LibGuides: First Nations, Métis & Inuit in Canada: Primary sources

Archival Research

When conducting archival research, keep in mind that records are grouped in fonds by creator, not by subject. Records pertaining to Indigenous peoples may be located in the fonds of academic researchers, religious institutions, and government holdings.

See archive's Guide to finding archival institutions and Guide to reading a finding aid for more information.

Aboriginal Archives Guide by Association of Canadian Archivists Special Interest Section on Aboriginal Archives
Call Number: CPC 2007 0003 (Special Collections)
Publication Date: 2007

Indigenous Archives and Digital Libraries

Archival Projects with an Indigenous Focus

Indigenous Archival Photo Project
A social media project by Paul Seesequasis that posts historic photographs of Indigenous peoples across North America.
Indigitization — Toolkit for the Digitization of First Nations Knowledge
Indigitization is a B.C. based collaborative initiative between Indigenous communities and organizations, the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, the Museum of Anthropology, Northern BC Archives (UNBC), and the School for Library, Archival and Information Studies, to facilitate capacity building in Indigenous information management.
Digital Archives Database Project.
View thousands of Métis historical documents, genealogical information, Hudson's Bay Company records, Church missionary records, and personal Métis accounts.
#WeHaveYourLanguage
A twitter account dedicated to promoting the holdings related to Indigenous languages from a variety of repositories. Note: this twitter account has not been updated since 2019.
Project Naming
A project from Library and Archives Canada which has, since 2002, digitized approximately 10,000 images and identified several thousand Inuit, First Nations and the Métis Nation individuals, activities, and places have been identified.
Indigenous Materials at the American Philosophical Society
This guide provides broad coverage of the Native American and Indigenous archival collections from 1553 to 2017 at the Library of the American Philosophical Society.
Penal Press: Aboriginal Prisoners
The penal press is a primary source open-access archive written and produced by prisoners, it provides insight into how convicts viewed the penal justice apparatus, its policies and its practices, with a focus on Canadian publications. Indigenous related content tagged.

Library and Archives Canada

A guide to Indigenous heritage at Library and Archives Canada includes useful strategies in researching material in all types of media that can be accessed on site or through online databases, virtual exhibitions and digitized documents. Additional guides include:

Aboriginal Peoples: Guide to the Records of the Government of Canada (ARCHIVED0
Conducting Research on Residential Schools (PDF)
File and Item Descriptions for Indigenous Heritage (ARCHIVED)
Indian Affairs Record Group 10 (RG10) Inventory (ARCHIVED)
- These are historical records created by the Department of Indian Affairs & Northern Development and its predecessors. They include files, correspondence, letters, and transcripts on all aspects of Indian administration for both headquarters and the field offices.
Indexes of Western First Nations Bands: languages, agencies, inspectorates, and regional offices
Native Residential Schools in Canada: A Selective Bibliography (ARCHIVED)

York University Libraries Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections

Archival material related to Indigenous peoples and communities can be found throughout several holdings held by the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections. This blog post highlights a selection of fonds that contain a significant portion of records with content related to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities. More information about material accessed at the university's archives is on CTASC website.

Primary Sources

See the library's Guide to Finding Primary Sources.

Early Canadiana Online
A digital library of primary sources from Canada's early heritage. It covers the time period from the first European settlers to the early 20th century and includes things like government reports, letters, diaries newspapers, magazines and church documents.
Early Encounters in North America: Peoples, Cultures and the Environment
Contains over 1400 authors and over 100,000 pages of primary works: letters, diaries, memoirs and accounts as well as images of early encounters. Material must include descriptions of North America, either its natural features or interactions among various cultural groups for inclusion in this database. With the exception of indexes, all parts of a source are included. Time period covered is from 1534-1860.
Indigenous Peoples: North America
Researchers will explore the impact of invasion and colonization on Indigenous Peoples in North America, and the intersection of Indigenous and European histories and systems of knowledge through the use of manuscripts, monographs, newspapers, photographs, motion pictures, images of artwork, and more.
North American Indian Thought and Culture
Contains biographies, auto-biographies, personal narratives, speeches, diaries, letters, and oral histories. The database represents the largest compilation ever created of biographical information on indigenous peoples from all areas of North America. Biographies include works on Quanah Parker, Dennis Banks, Susan La Flesche Picotte, Cochise, Jim Thorpe, Crowfoot, Peter Pitchlynn, Sacajawea, Geronimo, Hosteen Klah, Black Elk, Pocahontas, George Washington Grayson, Standing Buffalo, and many more.

Canadian Archival Information Portals

In addition to searching national, provincial, and municipal archival repositories, the following informational portals and networks provide access to hundreds of participating institutions.

Archives Canada
Archeion (Ontario)
Memory BC (British Columbia)
Manitoba Archival Information Network
Alberta on Record
MemorySask: Saskatchewan Archival Information Network
Le Réseau de diffusion des archives du Québec
Archives CANB: Council of Archives New Brunswick's archival database
ArchivesPEI
MemoryNS (Nova Scotia)
ANLA - Archival Resource Catalogue
Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives portal