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FNST 301 Issues in Applied First Nations Studies Research

If you need help, please contact Moninder Bubber, Liaison Librarian at 778.782.4264 or bubber@sfu.ca or Ask a librarian.

Professor: Rudy Reimer/Yumks
Course Outline: FNST 301 Issues in Applied First Nations Studies Research (Jan - Apr 2012)

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Books

  • How to find books guide
  • Overall Strategy:
    • Define topic.
    • You may want to start with encyclopedia articles to obtain an overview of your topic, find out about important authors or sources, and then move on to find books.
    • Use existing or known sources to get into the body of literature.
    • Do brainstorming to identify possible keywords.
    • Check the Library Catalogue to see if the Library owns it (book title or journal title), and if not,
    • Fill out the Inter Library Loan (Document Delivery) form to borrow it from another Library, if not at SFU.
    • Go from "keywords" searching to "subject" searching
    • Truncation:
      • allows you to retrieve material with various endings of a "root" word:
      • most databases use asterisk (*). A few use other symbols such as "!", "?", "$"
    • Email results. This helps to keep track of your bibliography.
    • Send citations to RefWorks

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Journal articles

Overall Strategy:

Use the same strategy as for books for defining your topic and identifying key authors and sources and capturing results.  Go from the from Journal Articles and Databases link on Library's home page to:

  • First Nations Studies -- list of databases using the pulldown menu
    • Google Scholar -- if you do use Google, use Google Scholar instead, using the link at the bottom of the page or look for it under "G" in the alphabetical list of databases. Then it will link to the fulltext of electronic books and articles for all those things that the Library has already paid for.

 

First Nations and General Databases

  • Bibliography of Native North Americans (BNNA) - from 17th century to present.  Includes citations to books, articles, and govenment report about Native North American culture, history, and life, archaeology, multicultural relations, gaming, governance, legend, and literacy.
  • Native Health Databases - bibliographic information and abstracts of health-related articles, reports, surveys, and other resource documents pertaining to the health and health care of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Canadian First Nations.

Canadian Databases

Journal Articles

Newspapers
 

  • Canadian Newsstand - fulltext of major Canadian daily newspapers from about mid-80s.
     
  • British Columbia Newspaper Index
    Indexes the Province, the Vancouver Sun,  and The Victoria Times Colonist (1990- ).
     
  • Newspaper index [microform]
    Created by the B.C. Provincial Library, indexes the Vancouver Province, Vancouver Sun, Victoria Daily Colonist (1900-1990) (PN 02 12 Microforms Classified ).<---- 6th floor in microfilm area, by call no.

  • AMMSA Archives - from Aboriginal Multi Media Society of Alberta -- fulltext of First Nations newspapers some going back to 1983. Click on the URL.
    From the Home page, click on to the individual newspaper, or use the search box, and limit it to News, from the pull down menu.
  • Globe & Mail Canada's Heritage from 1844
    Searchable full-text of the Globe and Mail from 1844 to 2001. Includes major events in Canadian history, plus thousands of images, advertisements, and political cartoons dating back to the pre-confederation era.
    Covers major news in Canada and around the world during this period, including every image, advertisement, classified ad, birth and death notice. E.g.
    • Indian* or native
    • Tip: choose "boolean search" in the bottom pull down menu if you use "or" or "and" to combine terms.

Theses

  • Theses Canada
    Central access point for Canadian theses (Masters and PhD), including free full text of theses since 1998.

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Government Reports

  • Canadian Research Index - Canadian Government reports. SFU Library has the microfiche collection associated with the "Microlog number", besides each record. (6th floor). Once you identify a report here, you may also wish to go to the government department's website and see if the report is available online. E.g.
    • The Magic leaves : a history of Haida argillite carving
      by Peter L. Macnair and Alan L. Hoover. (British Columbia Provincial Museum special publication ; no. 7 ISSN 0707-1728) Victoria: Ministry of Provincial Secretary and Government Services, 1984. 211 p.
      Microlog 85-01368
       map 6th floor microfilms:
  • For earlier period, try print equivalent: Microlog Index (JL 75 Z955; 1979-1995; Bennett Reference Indexes)

  • Early Canadiana Online - (see Primary Documents section for more details) -- Full text, online collection of more than 3,000 books and pamphlets documenting Canadian history from the first European contact to the late 19th century.

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Primary Documents

  • Human Relations Area Files (eHRAF) - Covers the cultures of the world. Full-text data on world archaeological traditions. There is a microfiche collection which has been partially converted and updated into the electronic. Check both to see if your group is covered. The database uses a classification scheme to organize topics, which works better than keywords in the databases.
  • Early Canadiana Online
    Full text, online collection of more than 3,000 books and pamphlets documenting Canadian history from the first European contact to the late 19th century, including "Journals of the Legislative assembly of the Province of Canada", "Sessional papers" of the Dominion of Canada.  SFU Library has the "CIHM Microfiche" collection that supplements the database.
    • Be sure to also search the Library Catalogue, since not everything that was microfilmed has yet been made available fulltext within the ECO database. 
    • In the Library Catalogue, search: "cihm" AND "your topic". 
      • cihm and haida
      • cihm and stalo
      • cihm and (boarding or residential) and school
    • In ECO database, search for "haida" and "your topic"
      • Search in "Fulltext"
      • When you come across a relevant item, check its "subject headings" and do a search on that. 
      • Try searching "Haida" in "subject heading" (use the pulldown menu)
        • Haida Indians
        • Haida language, etc.
      • Search in "Subject" -
         
    • To email or save items from the ECO database:
      • Click on a title from the results list
      • Download the "pdf" document
      • Save as (pdf) on your desktop
      • Send as "attachment" via your email.
      •  
    •  Browse by Collection
      • collections such as "Native Studies", "Jesuit Relations", "Fur Trade and the Hudson's Bay Company"
    •  
  • Early Encounters in North America (1534 - 1850) 
    -includes works by American Indians, Canadian First Peoples, and many European groups, capturing first impressions, hundreds of years of observations of flora and fauna, descriptions of encounters with indigenous peoples, and new language elements as they evolved. Also resents the perspectives of traders, slaves, missionaries, explorers, soldiers, officials, and others.

Tips:

From the home page, click on to the "Peoples" link. Check the list under "North American" to see if your group is represented. E.g. Clayquot (1 doc), Bella Coola (1 doc), etc.

Even if the above section does not contain your group, do a "keyword" search, and there may be documents. E.g. "Haida"

Look for "Cultural events" or "Environment" or "Encounters", etc. from the Table of Contents.
 

  • North American Indian Thought and Culture /  also known as North American Indian Biographical Database -  full text and audio file.  Organized in a similar manner to "Early Encounters in North America" database.  It contains biographies, oral histories, personal stories, speeches by chiefs, depictions of historically important events, biographies from contemporary Indian newspapers.
     
  • House of Commons Parliamentary Papers (Britain)
    • papers issued by the British House of Commons between 1801-1900 in all formats, including Bills, Reports of Royal Commissions, Reports of Select Committees, Accounts and Papers, and Command Papers. These are the working documents of British government for all areas of social, political, economic and foreign policy.
    • Topics include Canadian confederation, the abolition of slavery, electoral reform, affairs of the British in North America, and more. 
    • Browse 19th Century Subject Catalogue,
      • Select "Dominions and Colonies" and then "Canada, Newfoundland, and Bermuda" and then:
        • "Churches", "Constitution & Government", "Emigration to Canada", "Indian Affairs
      • Select "Colonial Administration" and then "Aboriginal Tribes"

    • Search by keywords: (canad* or british north america) and (aborig* or indian* or native*)
      •  (Hudson's Bay company) and (aborig* or indian* or native*)

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E-journals

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Government information

 

Canada

Sessional Papers / Debates / Journals

NOTE: The "Sessional papers", the "Debates" and the "Journals" of the House of Commons of Canada (Dominion of Canada/ Legislature of Canada) are all part of the Early Canadiana Online database.

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Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
(formerly -- Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)

www.aandc-aadnc.gc.ca

For land claim agreements, community profiles, maps, legislation, and treaty information.

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Aboriginal Canada Portal

A portal to government resources, contacts, information, programs and services.  Includes national aboriginal organizations, business, economic development, claims and treaties, health and social services, justice and policing, research, statistics & maps, and policy.

Libraries Archives Canada (LAC)

Select the "popular resources" from left hand column, and then the "Aboriginal Resources".  Use the search engine on top right to search andy of the following: library, archives or the entire website..

 

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Canadian Museum of Civilization

Canadian Museum of Civilization.  They have reorganized their website. 

 

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Office of the Auditor General (OAG)

For performance of federal departments of the Government of Canada, check out the reports of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada.

 

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Owned by: Moninder Bubber
Revised by: Site Administrator
Last Modified: 2012-01-31