1861-1864. FS Library film 1,491,200
 * Interior Department. Territorial Papers, Utah 1850-1902. (M428) FS Library first film 1,602,234
 * State Department. Territorial Papers, Utah 1853-1872 (M12) FS Library film 491,567
 * State Department. Territorial Papers of Wyoming. (m85) FS Library film 1,602,230
 * Interior Department Territorial Papers: Wyoming, 1870-1890, (M204)

Removal: as the Tribes gave way to the pressures of white migration

Southwestern Region

 * Doris Duke Oral History Collection - Oklahoma FS Library first film 1,486,555
 * Atkin, Edmund. Indians of the Southwest Colonial Frontier. Ed. by Wilbur R. Jacobs. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. 1954. FS Library 970.1 At51i WorldCat
 * Newcom, W.W. The Indians of Texas.
 * Spicer, Edward H. Cycles of Conquest: The Impact of Spain, Mexico and the United States on the Indians of the Southwest, 1533-1960. Tucson, The University of Arizona Press
 * They Talked Navajo "dine'bi-zaad choz-iid". The United States Marine Corps Navajo Code Talkers or World War II. FS Library 970.3 N22ytt
 * Wright, Muriel L. Guide to Indian Tribes of Oklahoma'.
 * State Department Territorial Papers, Arizona, 1864-1872. (M342) FS Library 1,580,035
 * Interior Department Territorial Papers: Arizona, 1868-1913 (M429)


 * State Department Territorial Papers, New Mexico, 1851-1872 (T17) FS Library 1,580,030
 * Territorial Papers of New Mexico 1834-1912. FS Library film 896,539
 * Interior Department Territorial Papers, New Mexico 1851-1914 (M364)

Removal: as the Tribes gave way to the pressures of white migration

Northwest or Plateau Region

 * Carriker, Robert C. and Eleanor R. Guide to the Microfilm Collections of Pacific Northwest Tribes, Missions - Oregon. C. 1987 FS Library 970.1A3cr
 * Doris Duke Oral History Collection Oklahoma FS Library first film 1,486,555
 * The Pacific Northwest Tribes Missions Collections of the Oregon Province Archives of the Society of Jesus, 1853-1960. By Robert C. and Eleanor R. Carriker. FS Library first film 1,671,639
 * U.S. Department of State. Territorial Papers, Oregon. 1848-1858. (M419) FS Library film 1,580,034
 * Territorial Papers of the United States: Oregon 1849-1859. (M1049) FS Library 1,695,681
 * U.S. Department of State. Territorial Papers, Washington. (M26)1854-1872. FS Library film 1,602,231 - 1,602,232
 * Interior Department Territorial Papers: Washington, 1854-1902 (M189)

Online: American Indian of the Pacific Northwest. This Library of Congress digital collection provides online access to more than 2.300 photographs and 7,700 pages of text relating to the American Indians in the Pacific Northwest. Many of these resources, including maps, and essays, link to other collections found at the University of Washington libraries and other organizations of the Pacific Northwest.

Removal:

Alaska
Interior Department Territorial Papers: Alaska, 1869-1913 (M430)


 * Records of the Alaskan Territorial Government NARA 1888-1919 (T1200), 1900-1913 (T1201), 1909-1958 (M939), and 1913-1953 (M1012)