Search the American Indian Archives Index
Search by Name
Search by Subject
About the American Indian Archives
The American Indian Archives at the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) houses documents and records pertaining to American Indian Tribes that resided in present-day Oklahoma. The collection is divided into twelve series relating to tribes and tribal agencies.
The Five Tribes’ National Records are in series 1–5. These records were created by each tribe’s government. Therefore, the organization and the manner in which the records were created differs between each tribe in these series (see nation maps for an illustration of district and county boundaries).
Within each series, the records are organized into bound volumes, categories, and subcategories. The collection includes different kinds of records and is generally organized chronologically within each category.
The PDFs below are guides to records that are available on microfilm. Remember, not all materials in the American Indian Archives have been microfilmed.
- Series 1: Cherokee National Records (PDF)
- Series 2: Chickasaw National Records (PDF)
- Series 3: Choctaw National Records (PDF)
- Series 4: Creek National Records (PDF)
- Series 5: Seminole National Records (PDF)
- Series 6: Dawes Commission Records (PDF)
- Series 7: Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency Records
- Series 8: Chilocco Indian School Records (PDF)
- Series 9: Kiowa Agency Records (PDF)
- Series 10: Pawnee Agency Records (PDF)
- Series 11: Quapaw Agency Records (PDF)
- Series 12: Sac and Fox and Shawnee Agency Records (PDF)
About this Database
Although the records in the American Indian Archives are administered by the federal government, the Oklahoma Historical Society received special permission (granted by an Act of Congress H. R. 5631 Public No. 133) to house the archives in 1934. Once the archives were placed in the care of the OHS, organization and cataloging efforts were begun by Rella Looney, an archivist who served the Oklahoma Historical Society from 1929 to 1974. Looney created a card catalog to serve as an index referencing names of individuals and topics mentioned in documents within the archives. Since the American Indian Archives Card Catalog index predates the microfilm collection, some of the records listed in the index are not available on microfilm.
To date, the American Indian Archives database on the OHS website contains more than 41,000 entries and from cards A–D. However, the database is not limited to entries beginning with letters A, B, C, and D. Additional entries have been made to ensure that the data is as complete as possible. For example, if Jane Doe married John Smith, both names are included in the database. The database also includes names from select Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency Records, which are not limited to letters A–D.
Access these Records
Most of the records and bound volumes in the American Indian Archives have been microfilmed and available to view in the Research Center. Records that have not yet been microfilmed can be viewed upon request in the Research Center. For more information and a brief history of the records, please see the agency microfilm guides.
