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Introduction

The National Archives holds information about American Indians who maintained their ties to Federally-recognized Tribes (1830-1970). Most records are arranged by tribe. Read more.

Helpful information to know before searching these records:

• Name of the person
• Name of the person's federally-recognized tribe
• Approximately when the person lived
• What state or territory the person lived in

The original administrative records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) headquarters are in the National Archives, Washington, DC.

• NARA's regional facilities hold records created by the BIA field offices and Indian schools.
• NARA's regional facility in Ft. Worth holds many of the records relating to the Five Civilized Tribes.

General Information

• Wantabes and Outalucks: Searching for Indian Ancestors in Federal Records, article by Kent Carter
  
  
• Native American Reference Reports for Research at NARA
  
  
• Microfilm Rolls pertaining to Native Americans available at the National Archives Southwest Region, Fort Worth
  
  
• Records Available for Studying Native Americans in NARA's Pacific Sierra Region (San Francisco), reference information paper
  
  
• Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
  
  
• Indian Bounty Land Applications, an article from Prologue magazine.
  
  
• Published Primary Sources Relating to Native Americans
  
  
• Pictures of Native Americans, a list with links to 194 images held by NARA.
  
  

Census Records

Dawes Rolls

• Tutorial: Using the Dawes Rolls Online for ordering reproductions of Eastern Cherokee application records, 1906-1909
  
  
• Dawes Commission and the Enrollment of the Creeks, an article from Prologue
  
  
• Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes (The Dawes Commission), 1893-1914
  
  
• 1896 Citizenship Applications: 9,618 applications received by the Dawes Commission. Search using the Archival Research Catalog (ARC)
  
  
• Dawes Commission: 64,177 applications submitted between 1898 and 1914 for enrollment in the Five Civilized Tribes (Note: Includes Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole applications only. There is no description in ARC relating to the fifth tribe - Choctaw.) Search using the Archival Research Catalog (ARC)
  
  
• Final Rolls of the Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory. Search using the Archival Research Catalog (ARC)
  
  
• Index to the Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory (Dawes)

Guion-Miller Roll

• Index to Applications Submitted for the Eastern Cherokee Roll of 1909 (Guion-Miller Roll)
  • Guion-Miller Roll Index online
  • Search using the Archival Research Catalog (ARC)

Other Specific Native American Topics

• Order reproductions of Eastern Cherokee application records (1906-1909) online
  
  
• Select Native American Records Online, through the Archival Research Catalog (ARC)
  
  
• Kern-Clifton Roll of Cherokee Freedmen, January 16, 1867. Search using the Archival Research Catalog (ARC)
  
  
• Maps of Indian Territory, the Dawes Act, and Will Rogers' Enrollment Case File: Teaching With Documents Lesson Plan
  
  
• Microfilmed Records Pertaining to Cherokee Removal, 1836-1839
  
  
• Name Index to Pipestone Indian School Student Files, 1910-1954, in NARA's Kansas City facility. (Record Group 75), Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
  
  
• Native American Employees of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the Official Register of the United States, 1849-1925
  
  
• Classification Scheme for Record Group 75, Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
  
  
• Finding aids for records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs located in NARA's Great Lakes Region (Chicago, IL)
  
  
  • Bad River Agency Records, Odanah, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • Carter-Laona Subagencies, Carter and Laona, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • Chippewa Commission, Minnesota (RG 75)
    
    
  • Consolidated Chippewa Agency, Cass Lake, Minnesota (RG 75)
    
    
  • Grand Rapids Agency, Wisconsin Rapids (formerly Grand Rapids), Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • Great Lakes Agency, Ashland, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • Great Lakes Consolidated Agency, Ashland, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • Green Bay Agency Records, Keshena, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • Hayward Indian School, Hayward, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • Keshena/Menominee Agency Records, Keshena, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • La Pointe Agency, La Pointe, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • Lac du Flambeau Agency, Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • Leech Lake Agency, Cass Lake, Minnesota (RG 75)
    
    
  • Mackinac Agency, Mackinac, Michigan (RG 75)
    
    
  • Menominee Indian Mills Records, Keshena, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • Michigan Agency, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (RG 75)
    
    
  • Mt. Pleasant Indian School and Agency Student Case Files, 1893-1946 (RG 75)
    
    
  • Mt. Pleasant Indian School and Agency, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan (RG 75)
    
    
  • Nett Lake Agency, Nett Lake, Minnesota (RG 75)
    
    
  • Oneida School and Agency, Oneida, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • Red Cliff Agency, Bayfield, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • Tama Agency (Sac and Fox), Tama, Iowa (RG 75)
    
    
  • Tomah Agency, Tomah, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • Tomah CCC-ID Units, Tomah, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • Tomah Hospital, Tomah, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • Tomah Indian Industrial School, Tomah, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
  • White Earth Agency, White Earth, Minnesota (RG 75)
    
    
  • Wittenberg Indian School, Wittenberg, Wisconsin (RG 75)
    
    
• Protecting Alaska's Native Population-With Federal Records, article from The Record, 1995.
  
  
• Memorandum Regarding the Enlistment of Navajo Indians, Teaching With Documents Lesson Plan
  
  
• Wallace Roll of Cherokee Freedmen in Indian Territory, 1890. Search using the Archival Research Catalog (ARC)
  
  
• Native American Resources and Genealogies in the Archives Library Information Center, National Archives Building, Washington, DC
  
  
• Links to other Native American related web sites

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