This assignment may be different from other research projects you have done in the past. This page is designed to help you navigate some of the unique resources you will be using, and how to deal with roadblocks you are likely to face. Since everyone is from somewhere different, each person's research for this assignment will look different based on what is available about your area. This guide presents one roadmap that can help guide you. If you feel lost, ask a librarian for help.
Here are a few tips for this research:
If you get stuck, are having trouble using a resource, or feel overwhelmed by all of the information you find, reach out to a librarian! We are experts in doing research, and we are here to help you with yours. You may also find this guide on resources on Indigenous Peoples to be useful.
24/7 Chat: When Gustavus librarians are not available, librarians from other institutions will be available to help you 24/7.
Research Help Appointments: Schedule a one-on-one consultation with a Gustavus librarian; both in person and virtual appointments are available.
Research Next Steps Program: Fill out this form at any point in your research; a librarian will respond with suggestions and tips within two business days.
E-mail: folke@gustavus.edu (please include your name, the best way to contact you, and a brief description of your research needs)
This resource is a guide for citing online resources in MLA format including entire websites, a page on a website, tweets, YouTube videos, images and artworks, and more. This page includes the framework for MLA citations, so you can adapt it to the type of resource you are citing and include the information you have. Always try to include as much of the information as you can find, and ask yourself if someone else would be able to locate the same source with just the information in your citation.
If you need help or want to check your citations, ask a librarian!
To research the narratives told by your hometown about settler history, look for your local chamber of commerce, historical societies, tourism boards, etc. Use a Google search to find these. See how local authorities portray the history of your place to locals and visitors. The resources you find may or may not discuss the native people who lived in your area before it was colonized. For example:
You can also use Wikipedia to get a sense of the generally accepted historical narrative for your area. For example: St. Peter, Minnesota: History and Treaty of Traverse des Sioux
You should be able to find demographic information about your hometown through the city or town's government website. Demographic information means information about the people who currently live in an area.
You may also want to do some additional research about immigration trends in your hometown. We have a number of books about various ethnic groups who immigrated to the United States in our catalog. Use the Search for Books tab (above) for more ideas and information on how to search for books in our library.
To discover which Indigenous peoples lived on what is now your hometown, start with Native Land Digital. Enter the zip code of your home town. You will then find information about the peoples, languages, and treaties related to this area. (Note: if you're researching St. Peter, the zip code is 56082.)
Follow the links on the information pages for each group you find through the map. Look at "Websites" list and the "Sources" dropdown. These will lead you to sources discussing colonial history, and to websites for local tribes, nations, or bands. For example: Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) Website
Once you have the names of the tribes and nations associated with your area, you can also use a Google search to find other organizations connected to those groups. For example: Dakota Wicohan
Tips for this website:
From here, you may want to research treaties and/or find additional resources on specific tribes and nations. To do this, use the tabs on the top of this research page for ideas on how to search for treaties and find additional information.
Many thanks to librarian Silas Brewer, who created the original version of this guide.
Here are the slides from our library research session.
This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
