November was Native American Heritage Month in the United States. My involvement in Native American genealogical research, historical research, enrollment issues, court cases, and making family connections for others is an important part of my work. It began with a call from a lawyer. Nothing bad, but a twist in my professional genealogist career was […]
My research career has taken me to the National Archives in Washington, DC and other locations many times over the past 30 years. Much of my time was spent in Bureau of Indian Affairs records for individuals, law firms, and directly for Tribes. The direct reading of hundreds upon hundreds of pages of correspondence, student […]
The 29th annual Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) takes place January 22-26, 2024, virtually. With the increase in various viruses spreading, that virtual part is smart news. I am working on the final touches in my presentations for Course 8: “Researching Along the Northern Plains” that is coordinated by Gary Ball-Kilbourne. The syllabus material […]
Have you had the opportunity to watch the movie, Killers of the Flower Moon? It is based on a true story about the discovery of oil on Osage Nation Land in Oklahoma. Members of the Osage Nation were being murdered, many involved in supposedly trying to solve the murders were not honest, and finally the […]
November was designated as Native American Heritage Month. I was not able to fit in a blog post about it because I was doing some Native American research for a client. I am doing the post now because too many people in the U.S. and elsewhere ignore the Indigenous heritage of our lands on which […]
Indigenous Peoples’ Day has been so designated by 17 states, and several cities, but not all. The federal government needs to officially designate this. President Biden did issue an official Presidential Proclamation in 2021, but Congress needs to up the recognition. My home state (and where I still reside) has officially recognized today as such […]
This will not be an easy project and I am sure that is already evident to those involved. Some who will be working on this were the students themselves or had older family members who attended these schools. The reading of the painful comments of boarding and day school superintendents, teachers, and others about the […]
I’ve been working this week on new things for my next Native American research webinar for this National Native American Heritage month. The fun part of creating a new PowerPoint is finding the coolest examples. It also includes some basics that apply no matter the tribe. This last free 2022 webinar on Native American research […]
November is National Native American Heritage Month. It has been celebrated by Presidential Proclamation for 30+ years and should have been for many more years. This year’s proclamation by President Biden lays out the many reasons this is so necessary. Not everyone is aware of the importance, and our schools generally fail in educating students […]
How many states recognize Indigenous Peoples Day in the United States each October? I had that question this early morning. According to an October 2022 article in the AzMirror, the states that observe the holiday or a similar recognition are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North […]