Bureau of Ethnology

The Bureau of American Ethnology (or BAE, originally, Bureau of Ethnology) was established in 1879 by an act of Congress for the purpose of transferring archives, records and materials relating to the Indians of North America from the Interior Department to the Smithsonian Institution.

Bureau of Ethnology From the beginning, the bureau's visionary founding director, John Wesley Powell, promoted a broader mission: "to organize anthropologic research in America."

Annual Reports Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology Annual Reports. This series of annual reports began in It contains reports documenting the language and customs of various Indian tribes throughout the United States. The first 48 annual reports are available online from the Native American Historical Resources web page: Bureau of American Ethnology Publications. The 48 th Annual Report is an index for the first 47 reports.Bureau of American Ethnology Publications

Examples of titles from Annual Reports 42 nd Report - Religious beliefs and medical practices of the Creek Indians, by John R. Swanton 44 th Report - Social and religious beliefs and usages of the Chickasaw Indians, by John R. Swanton

Bulletin Bulletin. Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology. This series began in 1887, whereby the Bulletin #1 was called Bibliography of the Eskimo Language. Others followed, each one on a specific topic on Native American culture, customs, archaeology, and anthropology. Bulletin 200 was the last volume published and was superseded by a new series called Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology.

Examples of titles from Bulletin Bulletin War ceremony and peace ceremony of the Osage Indians, by Francis La Flesche Bulletin Source material for the social and ceremonial life of the Choctaw Indians, by John R. Swanton

Handbook of the American Indians North of Mexico, 1907 Bulletin number 30, edited by an anthropologist named Frederick Webb Hodge – This handbook, which is in 2 parts, contains a descriptive list of Indian tribes, people, places and their history. The last part of part 2 includes an alphabetical listing of synonyms that can be used as cross-references on the names of Indians tribes and a bibliography

List of Publications of the Bureau of American Ethnology List of Publications of the Bureau of American Ethnology Annual Reports Bulletins

Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs (44 reels) Locked Case, Microform This is the letters received by the Office of Indian Affairs from 1824 to There are 44 microfilm reels that are divided into different geographical areas. These letters were microfilmed by the National Archives and Records Service, and are copies of the original letters in cursive.

ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND DICTIONARIES More Recent Works on Native Americans

Handbook of North American Indians. Smithsonian Institution. This projected 20 volume set is planned to be able to "give an encyclopedic summary of what is known about the prehistory, history, and cultures of the aboriginal peoples of North America." So far 15 volumes have been published. These volumes are written by experts and include good notes on sources and bibliographies. Volumes published thus far include: vol. 2 Indians in Contemporary Society, (2008) vol. 3 Environment, Origins, and Population (2006) vol. 4 History of Indian White Relations, (1988) vol. 5 Arctic (1984) vol. 6 Subarctic, (1981) vol. 7 Northwest Coast (1990) vol. 8 California (1978) vol. 9 Southwest, (1979) vol. 10 Southwest, (1983) vol. 11 Great Basin, (1986) vol. 12 Plateau (1998) vol. 13 Plains (2000) vol. 14 Southeast (2004) vol. 15 Northeast (1978) vol. 17 Languages (1996)