Guide to Native Studies Resources

This guide was designed to help students with Native Studies related research.

 

The following selected general REFERENCE sources (encyclopedias and dictionaries) are a good place to start your research.

 

• American Indian chronology: Chronologies of the American mosaic 
• American Indian religious traditions: An encyclopedia 
• Companion to American Indian history 
• Encyclopedia of American Indian wars, 1492-1890 
• Encyclopedia of Native American religions: An introduction
• Encyclopedia of Native American shamanism: sacred ceremonies of North America
• Handbook of Middle American Indians (several volumes)
• Handbook of Native American Mythology
• Handbook of North American Indians (several volumes)
• Treaties with American Indians: An encyclopedia of rights, conflicts, and sovereignty

 

Depending on your topic, there might be more specific reference sources for you-- for example, on Native American literature, ethnobotany, or economic history. Ask a librarian!

Search the Library Catalog for books at CSUSM. The Circuit delivers books from local libraries to our Check Out Desk in 1-2 days.

You can search by keyword or try some of the following subject areas:

Indians of North America Antiquities California Civil Rights Cultural Assimilation Economic Conditions Education Ethnic Identity Fiction Folklore Government Relations

History Juvenile Fiction Legal Status, Laws, etc Missions Music Politics and Government Religion Reservations Rites and Ceremonies Social Conditions Social Life and Customs

Search tribes & reservations: Agua Caliente Cahuilla Cupeno Diegueno Kamia (Kumeyaay) Luiseno Pala San Pasqual

 

You can also search for films in our Media Library by keyword or title. For example, we have over 100 films under the subject Indians of North America.

Map to find materials in Kellogg Library

These research databases include Native Studies related research:

 

• JSTOR
• Sociological Abstracts
• Academic Search Premier
• ERIC
• America: History and Life
• Project Muse
• AnthroSource
• US Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1980
• Indian Question (CD-Rom)
  

 

See an article you want in one of these databases?

1. Look for "Full Text" in PDF, HTML, Linked or  
2. Fill out an Interlibrary Loan article request form. Free, takes about 1 week.
3. Any time you need help, ask a librarian.

 

Depending on your topic, other databases may be helpful. Select a database by subject area.

 

Search strategies to get better results when searching a database:

1. Identify key concepts and synonyms
2. Use "quotes" around phrases
3. Use AND between different concepts
4. Use OR between similar concepts
5. Use an asterisk* to find word variations

Bonus: Use NOT to exclude concepts

 

Take this quick tutorial on searching and see a sample search strategy

US Census

• American Indian and Alaska Native Data including Census Brief
• Census of the United States (1790-1890 at CSUSM)
• Historical Census Browser (University of Virginia)
• Selected Historical Dicennial Data

 

Legislative and Regulatory

• Bureau of Indian Affairs
• Federal Communications Commission Tribal Initiatives
• National Indian Gaming Commission
• Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
• Tribal Governments and Native Americans
• Tribal Justice and Safety in Indian Country 
• US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

 

Health

• American Indian Health (National Library of Medicine)
• Health of American Indian or Alaska Native Population (CDC)
• Indian Health Service
• Minority Women's Health 

 

Education

• American Memory (Library of Congress)
• Office of Indian Education
• Teaching With Documents (National Archives) 

California:

• California Courts Official Reports (also in print at CSUSM)
• California Native American Heritage Commission
• California State Archives
• California State Indian Museum
• CSUSM Native Studies Program
• Journal of San Diego History (San Diego Historical Society)
• Tribal Library Census and Needs Assessment Study
• Native American Documents Project (see California Tribes)
• Native Peoples
• Online Archive of California

 

Organizations, Universities, and Museums:

• American Indian History and Culture
• American Indian Library Association
• Bureau of American Ethnology Annual Reports  (1895-1964, digitized by National Library of France)
• Native American Ethnobotany
• Native American Treaties and Information
• National Congress of American Indians
• National Indian Education Association
• National Indian Law Library (Native American Rights Fund)
• National Museum of the American Indian
• Tribal Court Clearinghouse

 

Additional selected websites on Government tab.

Find out what professors mean by "scholarly" research with this quick tutorial and comparison chart.

 

Scholarly books and journal articles (aka "peer-reviewed" or academic) are research conducted by experts in a field. These tend to be fairly complex and specific, and include substantial bibliographies.

 

Non-scholarly sources (aka "popular press") are usually magazine and newspaper articles. These are typically written for the general public in a relatively short, easy-to-read format without bibliographies. Most websites would be considered non-scholarly.

 

Some classes will require primary sources, firsthand material from a given time period such as diaries, letters, photographs, maps, or newspapers.

Every time you use someone else's ideas (even if you explain the idea in your own words), give credit in your bibliography AND in the text of your paper/presentation.

To format your bibliography

• APA Style examples
• Free formatting from KnightCite.

In-text citations examples

When you use your own words:

• As Brown (2001) shows blah blah blah.
• Blah blah blah (Brown, 2001).

When you use a direct quote:

• According to Smith (1998) "direct quote" (p. 14).
• "Direct quote" (Smith, 1998, p. 14). 

Note: There are many other citation styles, such as MLA or Chicago. Check with your professor to see what style is required for your research.