Native American Heritage
From Simmons Library Research Guides
We have selected these resources to help you find relevant information on your research topic. Please contact a librarian for help using the resources listed in this guide or for help with your research process.
Contents |
Reference and Background Information
Use the Simmons Eresource called [http://0-refuniv.odyssi.com.library.simmons.edu/ Reference Universe] to search for information about your topic in all of our Reference sources.
or, search for Reference sources that contain information about your specific research topic here:
You may also consult the resources below for overviews of the topic that you have chosen to research. Use these resources to help you to put your topic in context and give you the big picture of what information exists about your topic. These resources may have bibliographies at the end of each entry that can help further your research.
- Atlas of American Indian Affairs
Level 1 Reference G1201.E1 P7 1990
This atlas graphically displays data about the Native American population of the U.S. Three introductory maps are shown in a cursory way the original cultural and tribal areas of the contiguous 48 states. There are separate sets of maps for Oklahoma and Alaska, which both have quite distinct histories regarding native American populations.
- Dictionary of Native American Mythology
Level 1 Reference E98.R3 G46 1992
This dictionary covers the mythology of the native peoples of North America. The entries are short, often illustrated, and arranged alphabetically. A tribal index is included in the back for easy searching.
- Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes
Level 1 Reference E77 .G15 1998
This four volumed encyclopedia provides information on the history and culture of historic and current Native American tribes. Entires are lengthy, arranged geographically, then alphabetically within each area, covering the Northeast and Southeast; the Great Basin and Southwest; the Arctic, Subarctic, Plateau, and Great Plains; and the Pacific Northwest and California. Portions of Mexico and the Caribbean are also covered, and entries are given on the Incas and Native Hawaiians.
- Native American Women : A Biographical Dictionary
Level 1 Reference E98.W8 B38 1993
Artists, activists, writers, and storytellers are among the Native American women profiled for this biographical dictionary. Each entry has a detailed profile and citations of books where you can find more information about each person.
Art and Literature
- Dictionary of Native American Literature
Level 1 Reference PM155 .D53 1994
Although titled a "dictionary," this volume is more a collection of introductory, critical essays arranged within larger sections: Native American Oral Literatures, the Historical Emergence of Native American Writing, and A Native American Renaissance: 1967 to the Present. Beside the overview essays on genre, criticism, and history, there are over 40 biographical essays on individual writers within the sections. Each essay has a brief bibliography of primary and secondary sources.
- Native American Authors
Free Online
Hosted by the Internet Public Library, this website provides information on Native North American authors with bibliographies of their published works, biographical information, and links to online resources including interviews, online texts and tribal websites. Information can be located by author name, title, and tribe. Currently the website primarily contains information on contemporary Native American authors, although some historical authors are represented.
- Native American Writers of the United States
Level 1 Reference PS153.I52 N39 1997
Part of the Dictionary of Literary Biography, each signed entry in this volume contains the bibliography and critical literary biography of Native American writers, as well as a bibliography of secondary sources.
- St. James Guide to Native North American Artists
Level 1 Reference E98.A7 S8 1997
A reference guide to about 400 Native American artists of the twentieth century, this resource contains biographies, exhibition and publication information, and some images of artists working in a large variety of genres, including painting, textiles, jewelry, photography, sculpture, architecture, basketry, pottery, and performance art.
- Storytellers: Native American Storytellers Online
Free Online
In wiki format, this site contains biographical and bibliographical information on Native American poets and novelists. Most of the content has been formulated with the collaboration of the authors or have external links to the authors' personal websites.
Law and Policy
- Native American & Indigenous Law
Free Online
Associated with the New England School of Law, this site is an annotated index of sites for Native American legal research.
- Native American Constitution and Law
Free Online
A collaboration between the University of Oklahoma Law Center Library and the National Indian Law Library, this website publishes the government documents and the official documents of tribes who have given permission to make them available publicly.
- Native Indian Law Library
Free Online
The National Indian Law Library is a public law library devoted to federal Indian and tribal law. Their website and online catalog provides free access to select electronic Tribal law documents and research aids.
Finding Articles
Below are suggested databases and indexes for articles on the topic that you have chosen to research. These databases include articles from newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals. Articles are shorter and more narrowly focused than books or reference materials so you should use them after you have narrowed your topic.
- Ethnic Newswatch
Simmons Eresource
A comprehensive collection of newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic, minority, and native press in America - now with expanded international coverage. Includes 932,000 articles (over 203,000 of them in Spanish) from 275 publications with titles in both English and Spanish. Approximately 7,500 new articles are added each month. Updated monthly.
- Academic Search Complete
Simmons Eresource
Academic Search Complete is a great place to start your search for both popular and scholarly articles, no matter what your topic is! It contains journals from almost every topic and is designed specifically for academic institutions. It provides more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, 4,400 of which are peer-reviewed journals. This resource also features content as far back as 1865.
- Academic Onefile
Simmons Eresource
Academic Onefile contains 8,000 academic journals, the majority in full-text, available in HTML and PDF formats. In addition it contains hundreds of podcasts and transcripts from NPR, CNN, and the CBC.
- Expanded Academic ASAP
Simmons Eresource
From arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology, this database meets research needs across all academic disciplines. Access scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and images. Updated daily.
TIP: Use the Advanced Search for a more precise search!
- Alternative Press Index
Simmons Eresource
Provides international, interdisciplinary, and in-depth coverage of the humanities and social sciences from a non-mainstream point-of-view. Indexes nearly 300 alternative, radical and left periodicals, newspapers and magazines. Includes selected abstracts from research journals. Updated quarterly.
- AltPress-Watch
Simmons Eresource
Alt-PressWatch is a full text database of over 170 newspapers, magazines and journals of the alternative and independent press. It provides coverage, viewpoints and perspectives to complement and challenge the coverage of the mainstream media and serves a broad spectrum of subject areas including the arts, media and popular culture, business and labor studies, education, environmental studies and ecology, global studies, history, journalism, literary and critical studies, political science, government and public policy, social science and more.
- Humanities Fulltext
Simmons Eresource
A database of article citations on topics in the Humanities, some available full-text. Includes content from more than 300 key humanities publications, including feature articles, book reviews, interviews, obituaries, bibliographies, original works of fiction (including dramas and poems), and reviews of plays, operas, ballets, dance, musicals, movies, and television and radio programs.
- Sociological Abstracts
Simmons Eresource
A key resource for finding published research in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database draws information from an international selection of over 2,600 journals and other serial publications, plus conference papers, books, and dissertations. Use the Advanced Search for a more precise search.
- Social Sciences Index
Simmons E-resource
A database of abstracts and full-text articles from several social science publications. Updated weekly.
- JSTOR
Simmons Eresource
JSTOR offers both multidisciplinary and discipline-specific collections. Provides full-text backfiles of many core scholarly journals, some dating back to the 1800s. However, JSTOR is not the database for current issues as it focuses on older journals.
- Project MUSE
Simmons Eresource
Offers nearly 250 quality journal titles from 40 scholarly publishers. As one of the academic community's primary electronic periodicals resources, Project MUSE covers the fields of literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, economics, and many others. Project MUSE is setting the standard for scholarly electronic journals in the humanities and social science.
Searching the Web
Simmons librarians have created a customized search engine that allows you
to find Native American Heritage information on the free web.
Use this Native American Heritage Google Custom Search Engine box to search all select, quality free web sites at the
same time:
You may also wish to go directly to, or bookmark, the Native American Heritage Google Custom Search Engine
Tips for Searching the Internet:
- Use the advanced search function, which is available from most search engines:
- Google - See also "Advanced Search Tips"
- Ask - Click "Advanced." See also "Advanced Search Tips"
- Live (MSN) - See also "Options"
- Exalead - See also "Exalead FAQ"
- Yahoo! Search
- Limit your search to .edu and .gov sites. These often provide quality research, statistics, and commentary. Sites ending in .org often have good information, too, but are likely to espouse a strong stance or bias on the issues they cover and may not be objective.
- Try Scandoo, which presents search results from Google, Yahoo! Search, or Live (MSN) with an evaluation about the objectivity, credibility, and overall reliability of the site.
- Consider using a directory of pre-screened, annotated sites:
Writing Style and Citation
For more information on style and citation for this discipline, please contact the Simmons College Writing Center
You may also consider consulting these resources:
- Writing Resources
Free Online
The Writing Center provides online resources for citing your research. If you are unsure of which citation style to use, consult your professor and consider the following:- Use APA (American Psychological Association) when your topic is in the Social Sciences
- Use ASA (American Sociological Association) when your topic is in Sociology
- Use MLA (Modern Language Association) when your topic is in the Humanities
- Use Chicago/Turabian when your topic is in Literature, History or the Arts
- Use CSE (Council of Science Editors) when your topic is in the Sciences
- RefWorks
Simmons Eresource
RefWorks is a great program for organizing articles, books, and other materials you need for research. You can also use RefWorks to create bibliographies, create in text citations in your paper (Write-N-Cite), and share your research with others. Access RefWorks from the A-Z list of resources on the library's web page, and then follow the instructions to create your own username and password. We hold RefWorks Clinics throughout the semester. For more information, ask a reference librarian
