Indigenous Heritage

Research the Native peoples of the United States: traditional territories, language families, historical presence by state, and current federal recognition status. Every record is drawn from documented historical sources.

644

peoples documented

364

federally recognized

12+

language families

20+

states represented

Peoples by state

States with the most documented Native presence (based on historical records). A people may appear in multiple states.

Texas

Oklahoma

Arizona

New Mexico

Oregon

Virginia

Washington

California

Massachusetts

Iowa

Montana

Nebraska

Maryland

Alaska

Kansas

Tennessee

New Jersey

Arkansas

New York

Ohio

Language families

Major language families represented in the database.

Algonquian121

Siouan38

Iroquoian25

Muskogean20

Uto-Aztecan18

Caddoan15

Athabaskan14

Eastern Algonquian14

Salishan13

Coast Salish13

Arawakan10

Southern Athabaskan9

All peoples A-Z

Abenaki

Absentee Shawnee

RECOGNIZED

Absentee Shawnee Tribe

RECOGNIZED

Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma

Alabama-Coushatta Tribes of Texas

RECOGNIZED

Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town

RECOGNIZED

Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town

Apache Tribe of Oklahoma

Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians

Caddo Nation of Oklahoma

Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes

RECOGNIZED

Chickahominy Indian Tribe

RECOGNIZED

Chickahominy Indian Tribe–Eastern Division

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Citizen Potawatomi Nation

RECOGNIZED

Citizen Potawatomi Nation

Colville Indian Reservation

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes

RECOGNIZED

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes

RECOGNIZED

Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde

RECOGNIZED

Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

RECOGNIZED

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

RECOGNIZED

Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs

RECOGNIZED

Coosa chiefdom

Coquille Indian Tribe

RECOGNIZED

Coushatta

RECOGNIZED

Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians

Showing 120 of 644 peoples. Use the language family or state filters above to narrow results, or browse individual entries directly.

About this collection

How many Native peoples are documented in the United States?

This database documents 644 distinct Native peoples with recorded historical presence in the United States. The federal government currently recognizes 574 tribal nations. Many additional peoples have documented historical presence but do not hold or have not sought federal recognition.

What is federal recognition of a tribal nation?

Federal recognition is a legal designation by the United States government that acknowledges a government-to-government relationship with a tribal nation. Recognized tribes have certain rights to self-governance, land trust protections, and access to federal programs.

What is traditional territory?

Traditional territory refers to the lands a people inhabited, used, or claimed before colonization and treaty-making reorganized land ownership. Traditional territories often extend across multiple modern state lines and may overlap with the territories of neighboring peoples.

Research Indigenous history near your location

Every Aubrey US report includes Indigenous peoples with documented historical presence within your chosen radius, drawn from primary source records.

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Everything a full the United States report reveals

Pick any location and Aubrey pulls together 18 strands of its history, each drawn from the record:

Overview

An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.

The Land

The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.

Geology

The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.

LiDAR Terrain

Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.

Conflict & War

The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.

The Civil War

The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.

The Soldiers

The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.

Native Heritage

The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.

Settlement

Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.

The Community

How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.

Rivers & Rail

The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.

Notable People

The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.

Historical Maps

Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.

Finds & Access

Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.

Literature

The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.

Spotlight

A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.

Points of Interest

The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.

Timeline

The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.

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