With the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Ghent coming up on Christmas Eve, we thought it would be a good time to announce that the Law Library has recently acquired a manuscript copy of Article 9 of the Treaty of Ghent in the hand of Henry Clay. The treaty, which was signed […]

Chocolate or xocolatl originated in present day Mexico and was introduced to the Spanish in the 16th century. Try this recipe for making a chocolate drink from cocao pods as you reflect on the origins of chocolate and its spread across the Americas, Europe, West Africa and elsewhere.

In celebration of National Native American Heritage Month, this bibliographic essay on Mesoamerican ethnology by Duncan Earle for the Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS) explores contemporary Indigenous life and cultures of the Americas.

The Law Library collects and preserves legal materials for American law, foreign law, and sovereign Indigenous nations. Many governments, including Indigenous national, tribal and community governments, are transitioning from print to solely digital formats for publishing their laws. The Law Library is working to collect and preserve these materials. To further these collection and preservation […]

Not only is November Native American Heritage Month, but it is also the month when we honor our veterans. The intersection may be accidental, but it is apt. Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians volunteer to serve in the United States Armed Forces at a higher ratio than any other ethnic group, and their communities […]

In recognition of National Native American Heritage Month, this bibliographic essay on Mesoamerican ethnohistory by Bradley Benton and Peter Villella for the Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS) explores Indigenous life and cultures, particularly Aztec and Maya, before, during, and after the Spanish conquest.

The following is a guest blog post by liaison specialist Owen Rogers about the November 11, 2020 completion and programing surrounding the National Native American Veterans Memorial.  American Indians and Alaska Natives comprise less than 1% of the United States population. They boast a higher percentage of veterans than any other ethnicity and a tradition of […]

Folklorist Tom Burns, working as a fieldworker in the Rhode Island Folklife Project in 1979, sought out the Narragansett people, crossing the border into Connecticut to find tribal leaders with whom to talk. At that time the Narragansetts were somewhat spread out, as they had no lands. What they did have was a strong desire […]

This post was co-authored by Jennifer Davis and Shannon Herlihy, Law Library Creative Intern. Saturday, October 3, was the birthday of Principal Chief John Ross (ᎫᏫᏍᎫᏫ) a member of the Cherokee Nation, of Cherokee and Scottish descent, who through his tribal leadership guided the Cherokee people through multiple legal challenges. Ross was educated at mission […]

Welcome to the final installment of suffrage stories from the Serial Set! Today, we will be looking at the history of Native American citizenship and how voting rights came into play. Despite the ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870, Native Americans were not guaranteed citizenship, nor voting rights, under the United States government. Reports from the […]