November is Native American Heritage Month. Come explore the newspapers written by or for Native Americans on Newspapers.com. Though some of these papers may have just a few issues available, they all provide a wealth of insight into Native American life at the turn of the 19th century and beyond.
Let’s take a look a few of these papers:
- The Progress (White Earth, MN; 1886–89). This paper was published by members of the White Earth Reservation. It was devoted to reservation and area news and advocated for the interests of the tribe.
- The Tomahawk (White Earth, MN; 1904–1921). The Tomahawk was created by the same people who ran the Progress after that paper’s demise in 1889. Between the two papers, there is 20 years’ worth of Minnesota Ojibwe history.
- Indian Chieftain (Vinita, OK; 1882–1902). The Indian Chieftain was an influential paper in the Cherokee nation. It was “devoted to the interests of the Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Seminoles, Creeks, and other Indians of the Indian Territory.” The paper also covered national and international news, in addition to tribal affairs.
- The Indian Journal (Eufaula, OK; 1890–1977). This paper, still in publication, is the oldest continuously published weekly paper in Oklahoma.
- The Indian Advocate (Sacred Heart, OK; 1893–1910). The Indian Advocate was published at the Sacred Heart Abby by a Benedictine order. It was intended by its Catholic publishers to help “civilize” the tribes in Oklahoma Territory.
- Cherokee Advocate (Tahlequah, OK; 1880–99). This paper contains some articles and sections that use the Cherokee syllabary.
Other Native American Papers on Newspapers.com include (but are not necessarily limited to):
- Red Lake News (Red Lake, MN; 1915–20)
- The Branding Iron (Atoka, OK; 1884)
- Cheyenne Transporter (Darlington, OK; 1880–86)
- Our Brother in Red (Muskogee, OK; 1882–98)
- Daily Brother in Red (Muskogee, OK; 1890)
- Indian Methodist (Muskogee, OK; 1893)
- Indian Journal (Muskogee, OK; 1880–92)
- Indian Sentinel (Tahlequah, OK; 1891–1899)
Explore these papers and more on Newspapers.com!
Why do Oklahoma and Minnesota have this area wrapped up? Is it about the proliferation of conversation which spawned so many papers, or was that region just better at preservation I wonder?
Hello? Have you not heard about the Trail of Tears?
Thanks for the reply Helen, that explains it then. We did not study that in our history class north of the 49th parallel, but now I can see some etymology of our own expression “Highway of Tears”.
I would love to read the Hopi Tutuveni. I understand that it is no longer in print and I wish I knew why. It was a great paper.
I have been trying to find out any links with the name MacAfoose doing a geneology search and have been told this person was indian but nothing other then that anyone ???
I just did search of all records on Ancestry.com – for just the last name “MacAfoose”, nothing more (under the last name I also clicked the “Exact, Sounds Like, Similar and Soundex” boxes for the search) – and there are a lot of folks with that last name listed there. It appears they were mostly in the PA, Ohio, Indiana region, with one listing shown as Oklahoma. At any rate, on Ancestry.com, using the same above search method, there are lots of family trees using that name and it’s similar spellings too, so you might be able to dig up further history there. Best of luck.
I just had a thought – with most of them being in the PA/Ohio region, perhaps they had originally been brought up from the NM region (Apache/Navajo/Hopi/Zuni/Pueblo, etc) to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, PA. It’s been my understanding that Native Americans were required to give up their native names and take Christian and/or ‘white’ names. There’s a really great forum with a lot of info on it, at http://amertribes.proboards.com/ . Perhaps you could post the question there and see if anyone knows more about that name. Maybe consider an Ancestry.com DNA test too. It will show Native American if it’s in the blood, but unfortunately it won’t show what tribe or which side of the family it came from (for that you would need to have both parents tested too, in order to see if either or both carry Native American as well.)
I am so glad to find this link. Have been researching with Ancestry.com concerning family American Indian link
I’m looking for info on the Shawnee Nation. Do they have a paper? Does anyone know how I can contact them?
Have been trying to find out more about my GG Grandmother. Family told me years, years ago that she was the Choctaw Indian Chief’s daughter, living in Quitman, MO. Her name was Elizabeth and married Denton G Porter in 1946. However on Ancestry.com it states that she was born in Vicksburg, Warren Co, MS in 1832. I found on another census that her father was born in Wales (I’m thinking this was a mistake). There is documentation out there that states her oldest daughter had to read & sign for her as she could not read or write. I can’t find any info on her father as I really don’t know her last name; although marriage cert says it was “Evans”. Is there anything else I can do to find her family. Quitman, MO doesn’t show where the Choctaw reservation was on the map and all my relatives back there are deceased.
I seem to remember National Geographic Magazine at one time publishing a map showing the Native American sites in the U.S. I think a good local library ( college, state Library, etc. ) would have a map showing reservation lands which might help you.
I do a lot if research. The Choctaw are native to Mississippi and across Arkansas into Texas. The tribe was moved to Oklahoma on a reservation. Evans is a name I have seen connected to tribes of the Cherokee and Choctaw heritage. Please remember many Indians took a white man’s name to keep off the reservation. Some Indians were quite wealthy owning land, homes, cattle, etc. When they were enumerated they were forced to give up all and accept the government’s allotment, of starvation rations and 1 blanket.
By saying he was from Wales he gave up his heritage but saved his family. Also many people in the country especially the AL MS LA AR area could not read or write in the early 1900’s
Evans is historically a Welsh name.
Contact Choctaw Nation Geneology
Looking for information on Seneca woman Harriet Little Hawk, married to Peter Tallman. Not sure if this was the Loyalist Peter Tallman or the Revolutionary Peter Tallman. Too many Tallmans named after first American colonist Peter Tallman from Germany in 1600s.
I have been searching all my life for ancestral ties. I even had my DNA run. I have had many strange dreams that I feel are trying to guide me and when I read the post on the name Tallman my heart skipped a beat or two in excitement. About twenty years ago I was visited by Someone/thing and he was referred to as “The Tallman” Recently I have had “visitations” by “The Tallman” I don’t think this is a psychic thing but I do find it to be very exciting. My dads family came from Germany
Thanks for sharing your visions with us, fascinating; good luck with your search Audrey.
My family the Ricketts are indian.from union city .Arkansas
My grandpa john author Ricketts and grandma dollie.my dad James Ricketts.. all of Indian have been registered i have been trying to get information and complete my papers .can you help me with family research …
I have a Rachel Ricketts married to a Robert Woody, Feb, 1802, Orange county NC. b1784 d. 1810 Wayne County TN. The Woody family moved to Green and Izard county AR. I don’t have any thing on her family. But haven’t searched much. Hope this helps.
I well look at the family tree for her .so far I have nothing.my family Bible as well may show something..
I m the last of the Ricketts on my dad’s side.. my mom was daughter of powell … I have very little on my mom’s side my aunt has all the family info yet getting it is like pulling teeth .. I was the only child from both.the other children were from different mom or dad.. so it’s waupio and Cherokee ..
I’m looking for more info .my daughter has cancer end stage she’s so young .I would like to see if there’s any chance I could help her with an insurance..or something is why I have been looking into the family history…
For my daughter..
So I thank you I well check and we’ll let you know .
Thank you again
K Ricketts
Also my mom said of family is thru powell in Portland organ. I was Givin grandma death certificate and the registration red number was on top right corner.yet my mom took it back to do some research I never saw it again.now my mom has passed.
Can you help me to recover information on the family tribal information..
Thank you
I have written a book about women basketball-playing pioneers and have a chapter about Native American women. I am looking for more information about Native American women basketball pioneers, who played either on reservations or on school teams, early in the 20th century for my blog and future updates to the book.
Looking for Chickasaw or Cherokee Indian living on holcombs mountain abound 1700s to presant
It is sad to note that there appears to be so little documentaion of Native American history going back much before 1900. We have literally thousands of years of history going back before the settlement of white men and have very little knowledge of what was going on in North America during that time.
We in particular seem to have very little knowledge about weather in North American going back before 1700. Wouldn’t it be fascinating to know what the climate was like going back thousands of years?
Were there any tribes that chronicaled their history going back through all that time?
Looking some Indian History for Eugenia Jones my Great Grandmother, Trail of Tears i believe she lived in Virginia, Canada. And my Mother’s mom’s side, (anna)Joseph E. Hill. From Bessemer or Greenbough Alabama. I was also told my dad was Nelson C. Hardy from N.C. I have Some records of some finds on Ancestry.com , and I did the regular DNA testing . Need to find Indian Heritage, was also told I came home as a baby in Indian clothing.
THE CHEROKEE PHOENIX was published in February 1828 in or around New Echota, GA. That was the same year Chief John Ross was elected head of the Cherokee Nation, as I understand it. I am wondering if Newspapers.com has this newspaper in its records. Please understand this posting is based on publicized research I came across while searching for information that I can document regarding my own heritage.
Looking for info about. GG grandmother, Louisa morning star, married to David hensel, 1800s ,up state ny, she was from an Iroquois tribe,, so been told, any suggestions where to start that doesn’t. Demand you to join a club to het answers
Thanks
My father is Southern Paiute from Central California. His certificate of Indian blood shows him at the wrong percentage and I want to fix that. His greatgrandmother was named Betty Bucksin. Many of his relatives who were/are Indian are listed inaccurately as white on one or more documents but Indian on others. How would I research an Indian woman from the turn of the century?