Native American Tribes of North America
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This Homework Helper provides students with excellent sources for papers and research projects concerning Native American Tribes of North America: reference books to use in the Library, books to check out, electronic resources, websites, and museums to explore in the Chicago area. The 25 tribes listed are divided into five cultural areas: Southwest, Southeast, Northwest, Northeast, and Plains.

• Reference books to use in the Library
• Nonfiction books to check out
  • Southwest tribes
  • Southeast tribes
  • Northeast tribes
  • Northwest tribes
  • Plains tribes
• Biographies
• Databases
• Websites
  • Museum websites
• Quick search
• End notes
• Image credits

 

 Web resource    Available with Skokie Public Library card   Available in Library only

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Reference Books to Use in the Library

Champagne, Duane, editor. Chronology of Native American History: From Pre-Columbian Times to the Present. 1994.
J REF 970.00497 C

Presents a comprehensive listing of historical and cultural events about the native peoples of North America and Canada, from the time of the Old Stone Age Indians (50,000 B.C.) to 1992. Includes maps, line drawings, photographs, bibliographical references, and index.

Champagne, Duane, editor. The Native North American Almanac: A Reference Work on Native Americans in the United States and Canada. 2001.
J REF 970.00497 N ed. 2

Provides historical and contemporary information about the Native peoples of North America. Includes table of contents, bibliographical references, and index.

The Encyclopedia of North American Indians. 1997.
J REF 970.00497 E

Explores the “multitude of ways in which Native people participate in a culturally diverse North America even as they continue to uphold their various traditions and maintain their identity as members of specific nations and tribes.” Includes bibliographical references and index (11 volumes).

Malinowski, Sharon and Anna Sheets and Linda Schmittroth, editors. UXL Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. 1999.
J REF 970.00497 U

Presents 80 tribes, confederacies, and Native American groups in ten major geographical/cultural areas of North America in which tribes shared environmental and cultural connections: Northeast and Southeast; The Great Basin and Southwest; Arctic, Subarctic, Great Plains, Plateau, California and Pacific Northwest. Includes table of contents, words to know, timeline, bibliographical references, and index
(4 volumes).

Native Americans. 2000.
J REF 970.00497 N

Addresses the major Native-American groups, with a history of their lives in each region, and background anthropology and archaeology. Includes pictures, photographs, maps, bibliographical references, and index
(10 volumes).

Rose, Cynthia and Duane Champagne, editors. Native North American Almanac. 1994.
J REF 970.1 N

Features a comprehensive range of historical and current information on the life and culture of the Native peoples of the United States and Canada. Includes major culture areas, activism, religion, black-and-white photographs and maps, glossary, and cumulative subject index (2 volumes).

Waldman, Carl and Molly Braun, illustrator. Atlas of the North American Indian. 2009.
J REF 970.00497 W ed. 3

Provides a series of overviews for understanding the “challenging subject of the American Indian” and frameworks for pursuing further historical and cultural studies. Provides seven categories of information: Ancient Indians, Ancient Civilizations, Indian Lifeways, Indians and Explorers, Indian Wars, Indian Land Cessions, and Contemporary Indians.” Includes bibliographical references and index.

Waldman, Carl and Molly Braun, illustrator. Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. 1999.
J REF 970.00497 W rev. ed.

Tells part of the story of native North Americans with an overview of historical events and contemporary life. Includes an alphabetical list of entries with alternate spellings and alternate names, entries organized by culture areas, glossary, bibliographical entries, table of contents and index

Nonfiction Books to Check Out

Brodsky, Beverly. Buffalo. 2003.
J 599.643 B

Presents paintings and tribal song-poems that express the buffalo’s essential and sacred role on the plains. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Broida, Marian. Projects About the Plains Indians. 2004.
J 978.00497 B

Includes project ideas relating to the Cheyenne, Lakota, and Hidatsa tribes. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Englar, Mary. The Great Plains Indians: Daily Life in the 1700s. 2006.
JE 978.00497 E

Provides a brief introduction to Native American tribes of the Great Plains, including their social structure, homes, food, clothing, and tradition. Includes bibliographical references and index.

White sage plant

Fischer, Laura. Life on the Trail of Tears. 2003.
J 970.3 C522fi

Reveals what life was like for the American Indian people on the Trail of Tears during 1838 to 1839, with the focus on the Cherokee tribe. Includes glossary and index.

January, Brendan. Little Bighorn, June 25, 1876. 2004.
J 973.82 J

Discusses the battle that was once known as “Custer's Last Stand,” the last triumph of the Plains Indians over Federal troops. Includes the battlefield today, timeline, glossary, bibliographical references, and index.

Kallen, Stuart A. Native American Chiefs and Warriors. 1999.
J 973.0497 K

Discusses the lives and achievements of five famous and influential Native American chiefs: King Philip; Chief Pontiac; Geronimo; Crazy Horse; and Wilma Mankiller. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Kent, Deborah. The Trail of Tears. 2005.
J 975.00497 K

Describes what led up to the relocation of the Cherokee Indians and other Indian Nations from the state of Georgia to the Oklahoma Territory, the Trail of Tears, and its aftermath.

Murdoch, David Hamilton. North American Indian. 2005.
J 970.00497 M rev. ed.

Presents a full-color examination of the customs and traditions of many North American Indians including those of the Great Plains, Southwest, Great Lakes region, and far North.

Nardo, Don. The Relocation of the North American Indian. 2002.
J 323.1197 N

Discusses the forced relocation of American Indian Tribes by the American government, resulting in tribal warfare, broken treaties, and the brutal march known as the Trail of Tears. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Rappaport, Doreen. We Are the Many: A Picture Book of American Indians. 2002.
J 970.00497 R

A collection of short, illustrated biographies of sixteen influential Native Americans, from 1622 to the present day. Includes bibliographical references.

Sundling, Charles W. Native Americans of the Frontier. 2000.
J 978.00497 S

Describes the life and customs of Native Americans living on the Great Plains before the arrival of the white men. Includes glossary and index.

Thompson, Linda. People of the Plains & Prairies. 2004.
J 978.00497 T

Discusses in four chapters: The People of the Plains and Prairies; Where they Came From; Life on the Plains and Prairies; and What They Believe. Includes timeline, glossary, bibliographical references and index.

Wood-Trost, Lucille. Native Americans of the Plains. 2000.
J 978.00497 W

Discusses the history, daily life, impact of Western expansion, destruction of tribal cultures, and famous people among the Native Americans living on the Great Plains. Includes bibliographical references and index.

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Southwest Tribes

The following tribes represent five of many Southwest tribes.

Bedry, Christa and Marilyn “Angel” Wynn (principal photographer). The Pueblo (American Indian Art and Culture series). 2004.
J 970.3 P977be

Depicts the people, homes, communities, clothing, food, tools, weapons, defense, religion, ceremonies, music and dance, language, art through text and photography. Includes timeline, glossary, bibliographical references, and index.

Zuni kachina mask

Broida, Marian. The Pueblo. 2006.
J 970.3 P977br

Explores the history, social life and customs of the Pueblo. Includes timeline, glossary, bibliographical references, and index.

Craats, Rennay and Marilyn “Angel” Wynn, principal photographer. The Navajo. 2004.
J 970.3 N317cr

Describes the Navajo people, homes, communities, clothing, food, tools, weapons, defense, religion, ceremonies and celebrations, music and dance, language and storytelling, art, Code Talkers, modern artist, and the Navajo history. Includes timeline, glossary, bibliographical references, and index.

Englar, Mary. The Apache: Nomadic Hunters of the Southwest. 2003.
J 970.3 A639en

Looks at the customs, family life, history, government, culture, and daily life of the Apache people of Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Press, Petra. The Zuni. 2002.
J 970.3 Z95pr

Discusses the Zuni as an ancient people, their villages, desert farming, “The Way of the Spirits,” Spanish missions, fighting the Spanish, new way of living, rebuilding the homeland, and Zuni life today. Includes glossary, bibliographical references, and index.

Stout, Mary. Hopi. 2005.
J 970.3 H792st

Examines the tribe’s origins, history, traditional way of life, and their current way of life. Includes table of contents, time line, glossary, bibliographical references and index.

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Southeast Tribes

The following tribes represent five of many Southeast tribes.

Bial, Raymond. The Choctaw. 2003.
J 970.3 C545bi

Explores the history, culture, social structure, beliefs, and notable people of the Choctaw through text and photographs. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Cherokee white sage smudge sticks

Birchfield, D.L. Cherokee. 2004.
J 970.3 C522bi

Scrutinizes the history, art, language, culture, and future prospects of the Cherokee Indians, as well as distinguished members of the tribe. Includes timeline, glossary, bibliographical references, and index.

Boraas, Tracey. The Creek: Farmers of the Southeast. 2003.
J 970.3 C913bo

Presents an overview of the Creek people tracing their customs, family life, history, and culture, as well as relations with the United States Government. Includes timeline, glossary, bibliographical references, and index.

Ryan, Marla Felkins and Linda Schmittroth, editors. Chickasaw. 2004.
J 970.3 C 532ry

Takes a first look at the traditional Chickasaw lands, population, origins and group ties, history, daily life, and customs. Includes table of contents, bibliographical references, and index.

Takacs, Stefanie. The Seminole. 2003.
JE 970.3 S471ta

Looks at the beginnings of a new tribe, settling into a new land, daily life in the 1800s, culture and customs, years of struggle, and the Seminole today. Includes table of contents, important words, bibliographical references and index.

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Northeast Tribes

The following tribes represent five of many Northeast tribes.

Bonvillain, Nancy. The Mohawk. 2005.
J 970.3 M697bo

Examines the history, culture, modern life, and problems of the Mohawk Native Americans. Includes chronology, glossary, bibliographical references and index.

Chipewyan birch-bark canoe

Bonvillain, Nancy. The Sac and Fox. 1995.
J 970.3 B

Examines the problems that develop when people from different cultures come together, in this case, the Sac and the Fox tribes versus the Europeans. Includes roots of an alliance, Sac and Fox traditions, centuries of change, critical years, war on the frontier, the dispossessed, and the Sac and Fox today. Also includes table of contents, glossary, bibliographical references, and index.

Doherty, Craig and Katherine M. Doherty. The Huron. 1994.
J 970.3 H9664do

Covers the tribe’s origins, daily life, food growing and gathering, hunting and fishing, food preparation, clothing, travel, games, religious life, and the Huron today. Includes index.

Landau, Elaine. The Ottawa. 1996.
J 970.3 O89La

Describes the life of the Indians who established villages in the area of Lake Huron where there were forests, rivers, and favorable conditions for growing crops. Includes glossary, bibliographical references and index.

Ryan, Marla Felkins and Linda Schmittroth. Abenaki. 2004.
J 970.3 A153ry

Provides a first look at the traditional Abenaki lands, population, origins and group ties, history, daily life and customs. Includes glossary, bibliographical references and index.

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Northwest Tribes

The following tribes represent five of many Northwest tribes.

Bial, Raymond. The Cree. 2006.
J 971.4115B

Provides information about the history, social life and customs of the Cree Indians. Includes timeline, notable people, glossary, bibliographical references and index.

Bial, Raymond. The Haida. 2001.
J 970.3 H149bi

Discusses the history, culture, social structure, beliefs, and customs of the Haida people. Emphasizes their striking art and includes bibliographical references and index.

 

Ryan, Marla Felkins and Linda Schmittroth, eds. Chinook. 2004.
J 970.3 C539ry

Informs the reader about the tribe’s name, history, daily life and customs. Includes bibliographical references and index.

 

Cherokee river cane basket

Staub, Frank. Children of the Tlingit. 1999.
J 970.3 T626st

Introduces the history, geography, and culture of the Tlingit people in Southeast Alaska through the daily lives of children who live there. Includes photographs and index. (See also Tlingit Indians by Suzanne Williams)

Walens, Stanley. The Kwakiutl. 1992.
J 970.3 K98wa

Examines the history, changing fortunes, and current situation of the Kwakiutl Indians. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Williams, Jack S. The Pomo of California. 2003.
J 970.3 P787wi

Addresses everyday Pomo life, past and present. Includes timeline, glossary, bibliographical references and index.

Williams, Suzanne. Tlingit Indians. 2003.
JE 970.3 T626wi

Describes the Tlingit Indians who live in southeast Alaska and the northwest part of Canada: history, culture, language and the Tlingit future. Includes glossary, bibliographical references and index. (See also Children of the Tlingit by Frank Staub)

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Plains Tribes

The following tribes represent five of many Plains tribes.

Englar, Mary. The Comanche: Nomads of the Southern Plains. 2004.
J 970.3 C728en

Provides an overview of the past and present Comanche people and traces their customs, family life, history, and culture, as well as relations with the U.S. government. Includes timeline, bibliographical references, and index.

Gibson, Karen Bush. The Arapaho: Hunters of the Great Plains. 2003.
J 970.3 A662gi

Presents an overview of the past and present lives of the Arapaho people, tracing their customs, family life, history, culture, and relations with the United States government. Includes timeline, glossary, bibliographical references, and index.

Blackfeet toy drum

Gibson, Karen Bush. The Blackfeet: People of the Dark Moccasins. 2003.
J 970.3 S579gi

Traces tribe’s customs, family life, history, culture, and relations with the U.S. government. Includes timeline, glossary, bibliographical references and index.

LoneHill, Karen. Sioux. 2004.
J 970.3 D135Lo

Describes the current strategies of the Sioux nation to develop its economy while maintaining strong ties with its culture, written with the help of Native scholars and tribal leaders. Includes history, glossary, bibliographical references, and index.

McIntosh, Kenneth. Crow. 2004.
J 970.3 C953mc

Describes the current strategies of the Crow nation to develop its economy while maintaining strong ties with its culture, written with the help of Native scholars and tribal leaders. Includes history, glossary, bibliographical references, and index.

Biographies

Alter, Judy. Sacagawea: Native American Interpreter. 2003.
JB S1192aL

Provides a look into the life of the Shoshoni Indian woman who played an important role in guiding the Lewis and Clark expedition through the Northwest Territory of the United States, in 1805-1806. Includes glossary, bibliographical references and index.

Dennis, Yvonne Wakim. Sequoyah, 1770?-1843. 2004.
JB S48de

Presents the Cherokee leader who brought literacy to his people by translating the Cherokee language into a list of syllables. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Englar, Mary. Chief Joseph, 1840-1904. 2004.
JB J832en

Provides information of the peace chief who ended the Nez Perce War by surrendering to United States soldiers in 1877, believing he would be permitted to return with his people to their ancestral lands in Idaho. Includes recipe for berry fritters, directions for the “stick game,” bibliographical references and index.

Freedman, Russell and Amos Bad Heart Bull, illustrator. The Life and Death of Crazy Horse. 1996.
JB C9119fr

Presents a biography of the Oglala leader who relentlessly resisted the white man’s attempt to take over Indian lands. Includes chronology, bibliographical references and index.

Gregson, Susan R. Tecumseh: Shawnee Leader. 2003.
JB T2558gr

Traces the life of the Shawnee Indian leader, including his struggle to regain lost Indian territory, his efforts to unite American Indian nations, and his death during the War of 1812. Includes table of contents, important dates, bibliographical references and index.

Haugen, Brenda. Crazy Horse: Sioux Warrior. 2006.
JB C9119ha

Profiles the respected leader who was loved by the Sioux people for his generosity and determination and who fought to preserve the Sioux way of life and their lands. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Southeast Indian (Seminole) headdress

Koestler-Grack, Rachel A. Osceola, 1804-1838. 2003.
JB O8132ko

Discusses the life of the Seminole warrior, from his childhood in an upper Creek village to his involvement in the Second Seminole War, capture, and death. Includes activities, map, chronology, bibliographical references, and index.

Koestler-Grack, Rachel A. Tecumseh, 1768-1813. 2003.
JB T2558ko

Presents the Shawnee leader who united a confederacy of Indians in an effort to save Indian land from the advance of White soldiers and information about the homes his people lived in, their family life and customs. Includes activities, map, chronology, bibliographical references and index.

Long, Barbara. Jim Thorpe: Legendary Athlete. 1997.
JB T5195Lo

Describes one of the greatest all-around athletes in history, well-known for his record-breaking track and field performance in the 1912 Olympic Games. Includes chronology, glossary, bibliographical references and index.

Sacagawea [videorecording]. Schlessinger Media. 2005.
J DVD B S1192sa

Shows the courage and bravery of Sacagawea as she interpreted and helped guide the explorers, Lewis and Clark, through the American West. (Grades K-4)

Sonneborn, Liz. Pocahontas, 1595-1617. 2003.
JB P7397so

Discusses her life and people, involvement with the Jamestown settlers, trip to England, and her death. Includes activities, sidebars, map, chronology, bibliographical references and index.

Todd, Anne M. Crazy Horse: 1842-1877. 2003.
JB C9119to

Discusses trouble on the Little Bighorn, growing up Lakota, and the Lakota surrender. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Todd, Anne M. Sitting Bull, 1831-1890. 2003.
JB S6232to

Explores the life of the Lakota leader including the battles which he fought, and his surrender and death. Includes activities, sidebars, maps, chronology, bibliographical references and index.

Wallner, Rosemary. Sacagawea, 1788-1812. 2003.
JB S1192wa

Depicts Sacagawea, the Shoshoni who was an interpreter on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, including her childhood in a Shoshoni village, capture by the Hidatsas, and reunion with her brother. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Databases

The following databases are available in the Library and on the Web for Skokie Public Library cardholders. Point your Web browser to databases.skokielibrary.info to connect with these and other online research tools for students.

Resources available from home will require authentication as a Skokie Public Library cardholder. Please review carefully our acceptable use policy for these resources.

 

Gale Virtual Reference Library

• Use the Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America to search by keyword for articles about notable Native American people and events.

Kids Search from EBSCO

• Search by keyword or...
• Select ENCYCLOPEDIA to find articles from magazines, newspapers, books, and encyclopedias; biographies; primary source documents; photos; maps; and flags.

Searchasaurus

• Select HISTORY and then click on Native Americans for articles about people, places, events, and history.

World Book Online

• Click on World Book Online for Kids or World Book Online Info Finder.
• Search by keywords "american indian" to find encyclopedia articles, maps, and pictures.

Websites

Images of Native Americans
bancroft.berkeley.edu/Exhibits/nativeamericans

An online collection of Native American images and illustrations from rare books, pamphlets, journals, magazines, newspapers; original photographs, stereographs, lantern slides, and cyanotypes.

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
www.indianpueblo.org

Presents historical and tribal information on the nineteen Pueblo tribes of New Mexico.

Kid Info Reference Resources: Native Americans
www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Native_Americans.html

This huge, kid-friendly directory is filled with links to information about Native American groups.

National American Indian Heritage Month from Skokie Public Library
www.skokielibrary.info/direct/indianheritage.html

Follow the links to fiction books, folk tales, and information about the history and heritage of American Indians.

Native Languages of the Americas: Facts for Kids
www.native-languages.org/kids.htm

Provides a “Facts for Kids” section, simple online information about American Indians and more thorough information on American Indian tribes for the older student.

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Museum Websites

The following museums in the Chicago area feature a high Native American interest.

Native American Permanent Exhibits
www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibits/permculture_exhib.htm
Field Museum
1400 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60605
312.922.9410

Includes “Exhibits of the Americas,” comparison of Eskimos and Northwest Coast Indians, a full-scale reconstruction of a traditional Pawnee lodge; Contemporary Native American Cultures; and in the winter of 2007, “The Halls of Ancient Americas” depicting the “peoples of the Americas."

Mitchell Museum of the American Indian
www.mitchellmuseum.org
2600 Central Park Avenue
Evanston, Illinois 60201
847.475.1030

Focuses exclusively on the history, culture, and arts of North American native peoples. Includes permanent exhibits which depict the Native American cultures of the Woodlands, Plains, Southwest, Northwest Coast and Arctic.

Trickster Gallery
www.trickstergallery.org
American Indian Center, Inc.
190 S. Roselle Road
Schaumburg, Illinois 60193
847.301.2090

Features contemporary Native art (post 1960s) and augments exhibits with film screenings, featured speakers, panel discussions, school tours and educator workshops. Showcases “contemporary Native art that places an evolving culture and social issues in the forefront.”

Quick Search

Native American Tribes of North America, in alphabetical order, with call numbers for each tribe. Click a tribe name to find subject headings for each tribe and links to nonfiction, biography, fiction, folklore, history, and pictorial works available in Skokie Public Library's Youth collection.

Image Credits

Native American artifacts adapted by Susan Teller from Waldman, Carl, and Molly Braun, ill. Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. Revised ed. Facts on File Library of American History. New York: Checkmark Books, 1999.