Finding Present-Day Federal Records about American Indians and Alaska Natives |
Other federal agencies have more current records relating to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The following are a few examples. Consider contacting one of these entities for additional information.
U.S. Department of the Interior
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
The 's mission is "to enhance the quality of life, to promote economic opportunity, and to carry out the responsibility to protect and improve the trust assets of American Indians, Indian tribes and Alaska Natives."
- View .
- Find specific tribal information through the BIA's .
- See .
American Indian Records Repository (AIRR)
The is managed by the Office of Trust Records within the Bureau of Trust Funds Administration (formerly the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians). AIRR is a product of a partnership between NARA and the Department of the Interior (DOI).
Stored at AIRR are Indian Affairs records from DOI agencies and offices around the country. Records鈥攆rom as far back as the 1700s鈥攊nclude trust, education, and other historic Indian Affairs records.
AIRR provides authorized researchers, federal employees conducting historical trust accounting, tribes, and contractors secure access to inactive records for research.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
The is the federal agency tasked with administering over 245 million acres of public land, largely in the western United States. Within this mission comes frequent interaction and overlap with American Indian nations and reservation land.
Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB)
The promotes Indian arts and crafts through general business advice, promotional opportunities, and enforcement of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act that prohibits false advertising in the marketing of Indian arts or crafts.
In addition, the IACB also operates three regional museums in South Dakota, Montana, and Oklahoma; creates museum exhibition programs; and produces the .
U.S. Census Bureau
The provides statistics about the U.S. population and economy.
The Census Bureau website provides online access to select population statistics, which can be retrieved by race, ethnicity, gender, or ancestry. See .
U.S. Federal Court System
As one of the three branches of government, the United States Federal Court system plays an important role in our democracy. Issues involving civil and criminal matters are resolved through the U.S. District Courts, the U.S. Courts of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Indian Health Service (IHS)
The "is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The provision of health services to members of federally-recognized Tribes grew out of the special government-to-government relationship between the federal government and Indian Tribes."