Here is your guide for research on Native American Heritage at the Arthur C. Banks Library. Notice the tabs along the side of the screen; select the one that best matches your informational need.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte was the first American Indian woman in the United States to receive a medical degree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

November is designated as National Native American Heritage Month. This observance commemorates the history, heritage, and culture of Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. It is during this month we acknowledge the vast achievements of America’s original indigenous people.

What started at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the contributions of the many intertribal cultures, as well as to educate everyone about the rich history, heritage, art, and traditions of the original American peoples made to the establishment and growth of the United States, has resulted in a whole month being designated for that purpose.

In 1914, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot Indian, rode horseback from state to state seeking approval for a day to honor Indians; he was also known as Red Fox Skiuhushu. In December of the following year, he presented the endorsements of 24 state governments at the White House, however, there is no record of such a national day being proclaimed during that time in our history.

Held on the second Saturday of May 1916, the governor of New York declared the first “American Indian Day” on record. Several states followed with celebrations held the fourth Friday in September of the same year. Several states designated Columbus Day as “Native American Day,” but it continued to be a day observed without any recognition as a national legal holiday.

In 1986, the U.S. Congress passed a proclamation authorizing “American Indian Week,” and in 1990, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 "National American Indian Heritage Month." From 1990 onward, presidential proclamations have been issued annually to celebrate the heritage and culture of Native Americans.

Today, 28 states and many cities, rivers and lakes have names derived from Native American heritage. Native Americans and Alaska Natives are people having origins in any of the original peoples of North, South and Central America, and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment. According to the U.S. Census, there were 5.2 million American Indians and Alaskan Natives living in the U. S. in 2010; 7.1 million American Indians and Alaskan Natives living in the U. S. in 2020; and there are projected to be 10.1 million American Indians and Alaskan Natives living in the U. S. by July 2060.

Additionally, Native Americans and Alaskan Natives have a unique relationship with the federal government due to historic conflict and subsequent treaties. To date, there are 574 federally recognized tribes and 324 Native American reservations, recognized tribes across the U.S.

National Native American Heritage Month is celebrated with community gatherings and festivals and government and educational activities. We encourage you to learn more about the traditions and contributions of Native Americans and Alaskan Natives in education, art, literature, government, sports, science and technology past and present.

Taken from Department of Defense Education Activity Website.

List of Federal and State Recognized Native American Tribes

New England and Northeast

Connecticut

Mashantucket Pequot Tribe www.mptn-nsn.gov/default.aspx

Mohegan Tribe www.mohegan.nsn.us/

Massachusetts 

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe https://mashpeewampanoagtribe-nsn.gov/

Rhode Island

Narragansett Indian Tribe http://narragansettindiannation.org/

Maine

Passamaquoddy Tribe www.passamaquoddy.com/

Penobscot Nation www.penobscotnation.org

New York

Cayuga Nation https://cayuganation-nsn.gov/index.html

Oneida Nation of New York www.oneidaindiannation.com/

Onondaga Nation www.onondaganation.org/

Southeast

North Carolina

Coharie Tribe http://coharietribe.org/

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians https://ebci.com/

Virginia

Chickahominy Indian Tribe www.chickahominytribe.org/

Rappahannock Tribe www.rappahannocktribe.org/

South Carolina

Catawba Indian Nation http://catawbaindian.net

Florida

Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida www.miccosukee.com/

Seminole Tribe of Florida www.semtribe.com/

Southern United States

Alabama

Poarch Band of Creeks http://pci-nsn.gov/westminster/index.html

Mississippi

Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians www.choctaw.org/

Louisiana 

Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana www.coushatta.org/

Midwest 

Michigan

Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi www.nhbpi.org

Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Potawatomi Indians. https://gunlaketribe-nsn.gov/

Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan www.sagchip.org/

Indiana

Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians www.pokagon.com

Wisconsin

Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin. Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. www.lcotribe.com

Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin www.menominee-nsn.gov/

Minnesota

Lower Sioux Indian Community in the State of Minnesota http://lowersioux.com

Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians www.redlakenation.org/

Iowa

Meskwaki Nation: Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa www.meskwaki.org

North Dakota

Spirit Lake Tribe www.spiritlakenation.com

Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota https://tmchippewa.com

South Dakota

Crow Creek Sioux Tribe of the Crow Creek Reservation www.crowcreekconnections.org/

Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation  www.swo-nsn.gov/

Nebraska

Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska http://winnebagotribe.com

Kansas

Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas www.ktik-nsn.gov/

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation www.pbpindiantribe.com/

Southwest

Oklahoma

Cherokee Nation www.cherokee.org

Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes https://cheyenneandarapaho-nsn.gov

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma www.choctawnation.com

Comanche Nation https://comanchenation.com/

Shawnee Tribe www.shawnee-tribe.com

Texas

Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas www.alabama-coushatta.com

Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo www.ysletadelsurpueblo.org

New Mexico

Navajo Nation www.navajo-nsn.gov

Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation www.ashiwi.org

Pueblo of Taos http://taospueblo.com

Arizona

Hopi Tribe of Arizona www.hopi-nsn.gov

Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona www.tonation-nsn.gov

Yavapai-Apache Nation of the Camp Verde Indian Reservation https://yavapai-apache.org/

Rocky Mountain States

Colorado

Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation www.southernute-nsn.gov/

Utah

Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah www.utahpaiutes.org

Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation https://indian.utah.gov/ute-indian-tribe-of-the-uintah-ouray-reservation

Wyoming

Northern Arapaho Reservation www.northernarapaho.com

Eastern Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation https://easternshoshone.org/

Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes www.fortpecktribes.org

Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana http://blackfeetnation.com

Northwest

Idaho

Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation of Idaho www2.sbtribes.com

Washington

Cowlitz Indian Tribe www.cowlitz.org

Nooksack Indian Tribe of Washington https://nooksacktribe.org

Quinault Indian Nation www.quinaultindiannation.com/

Snoqualmie Indian Tribe www.snoqualmietribe.us

Oregon

Cocquille Indian Tribe www.coquilletribe.org

Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians www.cowcreek-nsn.gov/

Klamath Tribes http://klamathtribes.org

Western United States

California

Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation  www.aguacaliente.org

Dry Creek Rancheria of Pomo Indians http://drycreekrancheria.com

Tejon Indian Tribe www.tejonindiantribe.com

Yurok Tribe of the Yurok Reservation www.yuroktribe.org/

Nevada

Reno-Sparks Indian Colony www.rsic.org

Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians of the Las Vegas Colony https://lvpaiutetribe.com

Washoe Tribe https://washoetribe.us

Alaska

Cheesh-Na Tribe www.cheeshna.com

Chickaloon Native Village www.chickaloon.org

Metlakatla Indian Community www.metlakatla.com

You can find information on the following persons by looking in the library's biography and History databases, which are listed under the Databases: Articles tab on this guide. 

Chiefs and Tribal Leaders

• American Horse
• Arapoosh
• Awashonks
• Bidaga
• Big Foot
• Big Warrior
• Black Elk.  
• Black Hawk
• Black Hoof
• Black Kettle
• Black Sparrow
• Blue Jacket
• Bowlegs, Billy
• Brandt, Mary
• Buckongahelas
• Bushyhead, Dennis
• Canonicus
• Canonchet
• Captain Jack
• Cheeseekau
• Cochise
• Coloradas, Mangas
• Cornplanter
• Cornstalk
• Crazy Horse
• Crowfoot
• Chief Gall
• Geronimo
• Hiawatha
• Hole-in-the Day
• Hollowhorn Bear
• Inkpaduta
• Chief Joseph
• Juh
• Chief Kamiakin
• Kekewepelethy
• Chief Keokuk
• Kicking Bird
• Little Crow
• Chief Little Turtle
• Little Wolf
• Logan, James
• Lone Wolf
• Looking Glass
• Lozen
• McIntosh, William
• Main Poc
• Mankiller, Wilma
• Miantonomoh
• Manuelito
• Massosoit
• Memeskia
• Metacomet
• Morning Star
• Chief Moses
• Mountain Chief
• Oconostota
• Osceola
• Chief Oshkosh
• Chief Ouray
• King Philip
• Chief Pontiac
• Poundmaker
• Powhatan
• Queen Anne of Pamunkey
• Parker, Quanah
• Petalesharo 
• Pontiac
• Pushmataha
• Red Cloud
• Red Jacket
• Red Shoes
• Ross, John
• Running Eagle
• Sachem, Massosoit
• Sauganosh
• Samoset
• Saturiwa
• Chief Seattle
• Seqoyah
• Shabone
• Shingas
• Sitting Bear
• Sitting Bull
• Spotted Elk
• Spotted Tail
• Squanto
• Stand, Watie
• Tamanend
• Tascalusa
• Tecumseh
• Tendoy
• Two Moon
• Uncas
• Victorio
• Wapusha I
• Chief Washakie
• White Eyes
• Young Man Afraid of His Horses

Other Native Americans

• Susan La Flesche Picotte
• Pocahontas
• Sacajawea
• Jim Thorpe

Native American Activists

• Bonin, Gertrude Simms
• Pelier, Leonard
• Means, Russell

Native American Authors

• Alexie, Sherman
• Dorris, Michael\
• Erdrich, Louise
• Harjo, Joy
• Momaday, M. Scott

Native American Politicians

• Campbell, Ben Nighthorse
• Curtis, Charles Brent