Indigenous Peoples of North Dakota

The name North Dakota is from a Sioux word meaning "friend" or "Allies"

About 6,000 American Indians lived in North Dakota in 1910. By 1970 there were over 25,000.

Various field offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs -- superintendencies, agencies, Indian schools, and others --created records of births, marriages, deaths, adoptions, censuses, schools, land allotments, probates, and other miscellaneous records. Many of these records are available only at the originating office, if that office is still operating. Some of the original records have been transferred to the National Archives or to the Central Plains Regional Archives of NARA. The Family History Library in Salt Lake City has microfilm copies of some of these records.

Tribes and Bands of North Dakota
Arapho, Arikara, Assiniboin, Atsina, Cheyenne, Chippewa, Dakota, Devils Lake Sioux, Hidatsa, Mandan, Ojibway, Santee Sioux, Sisseton Sioux, Teton Sioux, Wahpeton Sioux, Wiciyela Sioux

The Affiliated Tribes: Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara

Reference


 * Hodge, Frederick Webb. Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of Ethonology, Bulletin #30 1907.


 * Swanton, John R. The Indians Tribes of North America. (http://www.accessgenealogy.com ) Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin #145.

Reservations
As identified in the National Atlas of the United States of America, the following reservation names in bold are current federally-recognized reservations:

Fort Berthold Reservation - Federal, under jurisdiction of Fort Berthold Agency, Tribes: Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara

Fort Totten Reservation - Federal, under jurisdiction of Fort Totten Agency, Tribe: Devils Lake Sioux

Devils Lake Reservation

Lake Traverse Reservation -- Located mostly in South Dakota

Sisseton Reservation

Spirit Lake Reservation --

Standing Rock Reservation -- located mostly in South Dakota

Turtle Mountain Reservation - Federal, under jurisdiction of Turtle Mountain Agency, Tribe: Chippewa

White Earth Reservation

Reference


 * Isaacs, Katherine M., Omni Gazetteer of the United States of American. U.S. Data Sourcebook, Volume 11 Appendices, Bureau of Indian Affairs List of American Indian Reservation, Appendix E. Indian Reservations. Omnigraphics. Inc., 1991.

Agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Fort Berthold Agency, P.O. Box 370, New Town, North Dakota 58763

Devils Lake Agency

Grand River Agency

Fort Totten Agency, P.O. Box 270, Fort Totten, North Dakota 58335

Sisseton Agency 1867-1880

Standing Rock Agency - prior to 1875 known as Grand River Agency

Turtle Mountain Agency, P.O. Box 60, Belcourt, North Dakota 58316

Reference


 * Hill, Edward E. The Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1880:Historical Sketches. Clearwater Publishing Co., Inc., 1974.

Schools

 * Bismarck Indian School
 * Fort Totten School
 * Wahpeton Indian School

Records Depositories
The primary records holders are the originating offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and of the respective tribes. Some of those records have been transferred to the National Archives or its Regional Archives. Some original and/or microcopied records have been collected by universities, historical societies, museums, and individuals.

Family History Library
Major James McLaughlin Papers 1855-1937 39 films Family History Library 1st film 541380

Central Superintendency 1813-1878 108 films M856 Family History Library 1st film 1602893

Dakota Superintendency 1861-1870 13 films M1016 Family History Library 1st film 1549631

Records of various American Indian tribes are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under NORTH DAKOTA - NATIVE RACES and in the Subject Search under the name of the tribe, such as "Sioux" or "Chippewa."