LibGuides: Indigenous Studies: Indigenous Peoples in Canada: Databases & Journals

'Best Bet' Databases

Bibliography of Indigenous Peoples in North America
The Bibliography is a database created and updated at Yale University. It is the only research database that deals exclusively with Aboriginal people in Canada and the U.S. It includes scholarly journals, popular magazines and newspapers and many other printed sources. Many articles are available full-text.

Indigenous Studies Portal (iportal)
The iportal is an extremely useful online library of scholarly articles and other resources about First Nations people arranged under headings. It is created and maintained by the University of Saskatchewan Libraries. It is a good tool for undergraduate students.

America: History and Life
Simultaneous user limit: 6

America: History and Life is an index to scholarly literature dealing with Canadian and U.S. history. It covers the history of these two countries from prehistoric times to the present. The database indexes articles, book reviews and dissertations. Political, diplomatic, military, economic, social, cultural, religious and intellectual history are included. The history of science, technology and medicine is also covered.
CPI.Q
The Canadian Periodical Index (CPI) is a good tool for researching any Canadian topic, including issues relating to Canadian First Nations people.

Canadian Business and Current Affairs CBCA
CBCA is another excellent resource for searching for material about Canada, including Canadian First Nations people. It indexes scholarly journals, magazines and newspapers.

Indigenous Journals

Online Courses and Other Resources

All Nations LibGuide
The All Nations resource guide highlights the impact of Indigenous Librarianship and the importance of serving the library and information needs of Indigenous and Native peoples. It contains information on equitable access to information, literacy, welcoming spaces, and sustainability for future generations of library staff and patrons. The collection of resources throughout the guide are primarily Indigenous-centric and includes scholarly works from allies and non-Native librarians in tribal and mainstream libraries. As sovereign nations, the guide includes references to treaties and federal and state resources. Features a guide on terminology, allyship, stereotypes, and land acknowledgments, as well as digital maps for use in learning and teaching and an informative video on why treaties matter.
Indigenous Canada
Indigenous Canada is a 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. From an Indigenous perspective, this course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations. Topics for the 12 lessons include the fur trade and other exchange relationships, land claims and environmental impacts, legal systems and rights, political conflicts and alliances, Indigenous political activism, and contemporary Indigenous life, art and its expressions.
Shekon Neechie: An Indigenous History Site
Shekon Neechie provides a venue for Indigenous historians to share ideas or works in progress. “Historian” in this case is broadly defined as a person who researches and presents Indigenous histories in essays, stories, photographs, videos, podcasts, or through other means and whose work is based in oral history and traditions, archival research, archaeology, and material interpretation. The historians featured here are formally trained – either within the academy or in the community – or self-taught. Shekon Entirely Indigenous conceived, created, and controlled.

Additional Databases

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Academic Search Complete is a comprehensive, scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database. It includes numerous full-text periodicals, many of which are peer-reviewed. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for a number of journals and other publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings etc. The database features PDF content going back as far as 1887, with the majority of full text titles in searchable PDF format.
Dictionary of Canadian Biography This link opens in a new window
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography includes biographical sketches of prominent persons who lived in what is now Canada from 1000-1930. Coverage from 1931-2000 is partial, with more biographies added regularly. The database can be searched by personal name, by geographic region, and by occupation.
Native Health Database This link opens in a new window
The Native Health Databases contain bibliographic information and abstracts of health-related articles, reports, surveys, and other resource documents pertaining to the health and health care of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Canadian First Nations. The databases provide information for the benefit, use, and education of organizations and individuals with an interest in health-related issues, programs, and initiatives regarding North American indigenous peoples.
Interactive ALR (American Language Reprint) This link opens in a new window
Coverage: 1530s - 1900s

The Interactive ALR is a linguistic database that allows for the comparative study of Native American languages. Built from the catalog of the American Language Reprint (ALR) series, it contains tens of thousands of entries, searchable by word, phrase, date, and more. It also includes interactive mapping and custom lexicon generation.

Churchill Community of Knowledge
An online resource of data and media about the Town of Churchill, its people, Wapusk National Park, and the extensive research supported by the Churchill Northern Studies Centre