Materials from one of the oldest Federal agencies are now on Arizona Memory Project

PHOENIX – In 1775, Congress created the Committee on Indian Affairs and was initially led by Benjamin Franklin. One of the oldest federal agencies, it changed to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1824 and transferred to the Department of the Interior in 1849. The material in this collection provides a unique opportunity to learn more about tribal communities and the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ evolving role over the past two centuries. The collection contains federal materials that include Constitutions and Bylaws of Tribes, Corporate Charters, newsletters, and statistics.

“This important federal collection documents the history of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Arizona and in the West, as well as Indian schools, and American Indian culture,” said Janelle Breedveld, federal documents librarian. “My hope is that making this collection digitally available will help to shine light on the long and storied history of indigenous peoples and agencies in the U.S., and I’m proud to contribute to that effort,” said Jose Juarez-Moncada, federal documents library associate.

Researchers using the Bureau of Indian Affairs- Federal Materials collection will be able to browse materials indefinitely and view using any digital device at http://go.azsos.gov/bia.

For questions about this or any digital collection, or for cultural institutions interested in sharing collections on the Arizona Memory Project, contact [email protected].

The Arizona Memory Project provides free online access to the wealth of primary sources in Arizona archives, museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions. The Arizona Memory Project is supported by the Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records, a division of the Secretary of State, with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

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