ULibraries Research Guides: American Indian Studies: Background Information

American Indian Studies is one of the minors offered by the Ethnic Studies Program of the School for Cultural and Social Transformation. This minor allows for a more concentrated focus on a specific racialized population in the United States—in this case, peoples with heritage from the indigenous communities of the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii. Students pursuing a minor in American Indian Studies can choose classes from four content areas: History and Politics, Contemporary Issues, Literature and Language, and Gender and Ethnicity. Through your coursework, you will gain a broad view of the point where race & gender and contemporary issues intersect.

Background Sources

Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America This link opens in a new window
Explore manuscripts, artwork and rare printed books dating from the earliest contact with European settlers right up to photographs and newspapers from the mid-twentieth century. Browse through a wide range of rare and original documents from treaties, speeches and diaries, to historic maps and travel journals. To search across all of The University of Utah's Adam Matthew collections go to Adam Matthew collections.
Explore manuscripts, artwork and rare printed books dating from the earliest contact with European settlers right up to photographs and newspapers from the mid-twentieth century. Browse through a wide range of rare and original documents from treaties, speeches and diaries, to historic maps and travel journals. To search across all of The University of Utah's Adam Matthew collections go to Adam Matthew collections.
American Indian Movement and Native American Radicalism This link opens in a new window
Formed in 1968, the American Indian Movement (AIM) expanded from its roots in Minnesota and broadened its political agenda to include a searching analysis of the nature of social injustice in America. These FBI files provide detailed information on the evolution of AIM as an organization of social protest and the development of Native American radicalism.
Meriam Report On Indian Administration And The Survey Of Conditions Of The Indians In The US This link opens in a new window
This collection comprises two sets of documents that helped the response to 40 years of failed Native American policies. The first is the full text of the report entitled The Problem of Indian Administration, better known as the Meriam Report. The second comprises the 41-part report to the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs detailing the conditions of life and the effects of policies and programs enacted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs on Native Americans. Both of these collections provide unique documentary insights into many major tribes: Sioux, Navaho, Quapaw, Chickasaw, Apache, Pueblo, Ute, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kickapoo, Klamath, and many others.