The purpose of this guide is to assist you in identifying and using archival resources about Native American Indians.

The tabs above will introduce you to a range of resources from original documents, to microfilm or digitized copies, and tips and tutorials from Marquette and elsewhere. This guide presents highlights only and is not exhaustive.

The "Home" page features a short list of key online resources--from the Marquette Archives and other archival repositories.

Marquette welcomes public use of its archival resources and its archivists will provide you with guidance on your research needs. Researchers are encouraged to consult with an archivist while planning their use of Marquette materials and thereafter as needed. Consultations will facilitate the immediate availability of off-line original materials (and restricted materials, if possible) that must be used in the Francis Paul Prucha, S.J., Archives Reading Room, John P. Raynor, S.J., Library, R360. For off-campus researchers, most microfilm and many publications and recordings may be borrowed through interlibrary loan. Restricted materials are subject to special regulations and are not available through interlibrary loan.

For a question or appointment -- call the main Archives desk at (414) 288-7256 or click Ask an Archivist.

The Marquette Archives collects, arranges, describes, preserves, and services records of enduring historical value for research, instructional, and administrative use. The collecting program is an extension of the University's spiritual, philosophical and scholarly strengths as a Christian, Catholic and Jesuit institution. Its focus includes the official Marquette University records (University Archives) and the papers of notable alumni, plus collections in specific subject areas pertaining to the Catholic Church, such as collections relating to relationships with Native American Indians, social action, literary manuscripts, politics and popular culture.

Archival records are documents of enduring historical value created by a person or organization. These records are original documents and surrogate copies in any format such as --papers and texts; pictures, maps and charts; sound and video recordings; and electronic records.

A quick overview of selected online archival resources about Native American Indians.

Archival record groups or collections often contain records about multiple subject areas, and some collections may contain diverse records that may not be apparent from the titles. To browse collections, and learn more about what they contain at a glance, consult Search the Collections, Marqcat or click Ask an Archivist.

No universally accepted terms exist for American Indians or Native Americans -- the Native peoples of the United States and all of North, Central and South America (includes the Caribbean).

Marqcat employs Library of Congress subject terms, which use "Indians of North America", "Indians of Mexico", "Indians of Central America" and "Indians of South America" as its broad terms. The terms "American Indians" and "Eskimos" are commonly used in the United States, whereas "First Nations" is used in Canada for Native groups there and "indigenous" and "indigenous groups" are the prevailing terms used in Latin America. Scholarly, popular, and historical writings may use varying terms to identify a specific ethnic group, which may exist as a tribe, nation and/or community as well as a language and/or cultural group.

Marquette's University Archives, Special Collections and Rare Books contain over 50 collections and other records with more than 800 cubic feet of textual, graphic, sound, and video materials about Native Americans at Marquette University and in Milwaukee and elsewhere in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Quick search for relevant materials:

Search All Guides above with the keywords, "American Indians" and "Native Americans", and see these related research guides -- Raynor Memorial Libraries: Anthropology and History and Eckstein Law Library: Native American Indian Law Research Guide.