Research Guides: Native American & Indigenous Studies: Resources

Welcome

Welcome to the Native American and Indigenous Studies LibGuide. Here you can find valuable information for conducting research, crafting an argument or scholarly narrative, or just learning the basics about Indigenous forms of scholarship. Across the top of this page are several tabs that help organize the information. We honor and acknowledge that Purdue University, West Lafayette is built on the homelands of the Bodéwadmik (Potawatomi), Lenape (Delaware), Myaami (Miami), and Shawnee People.

Recommended Primary Source Databases

Accessible Archives This link opens in a new window
Digitized material found in leading historic periodicals and books, including eyewitness accounts of historical events, vivid descriptions of daily life, editorial observations, commerce as seen through advertisements, and genealogical records.
Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America This link opens in a new window
Presents unique materials from the Edward E. Ayer Collection archival collections on American Indian history and culture at The Newberry Library, Chicago. Explore manuscripts, artwork and rare printed books dating from the earliest contact with European settlers right up to photographs and newspapers from the mid-twentieth century. Browse through a wide range of rare and original documents from treaties, speeches and diaries, to historic maps and travel journals.

NOTE: Off-campus access is unavailable. We are working to resolve the issue - 1/30/2024
Archive Finder
Directory of archives and manuscript collections in the United States with descriptions of a repository's holdings. Repository records include phone and fax numbers, hours of service, materials solicited, email and home page URLs when available. Each collection record links to its corresponding repository record. Integrates records from NUCMC (National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections), 1959-1995; NIDS (National Inventory of Documentary Sources in the United States); and Directory of Archives and Manuscript Repositories in the United States.
Archives Unbound
Archives Unbound presents topically-focused digital collections of historical documents that support the research and study needs of scholars and students at the university level.

Collections included:
American Indian Movement and Native American Radicalism
Black Economic Empowerment: The National Negro Business League
Chinese Civil War and U.S.-China Relations: Records of the U.S. State Department’s Office of Chinese Affairs, 1945-1955
Civil Rights and Social Activism in the South - James A. Dombrowski and the Southern Conference Educational Fund
Conditions and Politics in Occupied Western Europe, 1940-1945
Country Intelligence Reports on China
Country Intelligence Reports on Japan
Country Intelligence Reports on Korea
County and Regional Histories and Atlases: Indiana
Economy and War in the Third Reich, 1933-1944
Electing the President: Proceedings of the Democratic National Conventions, 1832-1988
Electing the President: Proceedings of the Republican National Conventions, 1856-1988
International Women's Periodicals, 1786-1933: Social and Political Issues
Middle East Online: Iraq, 1914-1974
Overland Journeys: Travels in the West, 1800-1880
Post-War Europe: Refugees, Exile and Resettlement, 1945-1950
Ralph J. Bunche Oral Histories Collection on the Civil Rights Movement
SUR, 1931-1992
U.S. Military Activities and Civil Rights: The Military Response to the March on Washington, 1963
We Were Prepared for the Possibility of Death: Freedom Riders in the South, 1961
Women’s Issues and Their Advocacy Within the White House, 1974-1977
Women, War and Society, 1914-1918
Gale Primary Sources - All
Gale Primary Sources is an integrated research environment that allows scholars to search across more than 30 Gale primary source collections, including Eighteenth Century Collections Online, Nineteenth Century Collections Online, Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers, Archives of Human Sexuality and Identity, The Making of the Modern World, and other collections.
Indigenous Peoples of North America This link opens in a new window
The archive includes extensive monograph, manuscript, newspaper, periodical and photograph collections that will enhance research and increase understanding of the historical experiences, cultural traditions and innovations, and political status of Indigenous Peoples in the United States and Canada.

Archives of Sexuality and Gender This link opens in a new window
More than 5,000 rare and unique books covering sex, sexuality, and gender issues across the sciences and humanities and throughout history. Topics include patterns of fertility and sexual practice; prostitution; religion and sexuality; the medical and legal construction of sexualities; and the rise of sexology.

Includes five archives:

L'Enfer de la Bibliothèque nationale de France
International Perspectives on LGBTQ Activism and Culture
LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940, Part I
LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940, Part II
Sex and Sexuality, Sixteenth to Twentieth Century
Food & Drink In History This link opens in a new window
Five centuries of primary source material documenting the story of food and drink. Module One includes printed and manuscript cookbooks, advertising ephemera, government documents, marketing reports, films and illustrated content reflecting reflect a wide range of food cultures and traditions. Coverage 1540-1980.
History Reference Source This link opens in a new window
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This database features full text for thousands of primary source documents and informational texts.
Slavery & Anti-Slavery: a Transnational Archive This link opens in a new window
Slavery and Anti-Slavery includes collections on the transatlantic slave trade, the global movement for the abolition of slavery, the legal, personal, and economic aspects of the slavery system, and the dynamics of emancipation in the U.S. as well as in Latin America, the Caribbean, and other regions. Includes: Part 1. Debates over slavery and abolition, Part 2. Slave trade in the Atlantic world, Part 3. The institution of slavery , and Part 4. The age of emancipation.
Women and Social Movements in Modern Empires since 1820 This link opens in a new window
Explores prominent themes in world history since 1820 as told through women’s voices: conquest, colonization, settlement, resistance, and post-coloniality.
Archives of Latin American and Caribbean History This link opens in a new window
Provides full text searchable access to a digital collection of primary and secondary source documents about Latin America and the Caribbean. The scope ranges from the colonial period to the present and includes monographs, manuscripts, pamphlets, letters, expedition records, journals, periodicals, reports, maps, diaries, descriptions of voyages, newspaper accounts, news feeds, audio and video, and more.

Census.gov This link opens in a new window
Serves as a leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy.
CQ Congress Collection
CQ Congress Collection is a dynamic research and reference tool allowing historical analysis of members of Congress, their legislative voting behavior, interest groups, and their interactions in crafting public policy.
Military and Government Collection This link opens in a new window
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News about military and government topics. Featuring full-text for nearly 300 journals and periodicals and and indexing and abstracts from nearly 400 titles.

Coverage 1975-present.
ProQuest Congressional Publications
Provides access to historic and recent U.S. Government publications from 1789-1969 on including U.S. Congressional Serial Set documents, federal agency reports, congressional committee publications including reports on legislation, statistics, maps, and congressional debates.
Coverage includes Congressional Record and predecessor publication debates from 1789-1997 and Executive branch agency publications not included in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set from 1789-1932.
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Hate Map This link opens in a new window
The Hate Map publishes an annual census of hate groups operating within the United States. A hate group is an organization that, based on its official statements or principles, the statements of its leaders, or its activities, has beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people.
Military and Intelligence Collection
Provides access to scholarly journals, magazines, and reports covering all aspects of the past and current state of military affairs. The database offers content in key subject areas including governmental policies, the socioeconomic effects of war, the structure of the armed forces, and more.

African American Newspapers: The 19th Century This link opens in a new window
Cultural life and history during the 1800s in the U.S. and the Canadian province of Ontario: first-hand reports of the major events and issues of the day, including the Mexican War, Presidential and congressional addresses, Congressional abstracts, business and commodity markets, the humanities, world travel and religion. Large numbers of early biographies, vital statistics, essays and editorials, poetry and prose, and advertisements, all of which portray the African-American experience.
America's Historical Newspapers (Early American Newspapers, Series, 6, 7 & 10)
Fully searchable runs of 215 newspapers from 27 states and the District of Columbia from 1741-1922. Highlights of Series 6 include the Detroit Plaindealer; The Colored American, Detroit's first successful black newspaper; and the Arkansas Gazette, one of the first papers west of the Mississippi. Highlights of Series 7 include New Orleans' Times-Picayune, established in 1837, and The Oregonian, founded in 1850 in Portland and still the state's largest daily.
American Prison Newspapers This link opens in a new window
A growing digital collection of prison newspapers created by and for inmates, 1800-2020, This collection provides valuable insight into the experiences and perspectives of those who are incarcerated.
Caribbean Newspapers, 1718-1876 This link opens in a new window
18th and 19th-century Caribbean newspapers of interest to those studying Colonial history, the Atlantic slave trade, New World slavery and more. A comprehensive resource for studying the development of Western society.

Includes documents in English, French and Spanish

Coverage: 1718-1876
Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers
This database provides access to approximately 500 U.S. newspapers, published between 1800 and 1900. Newspapers selected on their immediate value to researchers on the press and on the century in general. Papers selected cover a broad spectrum, with a comprehensive geographical and chronological range.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers
Newspaper digital archive offering full-text and full-image articles for the following newspapers:

Atlanta Daily World (1931-2010)
Baltimore Afro-American (1893-2010)
Chicago Defender (1910-2010)
Chicago Tribune (1849-2013)
Cleveland Call and Post (1934-1991)
Indianapolis Star (1903-1922)
Jerusalem Post (1932-2008)
Korea Times (1950-2016)
Los Angeles Sentinel (1934-2005)
Louisville Defender (1951-2010)
New York Amsterdam News (1922-1993)
New York Times (1851-2018)
Norfolk Journal and Guide (1916-2003)
Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2010)
Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2010)
South China Morning Post (1903-2001)
Times of India (1838-2010)
Wall Street Journal (1889-2011)

Recommended Secondary Source Databases

Humanities International Complete
Humanities International Complete is an essential collection for comprehensive coverage of the humanities with full text content.
JSTOR
Full-text digital archive of over 2600 scholarly journals, especially strong in Social Sciences, Humanities, Economics, and Mathematics.
WorldCat This link opens in a new window
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OCLC WorldCat database is the OCLC online catalog. It contains over 43 million records describing library holdings.
Native American Indians, 1645-1819 This link opens in a new window
More than 1,600 publications about the relationship between Native Americans and European settlers, featuring text exploration tools, author biographies, and suggested search paths for easy browsing and discovery.
National Geographic Virtual Library This link opens in a new window
Complete archive of National Geographic magazine — every page of every issue from 1888-2015 — along with a cross-searchable collection of National Geographic books, maps, images and videos.

Includes:
National Geographic Magazine Archive, 1888-1994,
National Geographic Magazine Archive, 1995-Current,
National Geographic: People, Animals, and the World,
National Geographic Kids

Coverage: 1888-2020
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
Provides citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration / policy. The database is building on the merged backfiles of Political Science Abstracts, 1975-2000, and ABC POL SCI, 1984-2000. Thesaurus of over 3,000 terms used to index records also available.

Bibliography of Asian Studies (BAS)
The most comprehensive Western-language bibliographical database for research on East, Southeast and South Asia. It covers Western-language journal articles, review articles, conference proceedings and chapters in edited volumes with special focus on the humanities and social sciences.

Coverage: 1971 – current.
Black Thought and Culture This link opens in a new window
Non-fiction works (books, essays, articles, speeches, interviews and letters) by African-American leaders and others who have dealt with issues of race from colonial times to the present. The collection is intended for research in black studies, political science, American history, music, literature, and art.
Brazilian & Portuguese History & Culture This link opens in a new window
Searchable database of the rare and unique pamphlets from the personal library of the Brazilian diplomat, historian, and journalist Manoel de Oliveira Lima. Database allows users to visualize results and term frequencies over time and to limit their search by dates, illustration types, and languages.
Crime, Punishment, and Popular Culture, 1790-1920 This link opens in a new window
Reflecting the widespread impact of changes in crime and its policing, the collection contains manuscripts, books, broadsheets, notes, correspondence, agency records and periodicals and unites a number of geographic areas, making it possible to trace the influence of a legal judgement or development of a penal methodology through various different jurisdictions. The archive also unites a number of disciplines, from law, criminology, and history to studies of popular culture and fiction. Coverage, includes Europe, North America, India, and the Antipodes and includes material in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and German, 1790-1920
Gale OneFile: Criminal Justice This link opens in a new window
This database brings together information from more than 250 journals for researchers who are studying law, law enforcement, or terrorism, training for paralegal service, preparing for a career in homeland security, delving into forensic science, investigating crime scenes, developing policy, going to court, writing sociological reports, and much more.
Gale OneFile: Culinary Arts This link opens in a new window
More than five million articles from more than 250 major cooking and nutrition magazines, as well as book reference content from Delmar such as About Wine, Introduction to Catering, Advanced Bread and Pastry, and Eat Fit Be Fit.

ClimateWire
Comprehensive coverage of the debate over climate policy and its effects on business, the environment and society. Updated daily at 8:00am, ClimateWire covers in-depth the key issues that surround the debate over climate change.
Ecology Abstracts
Ecology Abstracts covers journal literature pertaining to the relationships of organisms to each other and to their environments. About 285 journals are indexed, some completely, others, selectively. Included are relevant papers on evolutionary biology, economics, and systems analysis as they relate to ecosystems or the environment. There is detailed information on resource and ecosystems management and modeling as well as material on the impact of climate, water resources, soil, and man on environmental problems such as depletion, erosion, and pollution.
Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management
This multidisciplinary database provides unparalleled and comprehensive coverage of the environmental sciences. Abstracts and citations are drawn from over 10,000 serials including scientific journals, conference proceedings, reports, monographs, books and government publications. ProQuest Deep Indexing: Environmental Science supplements the database with access to over a million indexed charts, figures, graphs, maps, photographs, and tables from the scholarly research and technical literature for selected records.

Coverage: 1967 - current
Environmental Studies
Offers authoritative content on the development of emerging green technologies and discusses issues on the environment, sustainability and more. Topic, organization, and country portals form research centers around issues covering energy systems, health care, agriculture, climate change, population, and economic development.
Gale In Context: Environmental Studies This link opens in a new window
Integrating case studies, news, reference materials, academic journals, videos, and more, the resource offers nearly 400 topic, state, and province pages across the science, social studies, and humanities curriculum, including Water Privatization, Ecotourism, Air Pollution, Green Economy, and more. Explore topics and events within Earth systems, global change, pollution, and populations. Updated daily.
International Environmental Agreements Database Project This link opens in a new window
This University of Oregon resource provides information about international environmental agreements including bilateral agreements, multilateral agreements, and individual country membership actions. Contains datasets and links to scholarly literature on these environmental agreements.

Anthropological Fieldwork Online This link opens in a new window
This fully indexed, primary source database unfolds the historical development of anthropology from a global perspective, bringing together the fieldwork of early scholars, as well as contextualizing documents from the same time period, including correspondence, and subsequent writings that led to major publications such as draft manuscripts, lectures and articles. Scholars can trace the full scholarly process in all of its stages, from qualitative data gathering to analysis through publication, while cross-searching contemporaneous research from the most important scholars in the discipline.
Anthropology Plus
Brings together two resources: Anthropological Literature from Harvard University, and the Anthropological Index from the Royal Anthropological Institute in the UK. Provides worldwide indexing of journal articles, reports, commentaries, edited works, and obituaries in the fields of social, cultural, physical, biological, and linguistic anthropology, ethnology, archaeology, folklore, material culture, and interdisciplinary studies. Offers coverage of all core periodicals in the field in addition to local and lesser-known journals.
AnthroSource
Current and back issues of journals published by the American Anthropological Association, including American Anthropologist, American Ethnologist, Anthropology & Education Quarterly, Anthropology of Work Review, Archeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association, Culture & Agriculture, Journal of Latin American Anthropology, Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, Medical Anthropology Quarterly, PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review, Society of Lesbian and Gay Anthropologists Newsletter, Visual Anthropology Review, Voices, and more.
Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology
The BEOS Online, the digital version of the 11 volume Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, offers 1800 specially commissioned entries ranging from definitions of key terms to extended explorations of major topics in sociology.
International Boundaries Research Unit: Centre for Borders Research This link opens in a new window
This Durham University database seeks to facilitate enhanced understanding of border areas, contribute to the peaceful resolution of boundary disputes, and engage with broader geographic questions concerning the changing nature of sovereignty, territory, citizenship, and the political organization of space. Since its founding as the International Boundaries Research Unit in 1989, IBRU has been the world’s leading research center on international boundary making and dispute resolution, creating impact through the services it provides to the public and private sectors. Today, IBRU brings together work in international boundary law with the geographic study of borders and bordering in the 21st century.
Sociological Abstracts
This database abstracts and indexes the international literature of sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database provides abstracts of journal articles and citations to book reviews drawn from thousands of serials publications and also provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, conference papers and working papers. Cited references are included for many journal articles.

Gale OneFile: Contemporary Women's Issues This link opens in a new window
Gale OneFile: Contemporary Women's Issues offers comprehensive coverage of issues that influence women's lives across the globe. Users will find timely and historically relevant content on topics including civil rights, health, education, professional development, and entrepreneurship.
Gale OneFile: Gender Studies This link opens in a new window
This database offers access to scholarly journals and magazines covering topics including gender studies, family and marital issues, and more.
Gender Identity and Social Change This link opens in a new window
Essential primary sources documenting the changing representations and lived experiences of gender roles and relations from the nineteenth century to the present. This expansive collection offers sources for the study of women's suffrage, the feminist movement, the men’s movement, employment, education, the body, the family, and government and politics.
LGBTQ History & Culture This link opens in a new window
Provides the essential primary sources necessary for researchers, students, and educators to delve deeper into gay rights movements, and to explore the social, political, health, and legal issues impacting LGBTQ communities around the world.

Coverage 1946-2000s
Women's Studies International
Index to over 871,000 records drawn from a variety of essential women's studies databases, including Women Studies Abstracts, Women's Studies Database, Women Studies Librarian, Popline Subset on Women, Women of Color and Southern Women, and Women's Health and Development.
Women and Social Movements in the U.S. 1600-2000 This link opens in a new window
Books, letters, images, scholarly essays, commentaries, and bibliographies, all of which document the multiplicity of American womens reform activities from the colonial period into the 20th century. Primary document projects cover a broad range of topics; books, pamphlets, and related materials provide scholars with in-depth access to the published histories and records of womens reform organizations throughout the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries; there is also a extensive Dictionary of Social Movements, and a Chronology of Women's History.

Native American & Indigenous Studies

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Recommended Primary Source Databases

Recommended Secondary Source Databases