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Native American Studies: Intro

CWC Library houses a wide variety of American Indian Studies materials from disciplines such as history, legislature, literature, sociology, and others. In addition we house cultural materials. Our collection includes both physical and internet resources to enhance music, art, geography and genealogy. We subscribe to Native publications, and provide assistance in accessing many resources with consideration and respect for our local Indigenous community.

Searching Tips & Techniques

Before you start your search, try to compile a list of potential keywords. This is always a good idea, but it is especially useful for conducting searches in a field such as Native American Studies. A good first place to start is to identify possible culture group names for your search.

  • Use common keywords such as Native American, Amerindian, Indian, First Peoples or Indigenous
  • Search by particular tribe, nation, or cultural group name (for example, Arapaho or Shoshone)
  • Combine tribal names with a topical word (e.g., Sioux mythology)
  • Browse the subject Indians of North America or American Indian in the Library Catalog, OneSearch, eJournals, Databases, and even the Wyoming State Library.
  • 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 your identified keywords.
  • Putting your search term within quotes (e.g., "Native American") may produce more relevant content.

Citation & Copyright

Don't forget to cite your sources and consider copyright restrictions. See our guides for help with those: