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In 1492 the native peoples of North America had many languages and cultures. These varied peoples are often referred to as "tribes", but you may also see the words, "band" or "nation". In more than 500 years there have been many changes in the cultures, locations, etc. of the Native Americans, but they remain a diversifed people. There is no one "Indian" language, music, religion, national costume, etc. This guide will help you to find information on these groups, usually referred to here as "tribes" for convenience.

• R970.004 WAL. Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes (Waldman 2006).
  Other editions available:
  • 970.00497 WAL. Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes (Revised Ed., Waldman 1999).
• "Selected American Indian Tribes from Abenaki to the Yurok". Articles from the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. This is part of a larger site, American Indian Heritage Month covering many topics.
  Go to: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aihmnations1.html
• "Federally Recognized Tribes", a Wikipedia article with many links to information on specific tribes.
  Go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Native_American_Tribal_Entities
• Guide to Sites on Native Americans. Go to: https://www.cyndislist.com/native-american

• Information on North Carolina Indians and the eight Tribal Communities.
  Go to: https://www.doa.nc.gov/divisions/american-indian-affairs/tribes
• About NC Native Communities.
  Go to: https://americanindiancenter.unc.edu/resources/about-nc-native-communities/
• American Indian Heritage Collection From NCpedia and NC Digital Collections. Resources about North Carolina American Indians tribes and customs.
  Go to: https://www.ncpedia.org/sites/default/files/americanindianheritage/
• HISTORY IN DVD. In the Heart of Tradition: The Eight State-Recognized Tribes of North Carolina.
• 970.4 S NC. Indians in North Carolina (South 1980).
  Other editions available:
  • 970.4 SOU NC. Indians in North Carolina (South 1972).
• 970.456 PER NC. Native Carolinians (Perdue 2010).
  Other editions available:
  • 970.456 PER NCC (Storage). Native Carolinians (Perdue 1985).
• 970.004 B. The World of the Southern Indians (Brown 1983).

• 970.004 DO. Do All Indians Live in Tipis? Questions and Answers from the National Museum of the American Indian (2007).
• 970.004 OBR. Timeline of Native Americans; The Ultimate Guide to North America's Indigenous Peoples (O'Brien 2008).
• R970.004 WAL. Atlas of the North American Indian (Revised Ed., Waldman 2000).
• 970.3 TRE. Atlas of Indian Nations (Treuer, 2013).
• R970.004 WAL. Biographical Dictionary of American Indian History to 1900 (Waldman 2001).
• R970.3 ENC. Encyclopedia of North American Indians (1996).
• R970.3 PAT. Encyclopedia of American Indian Costume (Paterek 1994).
• 973.04 AME. American Indian Places: A Historical Guidebook (2008).

Search our Catalog by Subject for:

• Indians of North America
• The name of a tribe (example: Navajo; use the singular word)

If you are interested in searching for Native American ancestry:

• How Do I Trace Indian Ancestry?
  Go to: http://www.doi.gov/tribes/trace-ancestry.cfm
• A Guide to Tracing American Indian & Alaska Native Ancestry by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior.
  Go to: https://www.bia.gov/sites/bia.gov/files/assets/public/ois/pdf/Guide_to_Tracing_American_Indian_Alaska_Native_Ancestry.pdf
• American Indian Records in the National Archives includes information about census, military, school records and more.
  Go to: https://www.archives.gov/research/native-americans
  • Census Records: Federal Population Censuses and Indian Census Rolls
    Go to: https://www.archives.gov/research/native-americans/census
  • American Indians in the Federal Decennial Census, 1790-1930. Microfilmed Records, Records in the National Archives Catalog, and Additional Resources.
• Tribal Enrollment
  Go to:https://ebci.com/enrollment/

The two largest groups of modern Cherokees are the western Cherokee Nation (http://www.cherokee.org) located in Oklahoma where the Cherokees were sent in 1838–39, and the Eastern Band of Cherokees (http://visitcherokeenc.com/) here in North Carolina.

• 929.1 HUB Research in the United States: American Indians of Oklahoma, by Kathy Huber.
• Tracing Your Cherokee Roots: An informational resource guide for tracing your Cherokee heritage in Oklahoma.
  Go to: https://www.travelok.com/article_page/tracing-your-cherokee-roots
• Finding Cherokee & Catawba Indian Ancestors.
  Go to: https://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/native-americans/finding-cherokee-and-catawba-indian-ancestors

Author: Gaston County Public Library
Title: Native Americans: Indian Tribes of North America
URL: http://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/native-americans/indian-tribes-north-america
Revised: 3 Aug 2020