The Smithsonian Magazine announced an important and exciting archival milestone thanks to a newly completed digitization effort by the U.S. National Archives and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) in Santa Fe, researchers and the public now have unprecedented access to an online collection of 374 US-Native American treaties.
These documents are housed in a specially protected area of the National Archives building due to their fragility and significance. More than 50 of the treaties are written on large sheets of parchment; several contain drawings, maps and wampum, or decorative beads used as currency in some Native American tribes.
Those hoping to delve into the trove can use Indigenous Digital Archive (IDA) Treaties Explorer, a free tool optimized for easily searching and studying the documents.
Pictured: Ratified Indian Treaty 269: Menominee - Falls of Wolf River, Wisconsin, May 12, 1854, via the National Archives