THE NATIVE AMERICANS OF NORTH AMERICA:
A Research Guide for the Lloyd Sealy
Library
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Ellen Sexton
Reference Librarian
1996
This guide is designed primarily as an introduction to the
resources in John Jay College library in the area of Native
American studies. The aim of the guide is to help users of John
Jay library to locate the material that the library has in this
field and suggest some additional resources available in New York
City.
The term Indians of North America is the traditional term used by
English-speaking non-Native Americans. Despite the widespread
use of the term, both within the Native American community and
the North American population, many people prefer to use the term
Native Americans, acknowledging the fact that these peoples were
the original inhabitants of the continent. The term is
associated with the 1960's Native American campaigns for civil
rights - campaigns which helped to change the policy of the
federal government to one of self determination for the tribal
communities. Throughout this guide, the term Native Americans
will be used.
The Native Americans are not a homogenous population. There are
about 500 different tribes grouped together by language group,
or by geographic region, or by cultural area. The cultural area
concept allows tribes to be organized by a combination of
geographical and cultural parameters. The ten major cultural
areas are the Arctic, Subarctic, Northeast, Southeast, Plains,
Plateau, Southwest, Great Basin, California and Northwest coast.
Once you know in which cultural area the tribe you are
researching is classified, you can concentrate your research
strategy on works covering that particular area. For example, if
researching the Tuscarora tribe, you would consult the volume of
the Handbook of North American Indians entitled
"Northeast", where you would find the primary entry in
the handbook for that tribe. The term tribe has been
used for centuries to describe Native American communities.
Other terms used include nation, confederacy, community,
village, and corporation.
It is worth remembering that tribal names have have changed down
through the centuries, and many tribes may be described by
different names today. For example, the Navajo people are also
known as Navajoh and Navaho. The two distinct Dakota and Lakota
communities are often referred to as the Sioux, or are both
labelled Lakota. The changes in terminology are confusing. When
looking for information about a specific tribe, it is helpful to
be aware of all of the names that the tribe has been given, and
all of the spelling variations. This will enable you to check
the catalog, or book index, or whatever information source you
are using for all of the variations.
Table of Contents
The best and easiest place to get started is the Reference Area.
The books here will give you an introduction and overview of your
subject. Browse the bookshelves in the Reference Area between
call numbers E77 and E99, or go directly to one of the works
listed below.
Handbook of North American Indians.
(1978-1981). Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian. 9 volumes.
Reference E 77 .H25
This a comprehensive and in-depth encyclopedic work. Some
volumes are arranged by geographical area, e.g., you will find
information about the Native Americans of the New York region in
volume 15, entitled Northeast. Other volumes are
devoted to an overview of a particular aspect of life, volume 17,
for example, describes languages. Each volume has its own index.
This work supersedes and considerably expands Hodge's
Handbook of American Indians north of Mexico,
originally published in 1907-1910 (Reference E 76.2 .H6 ).
Johnson, M. (1994). The native tribes of North America; a
concise encyclopedia. New York: MacMillan.
Reference E 76.2 .J64 1994
Dictionary style entries give a brief description of each
tribe, their history and their way of life. Some good
maps locating the tribes are included , as well
as a number of historic photographs.
Waldman, C. (1987). Encyclopedia of Native American
tribes. New York: Facts on File.
Reference E76.2.W35 1987
Brief cross-referenced entries describe the tribes of North and
Middle America. There is a bibliography at the end of the book.
At the start of the book, on pages xi to xiii,
there is a list of tribes arranged under their language groups
and culture areas.
Patterson, L. and Snodgrass, M. E. (1994). Indian
terms of the Americas. Englewood, CO: Libraries
Unlimited. Reference E 54.5 .P47 1994
Words used by, and about, Native Americans are defined and
explained.
Reference encylopedia of the American Indian.
(1967). New York: B. Klein and Company.
Reference E 76.2 .R4 1967
This work is useful for biographies of people from all cultures
engaged in Native American affairs up until the 1960s. A
bibliography is included. A lot of the information regarding
organizations is out of date. For current information (as of
1993) use the following work:
Hirshfelder, Arlene. (1993). The Native American almanac;
a portrait of Native America today. New York:
Prentice Hall. Reference E 77 .H59 1993
This is one of the best and comprehensive reference works
available. It is an excellent resource for information on many
aspects of Native American life today, including education,
languages, employment, etc. as well as discussions of the
relationship between the federal government and Native Americans.
It has a good overview of the history of government policy
regarding Native Americans. It includes information on
significant Supreme Court cases. Names and addresses of
organizations concerned with Native Americans are provided.
Swanton, John Reed. (1968). Indian tribes of North
America. Washington, DC: Smithsonian
Institution Press. Reference E 77 .S94 1968
This work describes itself as a "tribal map", i.e., it provides
lists of tribes that lived in different parts of North America.
It provides a brief historic description of each tribe, with
estimates of historical population figures. The villages
inhabited by each tribe are also listed.
Native America in the twentieth century;
an encyclopedia. (1994). New York:
Garland. Reference E 76.2 .N36 1994 (If you
do not see it on the shelf, check at the reference desk)
This is an excellent information source covering just about every
aspect of life for Native Americans up to 1993.
Hirschfelder, A. (1992). Encyclopedia of Native
American religions. New York: Facts on File.
Reference E 98 .R3 H73 1992
This encyclopedia includes information on both traditional Native
American religions, traditions and ceremonies, and the activities
of European missionaries. It contains biographies of Native
American religous leaders, Christian missionaries and
practitioners of traditional medicine.
Driver, Harold E. (1969). Indians of North
America. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press. Stacks E 58 .D68 1969
The sections of this book are arranged according to different
aspects of Native American life, rather than by tribe. There are
ample bibliographies.
Encyclopedia of the North American colonies.
(1993). 3 volumes. New York: S. Scribner's Sons.
Reference E 45 .E53 1993
Although this work focuses mainly on the colonists, there is
some material regarding Native Americans during the colonial
period, particularly regarding the interactions of the colonists
with the indigenous peoples. One of the first chapters discusses
the archeology of the first Americans. There are bibliographies
at the end of each chapter.
Encylopedia of world cultures. North America.
Volume 1. North America. (1991). Boston: G.K. Hall.
Reference GN 307 .E53 1991
There are 2-3 page long entries arranged under the tribe's name,
with short bibliographies. Traditional life styles and life
today are discussed.
Harvard encyclopedia of American ethnic groups.
(1980). Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press.
Reference Desk E 184 .A1 H35
This work contains a one chapter overview on Native Americans.
The U.S. Bureau of Statistics is the main source of statistical
information about the Native American population. According to
the latest census, in 1990, the Native American population stood
at 1,959,234. This is less than one per cent of the total U.S.
population. Figures for Native Americans have been included in
the census statistics since 1890; however, designations as to who
was a Native American, or American Indian, have varied. Since
the 1960 census, individuals have been able to classify
themselves according to race. Up until 1960, race was designated
by the census enumerator. For a discussion of the problems
inherent in using the census figures, see pages 36-39 of the
Native American Almanac ( Reference E 77 .H59 1993) and pages 3-4
of volume one of the Historical Statistics of the United States,
Colonial times to 1970 (Reference HA 202 .H57 1989 part 1).
Paul, Stuart. (1987). Nations within a nation;
historical statistics of American Indians. New York:
Greenwood Press. Reference E 77 .S924 1987
This is an attempt to compile statistics from different sources
into one convenient volume. It primarily covers statistics from
the late nineteenth and the twentieth century. It is useful for
providing population numbers.
1980 Census of Population. Volume 2. Subject reports.
American Indians, Eskimos and Aleuts on identified
reservations and in the historic areas of Oklahoma (excluding
tables urbanized areas). (1986). Washington, DC:
U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.
Reference HA 201 1980K v.2 pt. 1D
This work provides population figures, income levels, employment,
etc.
Historical statistics of the United States;
Colonial times to 1970. (1989). Prepared by
the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.
White Plains, NY: Kraus International Publications.
Reference HA 202 .H57 1989
Look in the index for the heading Indian.
Statistical abstract of the United States.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Bureau of the Census.
Reference HA 202 .A5
This is an annual publication. The issues published after 1993
have detailed entries in the index at the back of the book, under
American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut population. The entries refer the
reader not just to tables of population figures, but also to
statistics on college enrollment, income, crime, etc.
Hirshfelder, Arleen. (1993). The Native American
almanac; a portrait of Native America today. New
York: Prentice Hall. Reference E 76 .H59 1993
This is an excellent source of addresses, and information about,
organizations dealing with Native American affairs. It includes
government agencies, non-profit organizations, educational
organizations, and tribal councils. There is a list of tribes
with a mailing address for each one.
Minority organizations: a national directory.
(1992). Garrett Park, MD: Garrett Park Press.
Reference E 184 .A1 M544
Organizations are listed in alphabetical order. For a list of
those pertaining to Native Americans, consult the last index at
the back of the book, the "Minority membership organization
index". Name, address, telephone number and, for some, contact
names are provided.
A directory of Hispanic and American Indian higher
education programs. (1980). Albuquerque,
NM: University of New Mexico.
Reference LC 3731 .D57
This work provides information on college and university programs
in Native American studies.
Reference encyclopedia of the American Indian.
(1967). New York: B. Klein and Company.
Reference E 76.2 R4 1967
A lot of the information in this book regarding organisations is
out of date. However, it is useful for biographies of people
from all cultures engaged in Native American affairs up until the
1960s. A bibliography is included.
CUNY+ is the computerized catalog which John Jay shares with all
of the CUNY libraries. There is an introductory guide to using
CUNY+ available at the reference desk.
DPAC
Use DPAC to locate books.
DPAC is one of the databases available on the CUNY+ system. DPAC
can be searched for books located in all of the CUNY libraries,
not just John Jay library. Students of John Jay College can use
their ID cards to gain access to any of these libraries, and can
borrow books from any of them.
Keyword searching in DPAC:
This is the search method to use if you are unsure of the Library
of Congress subject heading. It also enables you to restrict your
search to books in John Jay Library. Type in words which describe
the information you are looking for. For example, if you are
interested in the history of the Cherokees, type:
K=Cherokee and history
The computer searches DPAC for the records containing the word
Cherokee and the word history. It then displays a list of the
titles of the books (about 240 books are found with this search).
Type in the line number of the title which interests you to see
the full record where you will find the book's location and call
number.
To restrict the search to books in John Jay Library, use the
phrase and JJ in a keyword search.
K=Cherokee and history and JJ
The search retrieves only fourteen titles, but all fourteen books
are
located within John Jay Library. When searching for information on a specific tribe, keep in mind
that some tribes may be known by different names, or the name may
have several spelling variations. For example, Navaho, Navajo
and Navajoh all describe the same tribe. The Tohono O'Odham were
formerly called Papago by non-Native Americans. Regardless of
which version of the name is now be considered the correct one,
it is worth searching under all the variations of the name. Check
the encyclopedias mentioned in this guide for information on the
variety of names which have been used for each community.
If you would like to browse the bookshelves, go to the call
number areas E76 to E99 in both the Reference Area and the
stacks/circulating area, where you will find works on the Native
Americans of North America. Call numbers E1 to E74 include books
on the history and archaelogy of early Americans in North, South,
and Middle America.
Subject searching in DPAC:
DPAC can be searched using Library of Congress subject headings.
To locate articles listed under the Library of Congress subject
heading Indians of North America type in
S=Indians of North America
This subject heading is subdivided further into subheadings.
Some of the subheadings are:
Indians of North America--Criminal justice systems
Indians of North America--Civil rights
Indians of North America--Dictionaries
Indians of North America--Encyclopedias
Indians of North America--Government relations
Indians of North America--Religion and mythology
Indians of North America--Rites and ceremonies
To display complete book titles, type one of the line numbers
which can be seen on the left hand side of the screen.
DPER
Use DPER to locate articles published in magazines and journals.
Search it using a keyword search, or a subject heading search.
Keyword searching in DPER:
Type in K= followed by some keywords describing the information
you would like to find.
K=Indians and North America and crime
K=Navaho? and history
You can search using either of the terms Indians or North
Americans. Using the term Indians finds more articles. Subject searching in DPER:
Type in S= followed by a Library of Congress subject heading.
For example:
S=Indians of North America
S=peyotism
The list of all Library of Congress subject headings is kept
beside the Reference Desk.
John Jay Library does not have all of the magazines and journals
included in the DPER database. There are booklets located beside
most of the CUNY+ terminals that list the journals and magazines
indexed in DPER that are available in John Jay library. This
booklet also lists the locations and call numbers of the journals
and magazines that the Library has.
DNEW
Use this database to find articles published in newspapers. Use
keyword searching or subject searching. For example:
K=Native Americans and casinos
S=Native Americans
DNEW uses the subject heading Native Americans, instead of the
subject heading Indians of North America which is used in DPAC
and DPER.
There are twenty seven newspapers indexed in the DNEW database.
John Jay library has seven of these. Ask at the reference desk
for the list of the seven newspapers that we do have.
Ethnic Newswatch is a database that contains the
full text of
articles published in ethnic newpapers in North America. It
includes some Native American newspapers. Access the database
from the CD-ROM stations beside the reference desk. For more
information.
Bibliographies list, and often analyse, works in a specific
subject area. They may include books or articles or both. They
can be very useful in alerting the researcher to the existence of
materials that he/she might not otherwise have come across. If
you locate a book or article that is not available in John Jay
Library,it can be obtained for you through interlibrary loan. As
this may take about three weeks, do not depend on obtaining works
through interlibrary loan if you have a tight deadline.
The most useful bibliographies are annotated. Annotated
bibliographies provide analytical information about the work,
including what material it covers, whether the work is scholarly
or popular, whether it is considered an important work in its
field, etc. Bibliographies are particularly important as a
finding aid to the older journal articles which are not indexed
in computerised databases, which rarely include material more
than 20 years old. Bibliographies can be located using DPAC and either of the
following searches:
S=Indians of North America--bibliography
K=Indians and North America and bibliography and
JJ
Most of the reference books previously mentioned have
bibliographies, either at the end of the book, or at the end of
each chapter or section.
Once you have located in a bibliography a work which interests
you, the next stage is to obtain the work. Check in DPAC to see
if it is available in the John Jay Library, or any of the CUNY
Libraries. If it is not in John Jay Library, fill out an
interlibrary loan form at the Reference Desk. The interlibrary
loan staff at John Jay Library can find out what library has the
work and can borrow it for you. It takes an average of three
weeks for a book or article to arrive at John Jay Library through
the interlibrary loan system.
Some bibliographies covering different ethnic groups or minorites
in the United States, or the history of the United States, have a
section devoted to Native Americans; some do not.
Some bibliographies available in the Lloyd Sealy library:
Prucha, Francis Paul. (1987). Handbook for research in
American history; a guide to bibliographies and other
reference works. Lincoln: University of
Nebraska Press. Reference E 178 .P87 1987
Chapter 25 is devoted to Native Americans. There are few
annotations.
Miller, W. C. (1976). Comprehensive bibliography for
the study of American minorities. New York:
New York University Press. Reference E 184 .A1 M5 1976
The second volume contains a chapter on Native Americans, with
good annotations. It was published in 1976, and is not a good
source for current materials.
Murdock, George P. (1972). Ethnographic bibliography
of North America. 3rd edition. New Haven:
Human Relations Area Files. Reference GN 560 .N6 M8 1972
Entries are arranged according to tribe, with an index to tribal
names at the back of the book. Only peoples indigenous to North
America are included. There are no annotations. Books and
periodicals are included, up until 1960. Useful for identifying
material on specific tribes. At the end of the book there is a
map showing the the geographical locations of the each tribe at
the time of their first extensive contact with Europeans. This
work was published as one in a series of Behavior Science
Bibliographies, produced by the Human Relations Area Files
institution. This institution collects and disseminates
anthropological information.
Thornton, Russell . (1979). Bibliography of social science
research and writings on American Indians.
Minneapolis: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs.
Reference E 98 .S67 T45 1979
This bibliography covers articles in scholarly journals from the
mid-nineteenth century through 1976. Arranged according to the
subject matter of the journals.
Psychosocial research on American Indian and
Alaska native youth: an indexed guide to recent
dissertations. (1984). Westport, CT:
Greenwood Press. Reference E 98 .Y68 P78 1984
Psychosocial research examines aspects of psychological or social
behavior. This bibliography is annotated. It includes abstracts
of the dissertations. It covers 345 dissertations completed
between 1960 and 1982. Keep in mind that most of these
dissertations are not in the John Jay Library.
Green, Rayna. (1983). Native American women: a contextual
bibliography. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Reference E 98 .W6 G73 1983
The annotations are short, with entries arranged in alphabetical
order of author's names. There is a subject index .
Fenton, William N. (1971). American Indian and
white relations to 1830, needs and opportunities for study;
an essay. New York: Russell and Russell.
Reference E 77 .F4
The entries are annotated and a lengthy essay is included .
Sutton, Imre. (1975). Indian land tenure: bibliographical
essays and a guide to the literature. New York:
Clearwater Pub. Stacks E 98 .L3 S92
Books, articles and government documents are included, with
subject, tribal and geographic indexes.
Native North Americans: crime, conflict and justice:
a research bibliography. 5th ed. (1993).
Burnaby, B.C.: Northern Justice Society.
Reference E 98 .C87 N37 1993
The entries are arranged according to subject, and cover the
Native Peoples of the United States, Canada, and Greenland.
There is no index, so use the list of contents instead. There are
no annotations.
Mail, Patricia D. (1980). Tulapai to Tokay: a
bibliography of alcohol use and abuse among Native
Americans of North America. New Haven:
HRAF Press. Reference E 98 .L7 M34 1980
A lengthy literature review, subject and author indexes are
included.
Lobb, Michael. (1989). Native American youth and
alcohol: an annotated bibliography. New York:
Greenwood Press. Reference E 98 .L7 L6 1989
A literature review, abstracts, subject and author indexes are
included.
U.S. National Archives and Records Service. (1984).
American Indians: select catalog of
National Archives microfilm publications.
Washington, D.C.: National Archives Trust Fund
Board, General Services Administration.
Reference E 93 .U945 1984
There are no annotations. This work consists of a list of
documents held at the U.S. National Archives, mainly relating to
government agencies and the military.
Kluckhohn, Clyde. (1972). A bibliography of the
Navaho Indians. New York: AMS Press Inc.
Reference E 99 .N3 K53 1972
The emphasis in this work is on anthropology. It covers
material, including unpublished manuscripts, up until 1940.
There are brief annotations.
There is a series of excellent bibliographies on Native Americans
produced by the Newberry Library. All in the series follow the
same format - the first part of the book discusses different
aspects of the subject and the literature relating to it, while
the second part lists the works themselves. There are three of
them in John Jay library:
Thornton, Russell. (1980). Sociology of American
Indians: a critical bibliography. Bloomington:
Published for the Newberry Library by Indiana University
Press. Reference E 98 .S67 T46 1980
Thornton, Russell. (1982). The urbanization of American
Indians; a critical bibliography. Bloomington:
Published for the Newberry Library by Indiana University
Press. Reference E 98 .U72 T53 1982
Surtees, R. J. (1982). Canadian Indian Policy: a critical
bibliography. Bloomington: Published for the Newberry
Library by Indiana University Press.
Reference E 92 .S9 1982
Biographical materials can be easily located using a keyword
search in DPAC:
K=Indians and North America and biography and
JJ
The results of this search consists of a list of biographies of
Native Americans available in John Jay library.
The following is a partial list of some biographical materials in
John Jay library which contain information about Native Americans
in North America.
Bataille, Gretchen M. (1984). American Indian women:
telling their lives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska
Press. Stacks E 98 .W8 B37 1984
Indian lives: essays on nineteenth and twentieth century
Native American leaders. (1985). Albuquerque:
University of New Mexico Press. Stacks E 89 .I43 1985
I tell you now: autobiographical essays by Native
American writers. (1987). Lincoln:
University of Nebraska Press.
Stacks E 89 .I24 1987
Dockstader, Frederick J. (1977). Great North American
Indians: profiles in life and leadership. New York:
Van Nostrand Reinhold. Reference E 89 .D55
Josephy, Alvin M. (1961). The patriot chiefs; a
chronicle of American Indian leadership. New York:
Viking Press. Stacks E 89 .J78
Krupat, Arnold. (1985). For those who come after:
a study of Native American autobiography.
Berkeley: University of California Press.
Stacks E 89.5 .K78 1985
This work is a critical analysis of Native American
autobiographies.
For biographies of prominent individuals, these general
biographical reference works may help:
National cylopedia of American biography.
(1898-1984). New York: J.T. White. 62 volumes and index.
Reference E 176 .N28
A one volume index to the entire work was published in 1984. In
addition to listing personal names, the index has some subject
headings. One of these is Indians of North America. The names of
some tribes are also listed as subject headings. The main
characteristic of the information here is the emphasis on
the Caucasian, non-Native American population. For example, wars
are alluded to as they affected the lives and careers of the
Caucasian settlers and soldiers. There are some biographies of
prominent Native Americans, but very few.
Dictionary of American biography. (1958-1980).
New York: Scribner. 17 volumes and index.
Reference E 176 .D563
There are only a few biographies of Native Americans here. Only
the most famous are included, e.g., Sitting Bull and Geronimo.
The index to this work consists of a personal name index only;
there are no subject headings.
Captive narratives comprise a form of writing which has developed
into a genre in its own right. Allthough not necessarily
completely accurate, they do provide a description of Native
American life styles from the captive's viewpoint. Here are two
examples of the genre in John Jay library:
Hunter, John D. (1973). Memoirs of a captivity among
the Indians of North America. New York:
Schocken Books. Stacks E 87 .H93 1973
Heard, J.Norman. (1973). White into Red; a study of white
persons captured by Indians. Metuchen, NJ:
Scarecrow Press. Stacks E 85 .H38 1973
The interaction between the Government of the United States and
the indigenous peoples of North America is an important area of
study, and one which is well documented in John Jay library. A
related area is that of Native American activism.
A good subject heading to use in CUNY+ is
S=Indians of North America--Government relations
Some relevant sources available in John Jay library:
Washburn, Wilcomb E. (1979). The American Indian and
the United States; a documentary history. Westport,
CT: Greenwood Press. Reference E 93 .W27 1979
This four volume work consists of a compilation of reprinted
official government and legal documents portraying the history of
the relationships between the U.S. Government and Native
Americans, 1826-1973. The documents are arranged in
chronological order, and include the text of treaties, legal
decisions, reports of the Commissioners of Indian Affairs,
Congressional debates, etc.
Prucha, F.P. (1984). The Great Father; the United
States Government and the American Indians.
Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. Two volumes.
Stacks E 93 .P9654 1984
This two volume work covers the history of U.S. Government
relations with the American Indians up to and including 1980.
Native Americans and public policy. (1992).
Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press.
Stacks E 93 .N33 1992
This is a compilation of essays on different aspects of
contemporary government relations.
Deloria, Vine. (1985). American Indian policy in
the twentieth century. Norman: University
of Oklahoma Press. Stacks E 93 .A44 1985
Rosenthal, Harvey D. (1990). Their day in court;
a history of the Indian Claims Commission.
New York: Garland Publishers.
Stacks KF 8208 .R67 1990
Deloria, Vine. (1970). Custer died for your sins;
an Indian manifesto. New York: Macmillan.
Stacks E 93 .D36 1970
The author is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, a
lawyer, theologian, and prolific commentator and writer on
contemporary Indian issues. There are a number of his works in
John Jay Library. This particular work is aimed at a young
audience and discusses attitudes of American Indians towards
whites.
French, Laurence. (1994). The winds of injustice:
American Indians and the U.S. Government.
New York: Garland Publishers.
Stacks E 99 .S67 F74 1994
Dippie, Brian W. (1991). The vanishing American:
white attitudes and U.S. Government policy.
Lawrence: University of Kansas press.
Stacks E 93 .D58 1991
Josephy, Alvin M. (1971). Red Power; the American
Indians' fight for freedom. New York:
McGraw Hill. Stacks E 93 .J67 1971
Cohen, Felix S. (1982). Handbook of Federal Indian
law. Charlottesville, Virginia: Michie.
Reference Law KF 8205 .C6 1982
In recent decades, many works of poetry and fiction written by
Native Americans have been published. The Library has some of
these works. They are shelved amongst the American Literature
books, at call number PS. To get more precise call numbers, use
DPAC. Search DPAC using the following subject headings:
S= Indians of North America--Fiction
S= Indians of North America--Poetry
Here is is a brief sample:
That's what she said: contemporary poetry and fiction by
Native American women. (1984). Bloomington:
Indiana University Press.
Stacks PS 508 .I5146 1984
Momaday, Natachee Scott. (1969). House made of
dawn. New York: Harper and Row.
Stacks PS 3563 .O47 H6
This novel received the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1969.
Welch, James. (1974). Winter in the blood.
New York: Penguin. Stacks PS 3573 .E44 W5
Erdrich, Louise. (1984). Love medicine: a novel.
New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Stacks PS 3555 .R42 L6 1984
Silko, Leslie Marmon. (1981). Storyteller.
New York: Seaver Books.
Stacks PS 3569 .I44 S8 1981 Works of literary criticism
The following works discuss and analyze Native American
literature:
Lincoln, Kenneth. (1983). Native American
renaissance. Berkeley: University of
California Press. Stacks PS 153 .I52 L6 1983
Velie, Alan R. (1982). Four American literary
masters: N. Scott Momaday, James Welch, Leslie
Marmon Silko and Gerald Vizenor.
Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
Stacks PS 508 .I5 V4 1982
Allen, Paula Gunn. (1986). The sacred hoop;
recovering the feminine in American Indian
traditions. Boston: Beacon Press.
Stacks E 98 .W8 A44 1986
Periodicals
There are many journals and magazines dedicated to Native
American subject matter. This list represents only those held by
John Jay library.
NARF legal review (Native American Rights
Fund) 1983- present. Bound KF 8201 .A3 N37
Indian law reporter.
Vol. 6 (1979)-Vol. 16 (1989).
Reference Law KF 8201 .A315
Indian historian.
Vol.1 (1964) - Vol. 4 (1967).
New series: vol. 1 (1967) - vol. 12 (1979).
Bound E 75 .A513
Ethnohistory.
Vol. 17 (1970) - vol. 21 (1974).
Bound E 51 .E8
Annual law enforcement services report of the
Division of Law Enforcement Services of the Bureau of Indian
Affairs. 1973-1976.
Special Collections HV 7245 .I5a
Some general anthropology journals which many contain articles on
North American Indians:
American anthropologist.
Vol. 1 (1888) to present. Bound GN 1 .A5
American Ethnologist.
Vol. 1, 1974, to present. Bound GN 1 .A53
Southwestern Journal of Anthropology.
(after 1972, called the Journal of Anthropological
Research) Bound GN 1 .J6
The following serial publications contain many articles on Native
American anthropology and archeology. While we do not subscribe
to these publications, we do have reprints of some of the more
important articles originally published in them. Our reprints of
these works are cataloged as monographs, i.e., they are shelved
in the John Jay stacks, not in the periodical area. Locate the
call numbers by searching for them in DPAC using keyword
searches.
eg. K=Smithsonian contributions and anthropology and
JJ
Smithsonian Contributions to anthropology. (we have reprints of
12 articles)
U.S. Bureau of Ethnology. Annual report. (we have reprints of
3 articles)
U.S. Bureau of American Ethnology. Bulletin. (we have reprints
of 8 articles)
Indexes to Periodical Literature
Indexes to periodical literature can be used to search for
relevant articles in journals. Some useful indexes are:
DPER
DPER is one of the databases available in the CUNY+
system. It can be searched in the same way as DPAC, the
book catalog. Keep in mind as you search that we have
very few of the journals devoted exclusively to Native
American affairs, although some of them are indexed in DPER.
However, you will find many articles about Native
Americans published in a wide variety of other journals and
magazines that are indexed in this database. As you search,
consult the booklet listing journals indexed in DPER that
are held in John Jay Library.
A useful subject heading is:
S=Indians of North America
Browse down the list to see the subheadings for this
term.
e.g. Indians of North America--tribal government
Indians of North America--women
ProQuest
Like DPER, this database indexes a broad range of general
journals and magazines. Some of the articles are
available in full text within the database; for other
articles, print the citation, and consult the list of
holdings in John Jay Library to see if we have the journal.
Sociofile (1974 - Present)
This is a computerized index to periodical literature in
the fields of sociology and anthropology. It is available
on the CD-ROM terminals near the reference desk.
Criminal Justice Abstracts(1968-1995)
This database is available on CD-ROM and in a print
version. It indexes some articles about Native
Americans and the criminal justice system.
NCJRS - The National Criminal Justice Reference
Service
There is a large number of articles, reports and other
publications indexed in this CD-ROM database that relate
to Native Americans, in the context of criminal justice.
Some of the indexing terms used are Indian Affairs,
Indian justice, and tribal court system.
Ethnic Newswatch
This is another computerized index available on the CD-ROM
terminals at the reference desk. It is a full text index to
newspapers and other periodicals published by the ethnic and
minority press in North America. It includes a number of
Native American publications, such as the Cherokee Observer,
Abya Yala News, and News from Indian Country.
To search the database for articles about Native
Americans of North America, type in Native people on the
ethnic group line, and United States, or North America
in the geographic location line. Then type in your
keywords, on the keyword line and press enter to carry
out the search.
Abstracts in Anthropology(1970-Present)
This is an index in print format. Index Area AI 1 .A28
America, History and Life. (1964-1992)
The library now has this database on CD-ROM. Print version at
Index Area AI 1 .A45
Locating newspaper articles
DNEW
This is the CUNY+ newpaper index which can be used to
locate relevant newspaper articles. DNEW indexes
twenty seven different newspapers from 1989 to the
present. The John Jay Library has seven of these
newspapers in John Jay Library; ask at the reference
desk for a list of these. Search DNEW as you would
DPER or DPAC. For details on how to search, see the
section on how to use CUNY+ at the begining of this
guide. There is one difference to keep in mind: DNEW
uses the phrase Native Americans as a subject heading
rather than Indians of North America.
DNEW is good for locating information about current
controversies in American Indian affairs in U.S.
national newspapers. Use Ethnic Newswatch (see below)
for newspaper coverage from the Native American press,
e.g., the controversy over the planned nuclear waste
site at Yucca Mountains, Nevada.
The New York Times Index
This index is in paper format. Use it to locate
articles published in the New York Times from 1851 up
to 1989. From 1989 to the present, use the DNEW
database, available on CUNY+. Index Area AI 1.N4
There are innumerable Internet sites dedicated to Native American
affairs. They can be exceptionally good for obtaining up-to-date
information, particularly on current events or controversies. As
with all sources of information, remember to check the date of
publication/production. This will tell you just how up to date
the information is. Documents posted on the Internet become
available immediately. In contrast, publishing a book usually
takes months, if not years. The Internet has the advantage of
speed over published sources.
World Wide Web sites
The sites most easily accessed are those on the World Wide Web.
As with everything on the Internet, these sites are constantly
changing. The best sites are kept up-to-date, and their links to
other sites are regularly checked. If a site is not maintained,
the links may lapse, due to address changes. The following is a
list of World Wide Web sites were well maintained in June 1996:
Index of Native American resources on the
Internet
This site provides links to hundreds of Native American sites,
arranged by subject. The preliminary menu allows you to choose
from about a dozen options, including Cultural Resources,
Government Resources, Museums, etc. Choosing from any of these
options brings you to more detailed site lists. For example,
choosing the Native American Cultural Resources option leads you
to a list including multicultural sites, such as Native Web,
Arctic Circle, and Native American Net, as well as tribe-specific
sites.
URL:
http://hanksville.phast.umass.edu/misc/NAresources.html
NativeWeb
Information here is arranged according to 14 different subject
groups. These groups give access to newsletters, e-zines,
organizations, information about gopher and FTP sites, mailing
lists, etc. as well as the more traditional documentary sites.
URL:
http://www.nativeweb.org/
American Indian Science and Engineering Society
This site contains excellent links to many interesting Native
American sites. Despite the name of the site, there is more here
than science and engineering information. Choose the option
"links to other WWW sites".
URL:
http://bioc02.uthscsa.edu/aisesnet.html
Bill Henderson's Aboriginal Links
Bill Henderson is a Canadian lawyer specialising in Native
American legal issues. This page provides links to many sites of
legal interest and government policy issues. It includes links
to the text of a number of treaties.
URL:
http://www.bloorstreet.com/300block/aborl.htm
The Constitution of the Iroquois Nation
This document contains the full text of the Constitution of the
Iroquois Nation. Other nations have also drawn up constitutions.
To locate them, do a Web search using the word "constitution" and
the name of the nation or tribe.
URL:
http://www.axess.com/mohawk.constitution.html
If you are looking for sites concerned with a specific subject or
tribe, try doing a websearch using any of the search engines
available. Keep in mind tha the names of many of the tribes have
been adopted by schools, boy scout organizations, etc. so be
prepared to sift through a lot of irrelevant material. It may
just be easier to go to the NativeWeb or Hanksville sites listed
above, and go through their subject lists until you find what
you're interested in.
Other Internet Resources
There is more to the Internet than the World Wide Web: Gopher
sites and listservs are two other resources available on the
internet.
Gopher Sites
Although many gopher sites have been replaced by the World Wide
Web sites, there are still active gopher sites, some of which can
also be accessed through the Web. Gopher sites are particularly
useful for people who have access to the Internet, but not to the
World Wide Web. There are no graphics, just text. Two
particularly good sites are:
Native American Net server
To access this site, type
gopher alpha1.csd.uwm.edu
Then choose the UWM information option from the menu.
Then choose the Native American Net server. (this is
towards the end of the list).
This server gives you access to numerous documents and sites,
e.g., access to articles and cases on Indian law, including a
survey of landmark cases, and peyote-freedom of religion cases.
It also provides access to the archived texts of some Native
American newsletters.
Native Education Centre Information System
To access this site, type
gopher://gopher.native-ed.bc.ca
This site includes book and film reviews, and an "electronic
clippings file". This file contains articles originally
published elsewhere on a wide variety of subjects. It is
particularly good for information related to current
controversies.
Listservs on the Internet
Listservs are electronic discussion groups. If you have access
to the internet at home, you may be able to use listservs. You
join a listserv by subscribing to it. People e-mail queries,
statements, notices, etc. to the listserver, which then sends a
copy of the e-mail to each subscriber, who has the option of
responding to the sender either directly, or by posting an e-mail
on the server for everyone to read. To subscribe to a listserv,
you must obtain the e-mail address of the server for the list.
Here are some of the many listservs dealing with Native American
affairs:
Tribal law
This is a forum for people interested in the laws and policies
effecting Native Americans. Subscribe to it by sending an e-mail to:
listserv@thecity.sfsu.edu
Leave the subject line blank. In
the body of the message, type "subscribe triballaw"
Subscribe to listserv@spruce.hsu.edu with "subscribe indiannet" in
the body of the message. This discussion group covers topics of
general interest to the Indian communities. The Indiannet itself
is a computer network designed by Native Americans for
themselves. It is accessible through the Native American Net
Server gopher.
Nativenet
The NativeNet World Wide Web site lists 6 listservs which the
NativeNet supports. Five of the listservs are active, and cover
news, general issues, health, education, and languages. The
sixth is no longer active, but it has extensive archives which
can be accessed. It was devoted to discussion about the Colombus
Quincentenary.
New York City has a number of libraries with extensive holdings
of information regarding Native Americans. These are some of the
best known libraries, all of which are open to the public.
New York Public Library. The Research Libraries.
5th Avenue and 42nd Street. (212) 661-7720 for opening
hours. This library has one of the most extensive
collections in the world on this topic. It is most
useful for graduate students and researchers embarking
on protracted research projects. This collection is NOT for
undergraduates. Working with this collection is rewarding
only if you are prepared to be patient, and devote a long
period of time to it. Be prepared to spend days if not
weeks here, rather than hours.
New York Public Library. Performing Arts Research
Center. 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY
10023. (212) 870 1630. Telephone for opening hours.
Contains recordings and videos of American Indian music
and dance.
Huntington Free Library.
9 Westchester Square, Bronx, NY 10461. (718) 829 7770.
Telephone for information regarding access. This is
the library portion of the former Museum of the
American Indian, in New York city. The Museum
itself is in the process of moving most of its
holdings to Washington, leaving a smaller museum
in downtown New York called the George Gustav Heye
Center of the National Museum of the American
Indian.
Library. American Museum of Natural History.
Central Park West at 79th Street. (212) 769-5400.
Telephone for information regarding access.
It is highly recommended that you exhaust the available
information sources in John Jay Library before going to any of
these libraries. They are all research libraries, with
specialised holdings. You will maximize the benefits of visiting
them if you know as much as possible about your subject before
going there. Keep in mind, that as research libraries, they do
not circulate books. You will need to do all of your reading on
site, or photocopy the material there.
George Gustav Heye Center of the National Museum of the
American Indian (a branch of the Smithsonian's
National Museum of the American Indian ).
1 Bowling Green, Lower Manhattan. (212) 668-6624.
Admission is free.
American Indian Community House. Gallery and
Museum. 708 Broadway, between East 4th Street
and Astor Place. (212) 598-0100. This is one of a number of
centers set up by Native Americans across the country to serve
urban Native American communities. In addition they
provide outreach services to the general public.
The administrative offices of the House also keep
files of information on current controversies and
items of interest to the American Indian community.
These files may be accessed by the public, but you
must call first for an appointment.
American Museum of Natural History.
Central Park West at 79th Street. (212) 769-5000.
There is a suggested contribution of $7.
(c) E. Sexton
June, 1996
Sealy Library Home Page
Lloyd Sealy Library
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
899 10th Avenue
NY, NY 10019
Phone: (212) 237-8246
Fax: (212) 237-8221
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