Subject Guide
Ask a Librarian
Need Help?
Treaties
Treaties are a primary source of Native American law. Prior to 1871, the United States entered into treaties with Native American tribes. Many of these pre-1871 treaties remain in force. Depending on the terms of a treaty, federal obligations to individual tribes can vary greatly.
- Documents of American Indian Diplomacy: Treaties, Agreements, and Conventions, 1775-1979 byPublication Date: 1999
- Early Recognized Treaties with American Indian Nations.Publication Date: 2006Nine federally recognized treaties that are absent from Kappler's Indian Treaties, 1778-1883.
Published by University of Nebraska Libraries–Electronic Text Center Lincoln, Nebraska - Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties byIndian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, compiled and edited by Charles J. Kappler, is an historically significant, seven volume compilation of U.S. treaties, laws and executive orders pertaining to Native American Indian tribes. The volumes cover U.S. Government treaties with Native Americans from 1778-1883 (Volume II) and U.S. laws and executive orders concerning Native Americans from 1871-1970 (Volumes I, III-VII).
- Indian Treaties, 1778-1883. byPublication Date: 1972Reprint of volume 2 of Kappler's Indian Affairs Laws and Treaties.
See also Early Recognized Treaties with American Indian Nations for nine federally recognized treaties that are absent from this collection. - American Indian ExperienceHundreds of American Indian primary documents and images, including treaties, speeches, traditional tales, and captivity narratives with contextual annotation; a wealth of maps and photographs; and hundreds of vetted Web sites.
- LLMC Native American CollectionContains selected tribal legal documents, including constitutions, charters, codes, treaties with state and federal governments, US legislation related to tribes, and treaties from the 1880s to the 1970s.
- Treaties and Agreements of the Five Civilized Tribes byPublication Date: 1973
- Treaties and Agreements of the Indian Tribes of the Great Lakes Region byPublication Date: 1973
- Treaties and Agreements of the Indian Tribes of the Northern Plains byPublication Date: 1973
- Treaties and Agreements of the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest byPublication Date: 1973
- Treaties and Agreements of the Indian Tribes of the Southwest byPublication Date: 1973
- United States Statutes at LargeVolume 7 includes Indian treaties entered into from 1778 through October 1842. The treaties are in chronological order and indexed by tribal name. For treaties after 1842, consult additional volumes of the Statutes at Large. Generally, the texts of Indian treaties, along with other treaties, are found in a separate section near the end of each volume. In each volume, the treaties are indexed by tribal name and may also be indexed under "Indian affairs" or "Indian treaties." Volme 16 (1869-1871) of Statutes at Large also contains a number of treaties.
Online: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwsl.html
Secondary Sources and Finding Aids
- American Indian Treaty Rights: A Bibliography byPublication Date: 1991
- Indigenous Digital Archive's Treaties Explorer (DigiTreaties.org)This powerful online tool that allows users to explore and learn about treaties between Indigenous peoples and the United States. It provides access to the original documents of 374 ratified treaties, along with historical maps, timelines, and other contextual materials.
- Kappler Revisited: An Index and Bibliographic Guide to American Indian Treaties byPublication Date: 2003
- Keeping Our Word: Indian Treaty Rights and Responsibilities: A Report on a Recommended Federal Role Following Wisconsin's Request for Federal Assistance byPublication Date: 1990Location: Reserve
- Native Land DigitalNative Land Digital is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to providing a free online resource for people looking to learn more about the Indigenous history of the land they live on and visit. Entering an address or clicking around on the map to see the relevant territories in a location. Once you click, a number of links will appear with different nation names. By clicking on those links, you will be taken to a page specifically about that nation, language, or treaty, where you can view some sources, give feedback, and learn a little more.
- Treaty RightsPublication Date: 2011A Guide to Understanding Ojibwe Treaty Rights.
Published by the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission.