Bureau of Indian Affairs: Documents

The Merrill-Cazier Library recognizes the designation of 'harmful language" as a descriptive label to identify documents that contain rhetoric/language that is not considered accurate or appropriate in modern perspectives. Some of the documents in the BIA collection have been identified under this practice. This designation may be added to additional materials through ongoing review. 

What are the Documents Referencing?

• Tribe/Nation Designations
• Age
• Gender
• State and Geographic Location

Who are the Authors?

• Indigenous Individuals and Groups
• Non-Indigenous Individuals and Groups
• Federal Employees
• Experts within fields such as anthropology, art, etc. 
• The authors are predominantly male, although there are female authors present in the collection

The title of the document is listed, followed by the call number for the USU collection. 

Native American Culture

Languages.

• I 20.48:L 26

Religions and ceremonials

• I 20.51/2:R 27

Legends and myths.

• I 20.51/2:L 52/975

Government Relations

A history of Indian policy

• I 20.2:H 62

Indian family law and child welfare : a text / prepared for National American Indian Court Judges Association by American Indian Law Center.

• I 20.2:F 21

Indian Babies: How To Keep Them Alive

Education

Minimum essential goals for Indian schools : levels three and four.

• I 20.2:SCH 6/4/949

Educational film catalog for Bureau of Indian Affairs schools

• I 20.2:F 48/979

Other Resources

Guide to tracing your American Indian ancestry [electronic resource]

• Online freely available Government Documents (USU and USU Eastern)

Indian lands, 1992 / compiled by the Handbook of North American Indians (Smithsonian Institution) in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs ; prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey.

• I 20.47:38077-H 1-UG-05 M-19/992

Nicole Hurst has undergraduate degrees in English, with an emphasis in Technical Communications and Rhetoric, and Economics from Utah State University. During her time at USU, she was a student staff member of the Government Information Collection, part of Special Collections & Archives at the Merrill-Cazier Library. 

Vanessa Garcia Vazquez has undergraduate degrees in English, with an emphasis in Technical Communications and Rhetoric, and Criminal Justice from Utah State University. During her time at USU, she was a student staff member of the Government Information Collection, part of Special Collections & Archives at the Merrill-Cazier Library. 

This guide is a second in a series aiming to provide additional information and context about materials in USU's Government Information Collection. The focus of this guide is to highlight the representation of Indigenous peoples of North American through official U.S. Federal Government publications and to facilitate greater understanding of the context in which these documents were created.