Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Native American Records, History Scope Content - Archives

1853-1884, n.d. (ca. 1872-1884), Before the Bureau to Reverend John B.A. Brouillet:

Before the Bureau: These records are arranged in a single 21-year increment. There under the arrangement is alphabetical throughout by U.S. states, territories, the District of Columbia, and Rocky Mountain Missions, i.e. Jesuit-administered missions in Idaho, Montana, and Washington, 1873-1884. Within each region, the arrangement continues alphabetically throughout with individual folders for missions or schools and general correspondence on two or more missions or schools in the region, e.g. Alaska, General Correspondence, placed at the end of that region. The localities include both individual places and institutions and widely dispersed or sparsely settled areas in clusters of places with a number of institutions not listed on the folder headings, e.g. Arizona Territory, Pima Agency, Papago Reservation; New Mexico Territory, Pueblo Agency. The District of Columbia heading includes correspondence with the United States federal government and others in Washington such as the United States War Department and the United States Department of the Interior; correspondence outside the United States; and correspondence pertaining to two or more Catholic missions and general concerns not pertaining to any specific mission. The local and general folders are further divided into chronologically arranged dated materials followed immediately by corresponding folders with undated and circa dated 1871-1874 materials.

Brouillet: General correspondence from the administration of the Bureau's first director, Reverend John Baptist A. Brouillet plus that of General Charles Ewing and Captain John Mullen, the Bureau's commissioners. These records are arranged in a single 10-year increment. There under the arrangement is alphabetical throughout by U.S. states, territories, the District of Columbia, and Rocky Mountain Missions, i.e. Jesuit-administered missions in Idaho, Montana, and Washington, 1873 to 1884. Within each area, the arrangement continues alphabetically throughout with individual folders for missions or schools and/or localities and general correspondence on two or more missions or schools in the area, e.g. Alaska, General Correspondence, placed at the end of that region. The localities include both individual places and institutions and widely dispersed or sparsely settled areas in clusters of places with a number of institutions not listed on the folder headings, e.g. Arizona Territory, Pima Agency, Papago Reservation; New Mexico Territory, Pueblo Agency. The District of Columbia heading includes correspondence with the United States federal government and others in Washington such as the United States Department of the Interior; correspondence outside the United States such as the Association de la Sainte Enfance (Society of the Holy Childhood), Paris, France, the Leopoldine Stiftung (Leopoldine Society), Vienna, Austria, and the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Lyon, France; and correspondence pertaining to two or more Catholic missions and general concerns not pertaining to any specific mission. The local and general folders are further divided into chronologically arranged dated materials followed immediately by corresponding folders with undated and circa dated materials between 1871-1884.

Some Brouillet correspondence is in French with missionaries in Alaska, California, and Dakota Territory and possibly other states, 1874-1882.

For additional information regarding General Charles Ewing, see the Charles Ewing Papers at Catholic University of America.

1885-1900, n.d. (ca. 1884-1900), Reverend Joseph A. Stephan: General correspondence from the administration of the Bureau's second director, Reverend Joseph A. Stephan. These records are arranged in annual chronological increments. There under the arrangement is alphabetical by U.S. states, territories, the District of Columbia, and Rocky Mountain Missions, i.e. Jesuit-administered missions or schools in Idaho, Montana, and Washington, 1885-1900, with North Dakota and South Dakota listed as Dakota, North and Dakota, South. Within these areas, the arrangement continues alphabetically throughout with individual folders for missions or schools and/or localities with Catholic-mission related activities. General correspondence on two or more missions or schools in the region, e.g. Alaska, General Correspondence, is placed at the end of the region except for North and South Dakota, which have a combined two-state folder, Dakotas, General following Dakota, South. The localities include both individual places and institutions and widely dispersed or sparsely settled areas in clusters of places with a number of institutions not listed on the folder headings, e.g. Arizona Territory, Pima Agency, Papago Reservation; New Mexico Territory, Pueblo Agency. The District of Columbia heading includes correspondence with the United States government agencies and others in Washington such as the United States Department of the Interior and the Treasurer of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions; correspondence outside the United States such as the Association de la Sainte Enfance (Society of the Holy Childhood), Paris, France, the Leopoldine Stiftung (Leopoldine Society), Vienna, Austria, and the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, , Lyon, France; and correspondence pertaining to two or more Catholic missions and general concerns not pertaining to any specific mission. Within the folders all dated material is arranged chronologically followed immediately by corresponding folders with undated and circa dated 1884-1900 materials.

Some Stephan correspondence is in German with missionaries in North Dakota and South Dakota and possibly other states, 1885-1901.

1901-1920, n.d. (ca. 1901-1920), Monsignor William H. Ketcham: General correspondence from the administration of the Bureau's third director, Reverend William H. Ketcham. The correspondence is divided into annual increments of chronologically arranged dated records followed by an increment of undated and circa dated 1901-1920 records. There under the arrangement is alphabetical by U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia with North Dakota and South Dakota listed under "D" as Dakota North and Dakota South. Within the regions, the arrangement continues alphabetically throughout with individual folders for missions or schools and/or localities. General correspondence on two or more missions or schools in the region, e.g. Alaska, General Correspondence, is placed at the end of the region except for North and South Dakota, which have a combined two-state folder, Dakotas, General following Dakota, South. The localities include both individual places and institutions and widely dispersed or sparsely settled areas in clusters of places with a number of institutions not listed on the folder headings, e.g. Arizona Territory, Pima Agency, Papago Reservation, some of which were unofficial names, e.g. New Mexico, Pueblo Reservation. The District of Columbia heading includes correspondence with the United States federal government and others in Washington such as the United States Department of the Interior and the Treasurer of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions; correspondence outside the United States such as the Association de la Sainte Enfance (Society of the Holy Childhood), Paris, France, the Leopoldine Stiftung (Leopoldine Society), Vienna, Austria, and the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Lyon, France; and correspondence pertaining to two or more Catholic missions and general concerns not pertaining to any specific mission, such as Reverend Mother (saint) M. Katharine Drexel, the Catholic Church Extension Society, and the Commission for Catholic Missions Among the Colored People and the Indians.

In 1904, following a favorable ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, federal regulations permitted certain Indian parents to pay their children's Catholic school tuition by using tribal trust funds. The parents and their children were required to be enrolled members of tribes that had a federally administered trust-fund account. The regulations required the parents to sign petitions to authorize the government to pay the tuition from the account and they required the schools to sign contracts with the government and to report the pupils' attendance. The Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions retained copies of the petitions signed annually by the pupils' parents and government contracts signed annually by school officials. Both sets of documents are interfiled among the correspondence between the schools and the Bureau whereas copies of the pupil attendance reports are interfiled among the Series 2-1, School Reports. Most trust-fund payments and the corresponding documentation ceased by or before the 1970s.

Some Ketcham correspondence is in Choctaw with Choctaw Indians in Mississippi, 1917-1920. Translations are included in the Series 1-1 Facsimiles, which are described above.

1921-1934, Monsignor William M. Hughes (Parts 1-2): General correspondence from the administration of the Bureau's fourth director, Monsignor William M. Hughes. The correspondence is arranged into annual increments divided into the five numerically-designated funding categories noted below. Within these categories, the arrangement is first alphabetical by state and there under by localities and missions or schools with general correspondence pertaining to two or more missions or schools following at the end The localities include both individual places and institutions and widely dispersed or sparsely settled areas in clusters of places with a number of institutions not listed on the folder headings, e.g. Arizona Territory, Pima Agency, Papago Reservation, some of which were unofficial names, e.g. New Mexico, Pueblo Reservation.

10-Government Schools: Correspondence with government Indian schools, which typically had associated Catholic religious education programs. The arrangement is alphabetical by U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia, and chronological there under.

20-Mission Schools: Correspondence with Catholic schools funded by private donations. The arrangement is alphabetical by U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia, and chronological there under.

30-Tribal Funds Schools: Correspondence with Catholic schools funded by tribal trust funds that were administered by the U.S. federal government. The arrangement is alphabetical by U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia, and chronological there under.

40-Missions: Correspondence with Catholic missions and parishes. The arrangement is alphabetical by U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia, and chronological there under.

50-General: Correspondence with Bureau personnel, religious institutes (communities or orders) or dioceses regarding two or more missions or schools, other Catholic agencies, U.S. government agencies, and the general public. Within folders marked A to Z, The arrangement is alphabetical by surname and chronological there under. In addition, the following special folders were interfiled alphabetically: "Assistant Director, BCIM, [plus name]," for the Director of the Bureau of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions; "Bequests;" "Commission for Catholic Missions Among the Colored People and the Indians;" "Director, BCIM, [plus name]," for the Director of the Bureau of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions; "Drexel, Katharine," for Saint or Reverend Mother Katharine Drexel, S.B.S.; "Editor, The Indian Sentinel, [plus name];" "Extension Society," for the Catholic Church Extension Society of the United States; "Holy Childhood Association," for the Association de la Sainte Enfance (Society of the Holy Childhood), Paris, France; "Interior Department," for the United States Department of the Interior; "Lecturer, BCIM, [plus name]," for lecturers employed by the Bureau of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions; "Marquette League," for the Marquette League for Catholic Indian Missions; "Propagation of the Faith Society" for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Paris, France; and "Treasurer, BCIM, [plus name]," for the Treasurer of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions. The special folders are arranged chronologically.

In 1931-1932, the Bureau collected translations of the Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary, and other Christian prayers in these12 languages: Assiniboine (Box 207, Folder 10/Reel 76, Frames 0350-0503), Cheyenne (Box 200, Folder 18/Reel 170, Frames 0398-0526), Chinook (Box 202, Folder 19/Reel 171, Frames 1201-1220), Crow (Box 207, Folder 8/Reel 169, Frames 0184-0265), Dakota [Lakota] (Box 202, Folder 12/ Reel 171, Frames 0954-0982), Eskimo [Inuit] (Box 201, Folders 11 and 15/Reel 171, Frames 0268-0323, Box 206, Folder 15/Reel 175, Frames 0064-0135), Menominee (Box 201, Folder 9/Reel 171, Frames 0147-0184), Navajo (Box 198, Folder 27/Reel 168, Frames 0630-0688 and Box 206 Folder 22/Reel 175, Frames 0584-0680), Nez Perce (Box 207 Folder 3/Reel 175, Frames 1064-1137), Ojibwa (Box 200 Folder 16/ Reel 170 Frames 0292-0347 and Box 202 Folder 9/Reel 171 Frames 0853-0858), Salish (Box 199, Folder 11/Reel 171, Frames 0767-0778 and Box 207, Folder 2/Reel 175, Frames 0986-1063), and Siksika [Blackfeet]/ Piegan (Box 199 Folder 9/ Reel 169 Frames 0079-0183). Many of these prayers were then published in The Indian Sentinel, Series 4-1. These and other prayers are also included in Series 8-1 and 8-2.

1935-1976, Reverend John B. Tennelly, S.S. (Parts 1-4) and Oversight, [1892-1975]: General correspondence of the administration of Reverend John B. Tennelly, S.S., fifth director of the Bureau and second Secretary of the Commission for Catholic Missions Among the Colored People and the Indians. The correspondence is arranged according to the scheme established previously under Monsignor Hughes. Not microfilmed is the correspondence from 1976 and two folders of oversight correspondence from 1892 to 1975, n.d.

1976-2007, Monsignor Paul A. Lenz: General correspondence of the administration of Monsignor Paul A. Lenz, sixth director of the Bureau and third Secretary of the Commission for Catholic Missions Among the Colored People and the Indians.

These records have not been processed for research.

Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, Series 2, Mission and School Reports: Reports collected by the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, including reports relating to the U.S. Government, i.e. Series 2-1 School Reports and Series 2-3 Government School Reports. Between 1977-1980, Marquette University microfilmed Series 2 in its entirety. Other series within the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records and other Marquette University collections contain documentation relating to this series.

Series 2-1 School Reports: The school records are comprised of statistical summaries and pupil attendance records. The statistical summaries were submitted annually by all Catholic schools in the United States that served primarily Native American pupils (112 schools from 19 states) whereas the pupil attendance reports were submitted quarterly by only certain schools (101 schools from 14 states). The reports are arranged alphabetically by state, there under by locality and school, and chronologically within each folder with the annual reports inter-filed chronologically among the attendance reports. For most schools, the files are incomplete with at least a few reports missing of one type or the other; for some schools, the reporting gaps are substantial with many reports missing. For Holy Name Boarding School and Holy Name Day School in Assinins (Baraga), Michigan, large gaps in the records apparently result from the interchangeable use of the two names for essentially one student body. However the quarterly reports are arranged separately according to whichever school is named on that report with those for the Boarding School preceding those for the Day School.

The statistical summaries note whether the school was a boarding or day facility, the numbers of its lay and religious employees, the names of affiliated religious communities, the amounts and sources of financial support, the number of total pupils with breakdowns by sex and average attendance, the numbers by religious and ethnic affiliations, and the number of times various sacraments were administered.

The pupil attendance records, which comprise the bulk of the school records, document the attendance of targeted Indian pupils. In 1904, following a favorable ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, federal regulations permitted certain Indian parents to pay their children's Catholic school tuition by using tribal trust funds. The parents and their children were required to be enrolled members of tribes that had a federally administered trust-fund account. The regulations required the parents to sign petitions to authorize the government to pay the tuition from the account and they required the schools to sign contracts with the government and to report the pupils' attendance. Not all states and territories had Catholic schools serving these targeted pupils, so compiling these attendance reports did not apply to all Catholic schools serving Native Americans. However, for the schools that did, they were required to list the targeted pupils for each quarter. Nonetheless, some schools listed all pupils who attended, including non-enrolled Indians and non-Indians.

For other reasons, the attendance reports from a couple of schools date from before 1904. Some schools complied with the regulations immediately and began submitting attendance reports in 1904, whereas other schools delayed their compliance. The schools continued to submit the reports for as long as the pupils' tribes had trust funds and/or the school continued to operate. For one reason or the other, most reports ceased by or before the 1970s.

The content and completeness of the reports vary widely. Typically they include lists of pupils' dates of attendance, related comments, ethnicity, and degree of Indian blood. Many reports have arranged pupil’s names first by gender, ethnicity, and lodging status (i.e. boarders) and there under alphabetically by surname. Oftentimes staff names and occupations and statistical summaries are also included and occasionally students are noted as non-Indians or orphans. The schools created the reports in triplicate. They retained one copy and forwarded two copies to the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions who then retained one and forwarded the other to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. The copies retained by the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions are within the Series 2-1 School Reports whereas the BIA copies are interfiled among the Indian Agency records at the branch repositories of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. See Marquette’s Guides to Catholic-Related Records for the United States about Native Americans for more information about the attendance reports held at NARA branches in the Midwest and West.

The Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions also retained copies of the petitions signed annually by the pupils' parents and government contracts signed annually by school officials. Both sets of documents are interfiled in the Series 1-1 General Correspondence among the correspondence between the schools and the Bureau.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) restricts the pupil attendance records (originals and microfilm) indefinitely because Marquette University is an educational institution. FERPA also exempts comparable records at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (including branch centers throughout the United States) because the agency is not an educational institution. However, the Marquette archives staff will conduct genealogical searches for patrons who fill out the Genealogical Request Form. Sanitized facsimiles, which are photocopies with obliterated confidential information, are available to on-site visitors for some schools as noted in the descriptive inventories.

Afraid of Bear to Zuni: Surnames in English of Native American Origin found within Marquette University Archival Collections: lists names found primarily in the school reports.

Series 2-2 Indian Mission Reports: Statistical summaries prepared annually on Catholic activities among Native Americans at missions and parishes. The reports are arranged alphabetically by state, there under by locality and mission or parish, and chronologically within each folder. Reporting gaps exist for all missions.

While the forms were revised several times, most reports include the names of priests, missions, chapels, and stations without chapels; the numbers of religious brothers and sisters, scholastics, lay teachers, and catechists; the number of Catholic Indians and non-Indians attending missions and chapels, the number of Catholic Indian pupils attending mission and government schools, the number of Indian baptisms, and general observations on mission work, methods, and plans in relationship with the Indian communities. A few of the observations are extensive.

Series 2-3 Government School Reports: Statistical summaries prepared annually on Catholic activities among Native American pupils at U.S. Government Indian Schools. The reports are arranged alphabetically by state, hereunder by locality and school, and chronologically within each folder. Although most files are sparse, notable reports exist for the schools at Lawrence, Kansas, Newkirk, Oklahoma, Chemawa, Oregon, and Flandreau, South Dakota.

The content of reports vary widely. Nonetheless they typically include numbers of total students and Catholic pupils; numbers of pupils attending mass and catechism classes, number of catechism teachers, frequency of mass and catechism classes; numbers of baptisms, confessions, first communions, confirmations, sick calls, deaths, and burials; and remarks.

Series 2-4 Bureau Catechist Reports: Statistical summaries prepared quarterly on the activities of Catholic catechists who were Native Americans. The reports are arranged alphabetically by state, there under by locality and mission, and chronologically within folders. Most files are very incomplete and no reports exist for many missions. Typical reports include names of catechists and affiliated mission, number of meetings held for public prayers and religious instruction; average attendance at meetings; numbers of sick calls, baptisms and burials; and remarks.

Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, Series 3, Financial Records: The Bureau Financial Records include day books, general journals, and balance sheets, which are arranged by type of record and there under chronologically. Between 1977-1980, Marquette University microfilmed Series 3 through 1943. Other series within the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records contain documentation relating to this series.

Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, Series 4, Publications: Works published by the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions including The Indian Sentinel, 1902-1962, the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Newsletter, 1977-[ongoing], annual reports, 1883-1899, 1903-1911, general publications, and lecture scripts and guides to glass lantern slides. Between 1977-1980, Marquette University microfilmed Series 4 through 1962 with the exception of the scripts, which have not been microfilmed.

Work in-progress: The Marquette University Libraries are developing bibliographic records for the publications in this collection. This includes all books, pamphlets, magazines, newsletters, prayer cards, published maps, published sound and video recordings, etc., and excludes clipping files and reprints of articles. As they are created, the bibliographic records will appear in Marqcat, the Marquette University online catalog. Furthermore, as an interim and supplemental search tool, most titles to publications in this and related collections appear in the Index to Publications in Native America Collections.

Series 4-1: Periodicals published by -- The Indian Sentinel and Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Newsletter:

The Indian Sentinel is available online as The Indian Sentinel Digital Publication Collection. Not included in the digital collection is Die Indianer-Wache, the German-language edition, 1903-1918, which is available only as microfilm or bound originals. Unbound loose originals of The Indian Sentinel and Die Indianer-Wache are available for all years except 1904-1905, 1906, 1911, 1912, and 1913 for The Indian Sentinel and 1905-1906 and 1913 for Die Indianer-Wache.

From 1902 to 1962 The Indian Sentinel featured articles about Native Americans across the United States and their evangelization by the Catholic Church. Most were first-hand accounts from lifelong missionaries in the field that were often illustrated with photographs they had taken. Their articles reported on current activities and events at their missions, schools, and local native communities and many articles also described the lives of notable Native Americans and other missionaries. Also included are articles, essays, and letters authored by Native Americans, many of whom were students in Catholic schools.

The Indian Sentinel was the official publication of the Society for the Preservation of the Faith among Indian Children, a subsidiary fundraising organization to the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions that the Bureau had established in 1901. To accommodate European members, the Bureau also published Die Indianer-Wache, with identical articles and illustrations.

The magazine’s frequency varied markedly throughout its history, as follows:

·         1902-1915: annual

·         1916-1935: 4/year

·         1936-1956: 10/year

·         1957-1958: 6/year

·         1959: 3/year

·         1960: annual

·         1962: 4/year

In 1929 and 1930, 30 or more mission-specific special editions per issue were created, which used supplemental overlays comprised of articles highlighting those missions. Within these years, the special editions are arranged alphabetically immediately following the general edition. No issues were published in 1961 and publication ceased at the end of 1962.

Initially, most illustrations were line drawings by professional artists or photographs by professional photographers. But soon, missionaries with consumer-grade cameras armed produced the bulk of the photography, which accompanied the articles they contributed. By the 1920s, a number of illustrations featured subjects attired in native dress, either in their homes or at Indian-theme pageants and celebrations, which gained in popularity as rural tourism developed in the Midwest and West.

Be aware that the proper names (and spelling) found in the articles are historical names that may vary markedly from contemporary names and Library of Congress subject headings. This includes the names of Catholic missions and schools, religious institutes (orders, etc.), native ethnic groups (American Indian tribes, Eskimo communities, and other related groups), and reservations and localities. Several names have changed or varied more than once as well as similar or identical names may represent more than one group or place. To clarify identities, we advise researchers to consult the Help Pages for Native America Digital Collections, which includes Master Lists of Authors of The Indian Sentinel, Master Lists of Catholic and Native Groups, and a link to the Master Index to the Marquette Native Catholic Guides, which provides comparisons between contemporary and historic names of related Catholic institutions.

Most manuscripts, photographic prints, drawings, and other artwork submitted for publication in The Indian Sentinel and Die Indianer-Wache are interfiled in other Bureau series as follows: manuscripts -- Series 1-1, photographic prints -- Series 9-1 and Series 9-3, drawings and other artwork -- Series 12. See the respective notes above and below for more information.

The Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Newsletter, 1977-[ongoing], features short news articles and photographs on current events of general interest to Native American Catholics and others involved in ministry to them. Also included are essays on social justice issues by Reverend Ted Zeurn, S.J., 1979-2006. (The records of Holy Rosary Mission/Red Cloud Indian School, St. Francis Mission, and St. Isaac Jogues Church, include additional writings by and about Father Zeurn.) Its frequency varied from seven to 10/year. The Index to Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Newsletter is available online through 1991. The photographs published in the newsletter have not been transferred to Marquette University.

Series 4-2: Reports: The annual reports reviewed notable mission-related issues and congressional actions and included recommendations and proposals, statistics on missions and schools, financial statements, and copies of notable letters to and from the Bureau. The reports were prepared by the director for the incorporators of the Bureau (the Archbishops of Baltimore, New York, and Philadelphia). The arrangement is chronological.

Series 4-3: General Publications: These publications by the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions include the Annals of the Catholic Indian Missions of America and several published letters and reports pertaining to church-state relationships with respect to Indian Affairs. Included are the reports authored by Monsignor William H. Ketcham as a member of the U.S. Board of Indian Commissioners, 1912-1921, other miscellaneous reports, petitions, circulars, appeals, speeches, and the BCIM by-laws all arranged chronologically followed by undated items. Notable issues include appointment of a national Catholic Commissioner for Indian missions, establishment of the Bureau, reactions to President Grant's Peace Policy, organization of financial support for missions, contract schools, religious garb, rations, and tribal funds. This published correspondence is not included in the Series 1-1 Correspondence Index.

The lecture scripts and guides to glass lantern slides were developed for public presentations and include numerous anecdotes and incidents from missionaries. Also included is the drama, Coaina, which was performed in several mission schools, and a comprehensive file of U.S. treaty stipulations on Indian education. The Lecture A and B guides refer to images made from photographs in Series 9-1. The Historical Note above contains a list of known lecturers for the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions.

Other Government-related records about Native Americans are included in Series 2-1 (Indian student attendance records from Catholic schools that received tuition reimbursement from tribal trust funds), Series 2-3 (reports by Catholic chaplains at government Indian schools), Series 16-1 (U.S. Interior Department Documents), Series 16-2 (U.S. Congressional Documents), and Series 16-3 (U.S. and State Court Documents and U.S. documents by other federal departments and agencies). Series 16-2-2 and 16-2-3 contains U.S. Senate and House testimony by Bureau personnel.

Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, Series 8, Native American Language Records: The records include Catechisms, Christian worship texts and choir recordings, healthcare writings, and language learning aids collected by the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions with additions by Marquette University. Most are rare books and recordings, but a few manuscript items are also included. Marquette University has not microfilmed this series.

Series 8-1: Native American Language Texts: This series is comprised of print-based texts only.

Series 8-2: Native American Language Recordings: This series is comprised of sound and video recordings in various formats, some of which also include texts.

Collectively, the two sub-series include materials in over 30 native languages as noted below. Both sub-series are arranged alphabetically by language and there under by title. Items using more than one language are arranged according to the first language used and undated items appear at the end of that language. In Sub-Series 8-1, materials added after 1985 appear at the end of the series according to the established pattern. Cross-referencing notes are included to facilitate navigation among all languages represented within the two sub-series. An asterisk (*) below indicates items pertaining to that ethnic group, which do not use the corresponding language, e.g. English, instrumental.

Algonquin: 8-1	Kootenai: 8-1
Arapaho: 8-1	Maricopa: 8-2*
Atsina (Gros Ventre): 8-1	Mohawk: 8-1, 8-2
California: 8-1, 8-2	Navajo (Diné): 8-1, 8-2
Cherokee: 8-2*	Nez Perce (Numipu): 8-1
Cheyenne: 8-1	Ojibwa (Chippewa): 8-1, 8-2
Chinnock: 8-1	Oneida: 8-2
Choctaw: 8-1	Onondaga: 8-1
Coeur d'Alene (Skitswish): 8-1	Osage: 8-1
Comanche: 8-2	Ottawa: 8-1
Creek (Muskogee): 8-1	Pima (Akimel O'Odham): 8-1
Crow (Absaroki): 8-1	Siksika (Blackfeet): 8-1
Cupeño: 8-1, 8-2*	Salish (Flathead): 8-1, 8-2
Dakota (Dakota + Lakota [Teton] = Sioux + Assiniboine): 8-1, 8-2	Siksika (Blackfeet): 8-1
Delaware: 8-1	Snohomish (Tulalip): 8-1
Eskimo (Inuit + Yupik): 8-1	Spokane (Flathead): 8-1, 8-2
Hopi	Tewa: 8-2
Iroquoian: 8-1	Winnebago (Ho-Chunk): 8-1
Kalispel (Flathead): 8-1	Yakama: 8-1
Kiowa: 8-2	Unidentified: 8-1

Texts using native languages are also included in Series 1-1 (Christian prayers in various languages, 1931-1932), 14-1 (newspapers in Dakota and Ojibwa), and 16-1-4 (readers for Indian children in Dakota and Navajo). This series has not been microfilmed.

Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, Series 9, Photography: Black & white and color photography about Native Americans and/or Catholic evangelization of Native Americans, primarily in the United States, that were created by and collected by the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions. The images include both Catholic-specific and general Native American events. A few items were added by Marquette University, such as black & white prints by W. Ben Hunt (Wisconsin, General). The online Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Digital Image Collection contains selected images from the prints in Series 9-1 and 9-5. Prints and scans of images online may be ordered online whereas copies of all other images may be requested with assistance from the Archives staff. To facilitate the selection of images not online, staff will compile "customized catalogs" of low-resolution scans if specific guidelines can be provided. The guidelines must include a specific place, time frame, and broad subject category, e.g. churches and church activities, traditional native dress and traditional native activities. Other series within the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records and other Marquette University collections contain documentation relating to this series.

For each folder, the dates noted are limited to the first and last known years when images were created with intervening years, if any, not included. These are followed by “n.d.” for “no dates” to indicate undated images. In addition, staff may determine and note approximate dates in parentheses as follows:

· “n.d. (Received Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions)” = No creation years known; the years given identify when the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions received the images, which typically was less than five years after they were taken.

· “n.d. (Used The Indian Sentinel)” or “n.d. (Used Other Title)” = No creation years known; the years given identify when The Indian Sentinel or Other Title first published the images, which typically was less than 10 years after they were taken.

· "n.d." (ca. year-year) = No creation years known; the years given identify the approximate years derived from clues within the images and related text.

The institutions listed are mostly local churches and schools and were the sources of the photography. Most photographs within these folders document local events of the institutions and nearby communities. However, many nearby communities also have separate institutions and corresponding folders as do those distant places that have been identified. Events located far from the institutions that sent the photographs, including those taken out-of-state and outside of the United States, are arranged by the place where the photographs were taken rather than by the institution that provided the prints.

Occasionally, correspondence pertaining to the provenance of photographs is included in the Series 1-1 General Correspondence.

The images are divided first by format into sub-series for black & white and color prints and negatives. Throughout the prints are arranged by their origins or relationships, e.g. specific Catholic Church institution, whereas the negatives are arranged numerically.

A list of photographers is will be available soon.

Series 9-1, Black & White Prints: Between ca. 1910 to ca. 1970, missionaries with consumer-grade cameras documented native community life and Catholic evangelization among them, many of which were submitted as potential illustrations for The Indian Sentinel. Before then, most photographs, and a few to ca. 1930, were created by professional photographers and submitted as lobbying aids in Congress to secure funding for Catholic mission schools. After 1920, a number of prints pertain to Indian involvement in western movies, rodeos, and Indian-theme pageants and celebrations. The quality, quantity, and diversity of the images expands after 1930 in response to improvements in photographic technology but declines markedly after 1960, when the solicitation of photographs ceased.

The online Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Digital Collection contains selected images from this sub-series, which originated from throughout the United States. Archivists have purposely selected images depicting a variety of American Indian and Eskimo communities and geographic locations. Catalogers also attempted to include all relevant locations and native ethnic affiliations (American Indian tribes, Eskimo communities, and other related groups) in cases where the boundaries of a reservation span more than one state, or is the homeland to more than one ethnic group. Archivists have consulted The Official Catholic Directory and other reference sources to identify related Catholic religious institutes (orders, etc.). To clarify identities, we advise researchers to consult the Help Pages for Native America Digital Collections, which includes Master Lists of Authors of The Indian Sentinel, Master Lists of Catholic and Native Groups, and a link to the Master Index to the Marquette Native Catholic Guides, which provides comparisons between contemporary and historic names of related Catholic institutions. We would appreciate hearing from visitors who have more information about any of these images.

The documentary materials in this digital collection may reveal attitudes about Native Americans considered inappropriate today. In digitizing images, Marquette University is not endorsing any viewpoints; it is simply providing access to a representation of the historical record. To protect personal privacy, archivists have not digitized images of children or celebrations of Catholic sacraments dated after 1935. In addition, archivists have omitted images of indigenous religious ceremonies and related objects deemed inappropriate for public viewing.

The original prints are arranged into four consecutive sequences:

Boxes 1-58A: A double alphabetical sequence of U.S. states, Alaska to Wyoming with the District of Columbia, followed there under by communities and their respective Catholic institution (s) of origin. At the ends of most states and the District of Columbia, the headings include one or more folders noted as "General," i.e. relating to more than one Catholic institution or no Catholic institution, "Unidentified," i.e. relating to Catholic institutions that are not unidentified, and "Unknown," i.e. relating to Catholic institution of unknown origins.

Box 59: The “United States,” for images lacking relationships with a specific state and Catholic institution. The entire sequence is comprised of folders noted as "General," i.e. relating to more than one Catholic institution or no Catholic institution, "Unidentified," i.e. relating to Catholic institutions that are not unidentified, and "Unknown," i.e. relating to Catholic institutions of unknown origins.

Box 60: An alphabetical sequence of other countries, Canada to Sweden, followed there under by communities and their respective Catholic institution of origin for images from outside the United States. At the ends, some headings include one or more folders noted as "General," i.e. relating to more than one Catholic institution or no Catholic institution, "Unidentified," i.e. relating to Catholic institution that are not unidentified, and "Unknown," i.e. relating to Catholic institutions of unknown origins.

Oversize Boxes 1-2: An alphabetical sequence of oversize U.S. prints by states, the District of Columbia, and the United States. At the end or throughout, some headings includes one or more folders noted as "General," i.e. relating to more than one Catholic institution or no Catholic institution, "Unidentified," i.e. relating to Catholic institutions that are not unidentified, and "Unknown," i.e. relating to Catholic institutions of unknown origins.

Series 9-3, Color Prints: The color prints include prints submitted after 1960 and a few early colorized photographs, ca. 1900s.

Series 9-5, Color Slides: The online Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Digital Image Collection contains selected images from this sub-series, most notably from Alaska. For more information about this digital collection, see above, Series 9-1 Black & White Prints.

Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, Series 10, Artifacts: The objects are arranged first by native ethnic group and there under by place. Descriptions for each follow, which include name, format, provenance, and date. All items were acquired by Marquette within various collections or directly from donors. This series has not been microfilmed.

Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, Series 11, Architectural Drawings: Architectural drawings for Catholic churches and schools in the United States collected by the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions. Several are manuscript drawings, which include the architect's name, if known. The arrangement is first alphabetical by state or territory of the intended site of the proposed building, followed by general and unidentified items. There under folder-level descriptions are provided with title, author, if given, number of drawings, dimensions, and date. This series has not been microfilmed.

Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, Series 12, Art Work: his series contains The Indian Sentinel covers and general art, such as drawings, prints, and posters. The covers are preliminary renderings created prior to publication of The Indian Sentinel. Some of the drawings and prints, such as those by James Edward Kelly, were used to illustrate that publication. The posters pertain to Native American evangelization and most were collected by Marquette University. Both the covers and general art are arranged chronologically with the general art first divided by format. This series has not been microfilmed.

Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, Series 13, Maps: Manuscript and published maps pertaining to native peoples in the United States that were collected by the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions. A few are specific to Catholic evangelization among Native Americans, either manuscript maps or published maps with handwritten notations. Most maps are United States government maps that pertain to Native Americans, some of which originally had been appended to published government documents and were removed for preservation. The series is divided by size into two oversize categories: Ledger-size and smaller items measuring 15 x 19 inches or less; and larger than ledger size for items measuring greater than 15 x 19 inches. Each category then is arranged alphabetically by state or territory, followed by United States national and regional items. There under item-level descriptions are provided with title, dimensions, and date of publication.

1874-1883	General Charles Ewing (1835-1883)
1883-1884	Captain John Mullen (1830-1909)

	Introduction to Biographies
1874-1884	Reverend John Baptist A. Brouillet (1813-1884)
1885-1901	Reverend Joseph A. Stephan (1822-1901)
1901-1921	Monsignor William H. Ketcham (1868-1921)
1921-1935	MonsignorWilliam M. Hughes (1880-1939)
1935-1976	Reverend John B. Tennelly, S.S. (1890-1981)
1976-2007	Monsignor Paul A. Lenz (1925-)*
2007-present	Reverend Wayne C. Paysse

1905-1913	Reverend Charles Warren Currier (1857-1918)
1921	Reverend William Quinn
1982?-1988?, 1996?-2004?	Reverend Ted Zeurn, S.J. (1921-2007)

1884-1896	Bishop Martin Marty (1834-1896)
1896-1921	Cardinal James Gibbons (1834-1921)
1921-1951	Cardinal Denis J. Dougherty (1865-1951)
1951-1967	Cardinal Francis J. Spellman (1889-1967)
1967-1988	Cardinal John J. Kroll (1910-1996)
1988-1989	Archbishop William D. Borders (1913-)
1989-2000	Cardinal John J. O'Conner (1920-2000)
2000-2003	Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua (1923-)
2003-present	Cardinal William H. Keeler (1931-)

1910s	Black Elk (Oglala)
1920s	Reverend Albert Neghanquet (Potawatomi)
1920s	Reverend Philip B. Gordon (Ojibwa)

1901-1920s?	Reverend Henry G. Ganss
1910-1916	Monsignor William M. Hughes (1880-1939)
1921-1925	Reverend William Huffer
1922-1926	Reverend John Woods
1924-1925	Reverend William Flynn

Before 1920-1925	Reverend Edward R. Dyer, S.S. (1854-1925)
1926-1935	Reverend John B. Tennelly, S.S. (1890-1981)