LibGuides: Native Studies: Indigenous Peoples of Canada: Databases

Research Databases

Bibliography of Native North Americans
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.
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
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.
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.

American Indian Newspapers
The database presents a diverse collection of print journalism from Indigenous peoples of the US and Canada from 1828-2016. The collection includes national periodicals, local community news, and student publications in English, French and Indigenous languages such as Cherokee, Hawaiian and Navajo.
Early Encounters in North America : Peoples, Cultures and the Environment
Early Encounters in North America documents the relationships among peoples in North America from 1474 to the present. The collection is made up of personal accounts and unique perspectives.
Indigenous Peoples: North America
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Coverage: 17th century - present

Indigenous Peoples: North America contains primary-source collections from Canadian and American institutions, providing insight into the cultural, political and social history of Native Peoples. It includes manuscripts, book collections, newspapers from various tribe and Indian-related organizations, as well as Bibles, dictionaries and primers in Indigenous languages.
Interactive ALR (American Language Reprint)
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.
Native Health Database
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.
North American Indian Thought and Culture
The database presents the life stories of American Indians and Canadian First Peoples in their own words and through the words of others. Includes biographies, autobiographies, oral histories, reference works, manuscripts, and photographs.
Indigenous Peoples of the Americas: History, Culture & Law
HeinOnline's Indigenous Peoples of the Americas: History, Culture & Law* was created from a desire to consolidate the wealth of material available on indigenous American life and law, and to share the tremendous influence that these peoples and their cultures have had on the development of the United States. With more than 3,700 titles and 1.5 million total pages, this library includes an expansive archive of historical materials.

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Online Courses

4 Seasons of Reconciliation
A series of bilingual, self-paced online courses designed to assist education organizations in providing diversity and inclusion awareness. The courses promote a renewed relationship between Indigenous Peoples and Canadians, and feature award-winning films, slideshows, videos, quizzes and a completion certificate provided by First Nations University of Canada.

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.