Skip to Main Content
FDLP Resource Guides
Beginning summer 2023, we are updating our guides. You may notice changes to the look and feel of our existing guides. If you have any questions or experience any issues, please contact askGPO.

Then and Now Experiences of American Indians and Alaska Natives

Overview

Collage of individuals

(Image sources clockwise from upper left: NAID: 295814660, NAID: 295814595, NAID: 295814652, and NAID: 295814587)

Learn about past and present heritages and civil rights experiences of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an individual's response is based upon self-identification of their race and ethnicity, and may identify with more than one. This guide follows the bureau's current definition:

  • "American Indian or Alaska Native – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment."

According to the 2020 Census Data, there are "nearly 1,500 detailed race and ethnic groups and detailed AIAN tribes and villages." The Census Bureau's resource My Tribal Area provides "detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing statistics" based on a state and its tribal areas. In 2022, there are 324 Federally recognized reservations (including off-reservation trust lands).

Recognizing and Celebrating American Indian and Alaska Native Heritages

November is Native American Heritage Month. In addition, there are annually Indigenous Peoples Day (second Monday in October) and Native American Day (fourth Friday in November). Below are some U.S. Government resources on how to recognize and celebrate AIAN.

Screenshot of "National Native American Heritage Month"

Bureau of Indian Affairs

National Native American Heritage Month

  • Learn about celebrating "Indian Country with its remarkable diversity of American Indian and Alaska Native cultures and peoples while remembering and honoring our veterans who have sacrificed so much to defend our Nation."
Screenshot of "https://www.nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/"

Interagency

https://www.nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/

  • Find information on "paying tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans."
Screenshot of "Indigenous Peoples of the Americas: A Guide to Resources at the Library of Congress"

Library of Congress

Indigenous Peoples of the Americas: A Guide to Resources at the Library of Congress

  • Check out resources on Indigenous communities, including North America, South America, and the Caribbean.

Screenshot of "Native American Heritage Month"

National Park Service

Native American Heritage Month

  • Visit cultural heritage places while celebrating the "rich traditions, languages, and contributions of Indigenous people."
Screenshot of "Native American Heritage Month"

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Native American Heritage Month

  • Explore historical records, including treaties and Indian Census Rolls.

Related GPO Resources

GPO has information about AIAN resources. Click on each of the tabs in this box to see some of the featured resources from the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP), FDLP Academy, FDLP Resource Guides, GitHub, and GovInfo.

The CGP is a free online resource of bibliographic records for U.S. Government publications. To learn more about how to use this catalog, check out CGP Search Tips/Help. 

  • Try basic keyword searches like AIAN, American Indian Alaska Native, indigenous, and Native American
  • Try advanced author keyword searches like BIA, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Committee on Indian Affairs, and Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs

The FDLP Academy offers free webinars and webcasts for Federal Depository Libraries and the general public. Its mission is to "create and deliver enhanced educational opportunities to the FDLP community by fostering collaboration, by facilitating knowledge sharing, and through the application of new methods and use of multiple mediums" about U.S. Government resources. The following webinars contain information related to AIAN resources.

2023 Fall DLC: (Re)Building Trust in a Sea of Distrust

2023 Fall DLC: (Re)Building Trust in a Sea of Distrust

  • Recorded on October 18, 2023
  • Length of Time: 47 minutes
  • Speakers: Rebecca Chapman (University at Buffalo School of Law), Alexander Soto (Labriola National American Indian Data Center, Arizona State University), Cindy Aden (University of Washington Information School), Stacey Wedlake (University of Washington Information School), and Helen Keremedjiev (U.S. Government Publishing Office)
Screenshot of "American Indian/Alaska Native Resources at the Sequoyah National Research Center"

American Indian/Alaska Native Resources at the Sequoyah National Research Center

  • Recorded on December 10, 2024
  • Length of Time: 50 minutes
  • Speaker: Erin Fehr (Yup'ik) (University of Arkansas at Little Rock)
Screenshot of "Discovery of Indigenous Publication Records by using USGS Geology Research Tools"

Discovery of Indigenous Publication Records by Using USGS Geology Research Tools

  • Recorded on October 30, 2024
  • Length of Time: 61 minutes
  • Speaker: Emily C. Wild (Princeton University)
Next Gen Finding Aid Website, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Photograph Finding Aid

Next Gen Finding Aid Website, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Photograph Finding Aid

  • Recorded on July 19, 2022
  • Length of Time: 44 minutes
  • Speakers: Jill Reilly and Cody White (National Archives and Records Administration)
Screenshot of "NTIA’s Connecting Minority Communities, Digital Equity, and Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grant Programs"

NTIA’s Connecting Minority Communities, Digital Equity, and Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grant Programs

  • Recorded on October 3, 2024
  • Length of Time: 36 minutes
  • Speakers: Angela Thi Bennett, Janice Wilkins, and Nick Courtney (National Telecommunications and Information Administration)
Resources at the National Indian Law Library

Resources at the National Indian Law Library

  • Recorded on November 8, 2023
  • Length of Time: 59 minutes
  • Speaker: Anne Lucke (National Indian Law Library)

If interested in learning more about topics that related to, but not specifically about, AIAN, check out the following FDLP Resource Guides.

GitHub has downloadable MARC records from GPO. Below are some examples of cataloging records related to AIAN.

GovInfo provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government. GovInfo has a collection of publications related to AIAN.

Screenshot of "Native American and American Indian Related Publications"

Native American and American Indian Related Publications

  • Dive into a collection of digitized publications, from resources on the Dakota Access Pipeline to the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian.

Learn more about the FDLP Official Logo Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP)
For questions or comments, contact the FDLP Resource Guides Team at @askGPO