Native American History Archives You Can Access from Your Computer

Online archives help preserve Indigenous heritage in the digital age.

Native American Heritage Month is well on its way, so there’s no time like the present to read up on the people, tribes, and civilizations that preceded us, as well as learn more about their living descendants so you can become a better ally. The best way to do this is by exploring digital resources, and online archives are a great place to begin. To get you started, we’ve put together a few useful Native American archives that you can freely access online.

1. National Indian Law Library

The National Indian Law Library is a unique and highly specialized library that focuses on Native American legal matters, including relevant cases in federal and tribal courts, legislation related to native tribes, and other important news. It’s a great resource for anyone looking to learn about Native Americans’ history in the context of the law, the ways they’ve fought for change in the past, and the ways they continue to do so in the present.

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2. Texas State Archives

Since the Texas State Archives have records of the entire state’s important bits of history, it stands to reason that there’s a substantial amount of information on the state’s Native American tribes as well. The information covers a roughly three-hundred-year period, ranging from the Spanish Colonial rule of the 1700s to the year 2004, and includes information on major historical events and the like.

3. UC Berkley’s Native American Studies Collection

Academic libraries are great resources for learning about history, Native American history included. UC Berkley’s Native American Studies Collection consists of a wealth of Native resources, carefully curated to ensure an accurate perspective of historical events. In addition, the library offers a number of resources on how to evaluate these resources.

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4. Heard Museum’s Digital Library

The Heard Museum’s Digital Library contains a wide selection of digitized historical resources across multiple mediums, including pictures, artwork, and firsthand accounts of Native Americans from the American Southwest. These are great for gaining a greater understanding of the lives and livelihoods of Natives throughout history. 

5. National Archives

Finally, there are the National Archives, which keep detailed records of the entire nation and naturally have an expansive section of resources on Native Americans. You can access any number of resources, from historical acts to census records.

If you’re looking for more great resources to learn about the diversity of the American people, we recommend visiting your local library. If you’d like to learn more about these libraries, visit us at EveryLibrary today!

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