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Native American Studies

Treaties & Law

American Indian Law: A Beginner's Guide
This Law Library of Congress guide introduces researchers to major topics and resources on American Indian law, including federal and tribal laws and legal resources.
American Indian Law Center (AILC)
AILC is the oldest existing Indian-managed and Indian-operated legal and public policy organization in the country. Access AILC publications and documents, including from the Native American Water Rights Settlement Project (NAWRS.)
HathiTrust
An online collection of digitized materials, HathiTrust contains 6,149,935 (and growing) volumes in the public domain.
HeinOnline: U.S. Treaties and Agreements Library
Includes Indigenous Peoples Treaties source index.
Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties (Kappler)
Laws and treaties from 1778- 1975. US Government Printing Office.
Indigenous Digital Archive: Treaties Explorer
The US National Archives holds 374 of the treaties, where they are known as the Ratified Indian Treaties. Here you can view them for the first time with key historic works that provide context to the agreements made.
Indigenous Law Portal - Global
Materials from the Law Library of Congress as well as links to international resources including Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs), indigenous tribal websites and primary source materials found on the web. Tribal information includes constitutions and codes and may be browsed regions, countries, and states.
Native American Constitution and Law Digitization Project
Access to the Constitutions, Tribal Codes, and other legal documents, shared with permission from the National Indian Law Library or donated directly by tribal members.
Tribal Court Clearinghouse
Established in June 1997 to serve as a resource for American Indian and Alaska Native Nations, American Indian and Alaska Native people, tribal justice systems, victims services providers, tribal service providers, and others involved in the improvement of justice in Indian country. Includes tribal codes, constitutions and tribal state agreements.

Westlaw Campus Research
Federal, State and Supreme Court Cases.

Native American Water Rights Settlement Project (NAWRS)
Collection of documents that formalize recognition of Native American water rights in the United States.

Maps

Invasion of America: How the United States Took Over an Eighth of the World
An interactive map of the United States’ seizure of land from America’s indigenous people between 1776 and 1887. The underlying data is based on maps from the Bureau of American Ethnology (1899), and Claudio Saunt, author of Unworthy Republic: The Dispossession of Native Americans and the Road to Indian Territory.
Yup’ik Environmental Knowledge Project Atlas (CEC & ELOKA)
Yup’ik place names are documented in this map, including camp and settlement sites, rivers, sloughs, rock, ponds, sandbars and underwater channels. Developed by the Calista Elders Council (CEC) and Exchange of Local Observations and Knowledge in the Arctic (ELOKA) to share knowledge of the Yup’ik people of the Yukon-Kuskokwin delta in southwest Alaska.
Native Land (Native Land Digital)
An in-progress map identifying territories, languages and treaties for North American and beyond. Developed by Native Land Digital, an indigenous-led Canadian not-for-profit organization. Search by address or territories, languages, or treaties.

Advocacy & Policy Organizations

Center for World Indigenous Studies (CWIS)
A community of indigenous studies activists and scholars who are advancing the rights of indigenous peoples worldwide. Their work includes drafting laws & regulations, mentoring students, digitizing tribal documents, preventing & treating Diabetes Type 2, and consulting with tribal governments. The site includes the Chief George Manuel Memorial Indigenous Library.
International Indian Treaty Council
The council, founded in 1974, works for the rights and recognition of Indigenous Peoples. To accomplish this work, it participates in international bodies and provides training with Indigenous Peoples, Tribal Nations and Communities. Program areas include defending human rights, food sovereignty, environmental health, and treaties & standard setting. Its News & Updates section includes annual reports.
National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)
An organization serving tribal governments and communities, representing American Indians and Alaska Natives. NCAI advocates for tribally driven policy solutions. Policy issues cover the following five areas: Community & Culture; Economic Development & Commerce; Education, Health & Human Services; Land & Natural Resources; Tribal Governance. Publications include annual reports, legal briefings, testimony & speeches.
Indigenous Law Portal - Global
Materials from the Law Library of Congress as well as links to international resources including Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs), indigenous tribal websites and primary source materials found on the web. Tribal information includes constitutions and codes and may be browsed regions, countries, and states.