November 22, 2018

#NativeAmericaHeritageMonth


For November and #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth, we have compiled, and would like to share with you, some great online resources for researching Native American history, culture, and genealogy.

Much of the following was taken from Martha Kohl’s Educator listserv. If you are interested in joining the listserv, you can find more information about it here: https://mhs.mt.gov/education/Forms/subscribeMHHElistserv

And, check out the listserv itself to get some awesome resources for teachers http://teachingmontanahistory.blogspot.com/

Did you know? Montana Tribes.org  has updated its activities and resources; and is now mobile friendly.

Every year, the University of Montana’s School of Journalism publishes Native News, an annual look at issues facing Montana’s tribes. The 2018 edition addresses the topic of self-governance. One article visits Rocky Boy High School’s Helping Hands Program, while another article visits the Dakota language program at Fort Peck Community College. 

Native Land is a site that maps indigenous territories in the U.S. and Canada. It is, as its creator explains, "a work in progress." There are some things that may not ring true for Montana tribes (for example, the Salish and Kootenai don't have distinct territories on the map.) But, it is a useful tool for sparking discussion and worth checking out. Type in the name of your town and see what comes up.
 

And, we can always use more online maps: Tribal Nations Maps .

Below are a few new resources for learning and teaching more specifically about the Métis.

The first is 
The Métis of British Columbia: Culture, History, and the Contemporary Community. It's an online version of a DVD project created to help disseminate information on Métis history and culture that includes many short videos. There are two main sections: Culture, History, and Dance, and Music and Dance. Although it is from Canada, the material is relevant to Montana as well. 

Finally, from 
The Gabriel Dumont Institute's "Virtual Museum of Métis History and Culture." This site has so much material that it is a bit daunting. But, all of it is excellent information.



Native American Genealogy Online Resources:

·        Access Genealogy - Native American is a great portal to most other websites for Native American Genealogy and includes:
o   Land Patent information for:
§  The Crow Tribe 
§  The Flathead Tribe
§  The Assiniboine Tribe - only one listing.
§  The Blackfeet Tribe - only 22 listings; however, the Blackfeet tribe has their own database of individuals (see below)

o   Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 for:
§  All tribes 1885-1940, digitized, but not keyword searchable

o   Indian Schools, Seminaries, and Missions – NARA has links to these, also, but this looks easier to navigate and includes the Fort Shaw Indian School 1910 Census.
                       
·         Blackfeet Genealogy – launched in 2006, this is a great source for Blackfeet individual vital data.


 BLM Land Patents – search by state and county and name or legal land description.

·         Family Search - Native American sources – this is a great portal for most of the other links here. Search by record type and by tribe.

·         National Archives - BIA records  – Record Group 75
o   BIA Schools by state includes Fort Shaw Indian Boarding School in Montana and Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania
o    Tribal Leaders Directory  searchable directory for Tribal contact information