My long-time forays into Native American research as Native American Heritage Month ends

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 […]

September 30: National Day of Remembrance for U.S. Indian Boarding Schools

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 […]

26.2 million dollars toward exciting humanities projects by the U. S. based NEH

Today’s Press Release from the National Endowment for the Humanities provides funding for many projects, 238 to be exact! A handful of examples California, IrvineUniversity of California, Irvine Project Title: An Indigenous History of Captivity, Memory, and Freedom in the United States, 1880–2023 Project Description: Research and writing for a book on the ways in […]

Fold3.com adds U.S. records about Black and Indigenous Soldiers in the American Revolution

A Fold3 press release covers the addtion of some records of Black and Indigenous Soldiers in the American Revolution, 1775-1783. It states that types of records in the collection may include: “Records in this collection are unique and the available information will vary by record. The following information may be available:” Read more details https://www.fold3.com/publication/1431/us-black-and-indigenous-soldiers-in-the-american-revolution-1775-1783/description

My work this week? Final Preparation for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy Northern Plains Course.

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 […]

Native American recognition in a movie and at the Golden Globes, Lily Gladstone!

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 […]

Native American Heritage Month should be observed every day

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 […]

October 9, 2023, Indigenous Peoples’ Day

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 […]

Interior Department and NEH to Preserve Federal Indian Boarding School Oral History and Records 

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 […]