Web Guide for Native American Religions

Almost any general article database will contain some material on Native American religions. The specific purpose and topic of your research will determine the best database to use. If you are writing a freshman-level term paper or if you need background information to help select a topic, use a database with general coverage, such as EBSCO's Academic Search Elite. Here you can find ideas and background information on your topic and articles that address your topic from various perspectives (socio-political, economic, and technical, for example). Also, the articles tend to be easier to read and understand than more technical, scholarly papers. If you need more in-depth information, try one of the more specialized databases listed below. Keep in mind that you may need to phrase your search somewhat differently for each database, so don't hesitate to play around with different search terms.

eHRAF Collection of Ethnography
This is a very rich database, but it can be challenging for new users since it is organized differently from most other databases. For further assistance with eHRAF, ask the Anthropology Librarian, Annie Paprocki, for assistance.

eHRAF Tutorials and Users Guides

To access the Ethnonym Index:

Select eHRAF Collection in Ethnography, and click on the Browse option along the top of the frame. The index that appears is an Ethnonym index, which should allow you to identify various names for tribal and cultural groups. These different names should provide you with keywords for your search.

Sample searches:

From the menu bar across the top of the page, select Browse. Select the letter C and scroll down to Chippewa. The entry that comes up is entitled Culture: Ojibwa, which is another name for the Chippewa people. The entry includes information about various culture groups including under the broad name Ojibwa, and these names provide the searcher with more search terms to help them find information in this and other databases.

A paper-based Ethnonym Index can be found in volume 10 of the Encyclopedia of World Cultures, which is listed below.

ATLA Religion Database

This is the primary index for religious studies. Good coverage of issues relating to theology and church issues, as well as most of the religious studies journals. ATLA also indexes edited collections as individual essays. Native American religions can be found within this broad general religious database. ATLA Religion Index tends to be 1-3 years behind current journal issues.

Sample searches:

Indians of North America in subject finds articles on Indians of North America. Adding a second subject, such as Religion, finds articles on Native American Religion.
lakota religion in keyword, NOT Black Elk in named person (from drop-down menu on search page) finds articles about Lakota religion, excluding articles discussing Black Elk.

America History and Life

America: History and Life covers material relating to American History and related fields "from prehistory - present". It is an extremely powerful and useful research tool, with many flexible searching features:

Search hints:

Native American is the preferred generic phrasing for this database .
You can search using simple subject words in combination. For example, an article on the Ghost Dance shows the following four (4) subjects: Sioux Indians,
Religion, Indians, Ghost Dance.
The small blue magnifying boxes allow you to browse the controlled vocabulary for each field. If you are not receiving good results for your search terms, use this browse feature to find better synonyms for this database.
Similarly, searching a string of simple keywords will also result in good results, even if the keywords chosen do not appear in the controlled vocabulary for subjects.
If you are researching an historical event, such as the Pueblo Revolt, you can search by Time Period, as well as by Subject or Keyword.

FirstGov.gov

This is the offical portal to the U.S. Government. Since issues surrounding Native American spiritual and religious practice are often central to conflicts over religious freedom, land use, and the rights of Native groups within the nation-state, the U.S. government has innumerable publications that address myriad issues surrounding native spirituality, ranging from the U.S. Army Chaplaincy to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

FirstGov.gov is particularly useful when you don't have a specific governing body in mind -- it searches across the traditional governmental boundaries, including federal, local and tribal governments and foreign nations across the globe. You can limit your search to federal, all state, or a particular state government, as well as perform a universal search across all agencies and divisions.

In addition, FirstGov provides a link For Tribal Governments and Native Peoples, which lists a variety of resources related to Native peoples, and provides links to the Department of the Interior (home of the Bureau of Indian Affairs) and to a list of Tribal Government homepages.

Sample searches:

You can search on specific terms, such as NAGPRA or Native American Church, by using the search box.
You can add the word sacred to your search terms to focus in on issues related to religion adn spirituality. For example, searching Black Hills Sacred results in over 1000 hits, but you can further limit the search by adding in a tribal name, in this case Lakota which results in a manageable number of results.

(RLG's Eureka) Anthropological Literature

Anthropological Literature indexes a wide variety of resources in anthropology and religious studies (as well as many other related fields). Their search page is very simple to use, with helpful search tips.

Sample searches:

Searching on religion and mythology in Subject Words results in a great many subject entries, listing tribes and culture groups by specific tribal name, region, and state, across North and South America. Add a tribal name or ethonym to focus the search.
Keyword searching is also very useful in this database. For example, search on Ojibwa religion.

(EBSCO Host) Academic Search Elite

This is a good general database, and useful for finding general popular and academic resources in Native American religions.

Sample searches:

For general information, try a subject search on Indians of North America - Religion. This is a good way to begin searching if you are in the process of narrowing your search.
To identify more specific search terms, you can browse subject words. Click on the green SUBJECT button, directly underneath the Advanced Search tab, and type Indians of North America in the text field. Either select Related Terms and browse through them, or select Subdivisions. If you select Subdivisions, page through to the sub-heading Religion. You can either browse the articles for more subject terms, look for related terms, or see more subdivisions.
If you have a clear idea of what you are looking for, typing in specific terms - Sun Dance, Ghost Dance -- or personages-- Black Elk, Handsome Lake - will result in a more focused set of references.

Ethnic News Watch

Covers news, culture, and history from ethnic, minority, and native presses around the world, with full text coverage. The search interface is provided in both English and Spanish.

Important search tips:

The "Ethnic Groups"search option limits the origin of the publication, not the groups as subject
You can use the small grey box to the right of the Search Criteria to browse search terms. These terms are fairly limited, though, so don't be worried if the term you want isn't listed there. You can still enter search terms of your choosing in the Words in Article field.

Sample searches:

If you enter the search term Kickapoo in the Words in Article field, and select Religion from the drop-down menu for Subject, and then select Tally Results, Ethnic News Watch will provide you with the number of articles found for each search term. If you select Submit Search you will find that only a few articles match both terms.
You can also run a simple search with specific terms or phrases, such as Native American Church and find a wide array of articles on issues surrounding the Native American Church from a variety of Native perspectives.

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UIUC Library Tips:

Library and Location Type of Coverage

Education & Social Science Library
100 Library
1408 W. Gregory, Urbana Strong collections in anthropological and sociological aspects of Native Americans and religion.

Government Documents Library
200 Library
1408 W. Gregory, Urbana Government Documents Library -- Native American Resources is a great starting place for finding resources provided by various levels of government, including treaties, legislation, census information and more general resources. Links are provided to tribal government home pages and organizations. NOTE: Most government documents holdings are kept in the Main Library Stacks, Government Documents section.

History and Philosophy Library
424 Library
1408 W. Gregory, Urbana Primary holdings for religious studies and for Native American history.

Law Library
104 Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania, Champaign Law Reviews, books, and journals relating to United States law and legal issues surrounding indigenous religion and spirituality.

University Archives
19 Library
1408 W. Gregory, Urbana Useful collections in the Archives include the: Doris Duke Indian Oral History Program Archives, the Julian H. Steward Papers, 1842-1976 and the Joseph B. Casagrande Papers 1938-82.

How can I find materials on my topic? Use the UIUC online catalog to search for books and journals. You can search for keywords in the title, or you can search by subject heading. Some suggested headings for finding materials about Native American religion are given in the following table . You can also browse the shelves using the hints below.

Subject Headings

Shelf Browsing Hints

The following Library of Congress (LC) subject headings may be useful for locating books and journals on Native American Religions in the UIUC online catalog. Use the "Browse Subject" option, and enter one of these subject headings.

Indians of North America Religion
To limit your search to a specific tribe, replace the phrase "Indians of North America" with the tribe or groups name, plus Indians. For example, Cherokee Indians Religion and Hopi Indians Religion are subject headings in the UIUC library catalog. Use this method under the Guided Search option, and select Words in Subject from the drop down menu
Indians of North America [State or Region] Religion
To find resources on Native religions in specific areas, replace State or Region with the geographic name (for example, California, or Great Plains). Use this method under the Guided Search option, and select Words in Subject from the drop down menu.
If you are looking for a specific event or ceremony, use the name of that event. For example, you can search for Native American Church under subject.
For best results, try an advanced keyword search using the terms Religion or Mythology or Ceremony (as appropriate) combined with any or all of the following keywords, : Native American, Amerindian, Indian, First Peoples, Indigenous.

After finding a book in the catalog, you can often find other similar books on the shelf near it. It is also useful to browse the shelves in a call number area that pertains to your topic.
Since materials related to Native American Religion aredispersed throughout the library, your best option is to select the "Browse Call Number" in the UIUC online catalog and search on the call number 299.7.
You can also browse the shelves using that call number (299.7) in the History, Education and Social Science Libraries, or Main Stacks.
Another good starting place is to find a resource that looks like what you want and follow one of the hyperlinks in the catalog (subject, author, or call number) to find other useful sources on that topic.

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Encyclopedias, Bibliographies and Selected Core Texts:

General Background Sources

Green, Rayna. Nancy Marie Mitchell, compilers. American Indian sacred objects, skeletal remains, repatriation and reburial : a resource guide. Washington, D.C.: American Indian Program, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, 1992.
GovDocs: DOC. SI3.2:IN2/UPDATE

Levinson, David, editor in chief Encyclopedia of World Cultures. 1991-1996
Education Reference [non-circulating]: Q. 306 EN19
A basic reference source to the cultures of the world. Provides descriptions of all the cultures of each region of the world or of a representative sample of cultures for regions where full coverage is impossible, as well as accurate descriptions of cultures of the past. Particularly useful is the Ethonym Index in Volume 10

Malinowski, Sharon et al., eds. The Gale Encyclopedia of Native American tribes. 1998.
Reference [non-circulating], Uni High Reference [non-circulating] Q. 973.0497 G131

Pritzker, Barry. A Native American encyclopedia : history, culture, and peoples 2000.
Undergrad Reference: 970.00497 P939n2000

General Native American Religion Sources

Albanese, Catherine. Nature Religion in America: From the Algonkian Indians to the New Age. 1990.
Undergrad, Stacks: 291.2120973 AL13N

Allen, Paula Gunn. The Sacred Hoop : Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions : With a New Preface. 1992.
Education: 970.00497 AL54S1992

Brown, Brian Edward. Religion, Law, and the Land: Native Americans and the Judicial Interpretation of Sacred Land. 1999.
Main Stacks: 346.730432 B812r

Carmody, Denis L. Native American Religion: An Introduction. 1993.
Undergrad: 299.79 C213N

Clements, William M., and Frances M. Malpezzi, comps. Native American Folklore, 1879-1979: An Annotated Bibliography. 1984
Main Stacks: Q. 016.398 C591N

Deloria, Vine Jr For This Land: Writings on Religion in America, edited and with an introduction by James Treat. 1999.
Education: 199.7 D384f

Deloria, Vine Jr God is Red. 1973
Undergrad, Stacks: 291.211 D38G

Erdoes Richard, Alfonso Ortiz, eds. American Indian Myths and Legends. 1984.
Undergrad: 389.208997 AM35

Gill, Sam Native American Religions: An Introduction. 1982
Education, Undergrad: 299.78 G41N

Gill, Sam D., Irene F. Sullivan, eds. Dictionary of Native American Mythology. 1992.
Available online.
Main Reference, Undergrad Reference, Uni High Reference, Education Reference [all non-circulating]: 299.703 G41D

Hultkrantz, Ake The Religions of The American Indians. 1979.
Stacks, Undergrad 299.7 H87A:E

Irwin, Lee, ed. Native American Spirituality: A Critical Reader. 2000.
Education, Undergrad: 299.7 N2133

Kidwell, Clara Sue, Homer Noley, George E. Tinker A Native American Theology. 2001.
Main Stacks: 230.08997 K541n

Steltenkamp, Michael. The Sacred Vision: Native American Religion and Its Practice Today. 1982.
Undergrad: 299.793 ST39S

Vecsey, Christopher. Religion in Native North America. 1990.
Undergrad: 299.7 R2792

Williamson, Ray, and Claire Farrer. Earth and Sky: Visions of the Cosmos in Native American Folklore. 1992.
Education 398.26 EA76

Zimmerman, Larry J. Native North America. 1996.
Education: 299.7 Z65N

Of Local Interest

Chappell, Sally A. Kitt. Cahokia: mirror of the cosmos. 2002.
Education, Illinois Hist Survey [non-circulating]: 977.389 C368c

Harrod, Howard L., Becoming and remaining a people : Native American religions on the Northern Plains. 1995
Education: 306.699798 H249B

Melvin L. Fowler, et al.. The Mound 72 area: dedicated and sacred space in early Cahokia. 1999.
Main Stacks: 507 M862x

Herring, Joseph B. Kenekuk, The Kickapoo Prophet. 1988.
Education [circulating and non-circulating], Illinois Hist Survey [non-circulating]: 978.00497 K356H

Marriott, Alice L. Plains Indian Mythology. 1975.
Undergrad: 299.7 M34PL

Spiritual Practices of Specific Peoples:

Bean, L. J. (ed.). California Indian Shamanism. 1992
Education: 299.7994 C128

Holler, Clyde. Black Elk's religion: the sun dance and Lakota Catholicism. 1995.
Education : 299.785 H722B

Loftin, John Religion and Hopi Life in the 20th Century. 1991.
Education, Undergrad: 299.784 L827R

Mooney, James The Ghost Dance Religion 1965.
Education, Undergrad: 299.7 M77G1965

Neihardt, Joseph. Black Elk Speaks. 1961 (1932).
Undergrad, Stacks: 970.2 B56B11972

White, Phillip M (comp.). The Native American Sun Dance religion and ceremony: an annotated bibliography. 1998.
Education 016.2997 W585n

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Journals:

	Article databases \| UIUC Library Tips
	Government Documents
	Encyclopedias, Bibliographies and Resource Guides
	Journals \| Web resources
	Print-friendly version
	This guide was developed to help UIUC undergraduate students locate materials on Native American religions both in the UIUC library system and on the Web

Resource and Source	Description
Electronic Texts on Native Americans University of Virginia Libraries	Search full text historical documents on Native American issues.
Lakota/Dakota Bibliography Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Creighton University	This website is a project of Rev. Raymond A. Bucko, S.J., a Jesuit professor at Creighton University. The bibliography is biased towards Native Christianity among the Lakota and Dakota (Sioux), but there are a wide variety of other references about Lakota/Dakota culture and religion.
National Indian Law Library Native American Rights Fund	NILL is the only comprehensive collection of past and present Tribal governmental documents, and literature about Native legal issues. When searching their catalog, use the global keyword or Indian tribe search options for best results.
Native American History and Culture National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institute	Good resources for Native American culture, by region, culture group, subject and NMAI exhibit. The last link on the page is Spirituality, Religion, and Medicine, a bibliography of resources for native religious traditions.
Native American Spirituality The Religious Movements site at the University of Virginia	Brief overview of the trends in modern Native American institutional religion, with links to contextual web sites on issues of appropriation of Native American Spirituality.
NativeWeb	Resources for Indigenous Cultures around the World
Sacred Texts -- Native American Religions The Internet Sacred Text Archive	A volunteer run site collecting sacred texts from traditions around the globe. The Native American Religions site takes a respectful approach and lists historical texts and ethnographic accounts by culture group.

Library and Location	Type of Coverage
Education & Social Science Library 100 Library 1408 W. Gregory, Urbana	Strong collections in anthropological and sociological aspects of Native Americans and religion.
Government Documents Library 200 Library 1408 W. Gregory, Urbana	Government Documents Library -- Native American Resources is a great starting place for finding resources provided by various levels of government, including treaties, legislation, census information and more general resources. Links are provided to tribal government home pages and organizations. NOTE: Most government documents holdings are kept in the Main Library Stacks, Government Documents section.
History and Philosophy Library 424 Library 1408 W. Gregory, Urbana	Primary holdings for religious studies and for Native American history.
Law Library 104 Law Building 504 E. Pennsylvania, Champaign	Law Reviews, books, and journals relating to United States law and legal issues surrounding indigenous religion and spirituality.
University Archives 19 Library 1408 W. Gregory, Urbana	Useful collections in the Archives include the: Doris Duke Indian Oral History Program Archives, the Julian H. Steward Papers, 1842-1976 and the Joseph B. Casagrande Papers 1938-82.