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American Indians

On the recommendation of the National Archives Internal Task Force on Racism to “focus digitization efforts on records related to underrepresented communities,” the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum is pleased to announce that it has digitized and made available on the National Archives Catalog 111,672 pages of Clinton Presidential Records concerning American Indians.

President Clinton at Pine Ridge, South Dakota

Land Acknowledgement

The site of the William J. Clinton Library & Museum is on land previously claimed by the Quapaw. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Quapaw had a trading relationship with the French. After the Louisiana Purchase, the relationship with white settlers shifted, particularly once the Arkansas territorial capital moved to Little Rock. The treaties of 1818 and 1824 ultimately caused the cession of Quapaw lands in Arkansas. Most Quapaw now reside in Oklahoma, with the tribal headquarters in Quapaw, Oklahoma. 

American Indian Collections

During his two terms in office President Clinton made efforts to improve the quality of life for American Indians. He became the first Chief Executive since James Monroe to meet with tribal leaders at the White House. President Clinton signed Executive Orders that protected American Indian and Alaska Native religious practices and increased educational opportunities for children. During his administration, measures were passed providing for economic development on reservations.

Memorandum concerning AMerican Indian Religious ceremonies

Clinton Presidential Records that have been released and digitized contain material from the entire “IN” (Indian Affairs) White House Office of Records Management Subject File. Correspondence can be found concerning Indian gaming and attempting to secure Federal recognition for tribes across the United States. There are packets of material with memos addressed to the President regarding the issuance of executive orders for the protection of sacred lands, the use of eagle feathers and peyote in Indian religious ceremonies, and promoting opportunities for Federal assistance at tribal colleges and universities.

Standing out among the collections related to American Indian and Alaska Natives, are records and emails of the Deputy Assistant for the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Lynn Cutler. In his autobiography, My Life, President Clinton credits Lynn Cutler for her efforts to increase educational, health care, and economic opportunities for American Indians. Her files contain reports dealing with the annual conferences of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).

Throughout all collections related to American Indians are letters requesting clemency for Leonard Peltier. Leonard Peltier was a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) who was convicted of the 1975 murder of two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Peltier’s memoir was published in 1999, in which he admitted to participating in the armed shootout with FBI agents but denied killing anyone. The publication of the memoir led to renewed public outcry requesting a presidential pardon for his role in the murders. 

White House Events

On April 29, 1994, President Clinton invited American Indian and Alaskan tribal leaders of all federally recognized tribes to the White House for a ceremony held on the South Lawn. This historic event marked the first time that tribal leaders were hosted at the White House since 1822, during James Monroe’s administration. At the ceremony, President Clinton pledged to respect American Indian rights of self-determination, tribal sovereignty, and religious freedom. On that day President Clinton issued the Memorandum on Government-to-Government relations with American Indian tribal governments for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies. This memorandum directed agencies to consult with tribes prior to taking actions that affect federally recognized tribal governments.

Tribal leaders were invited to the White House again on August 1,1998, when President Clinton announced a comprehensive effort to increase educational, health care, and economic opportunities for American Indians. Days after the meeting, the President signed Executive Order 13096 to improve the quality of American Indian education.

Wood Carving of a fish

Religious Freedom

In 1994, President Clinton signed into law H.R. 4230, a bill passed by Congress to amend the American Indian Religious Freedom Act. The amendment recognized peyote as a sacrament used in traditional Native American religious ceremonies. The American Indian Religious Freedom Act was originally passed in 1978 and protected the rights of American Indians to “believe, express, and exercise the traditional religions of the American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut, and Native Hawaiians, including but not limited to access to sites, use and possession of sacred objects, and the freedom to worship through ceremonials and traditional rites. 

On May 24, 1996, President Clinton signed Executive Order 13007 to promote access to American Indian sacred sites located on federally owned land for the purpose of religious practices. The Executive Order also provided additional protection for the physical integrity of sacred sites located on federally owned land. President Clinton said that "all Americans have a stake in seeing that the religious freedom of their fellow citizens is preserved and protected." 

Education

In his 1997 State of the Union address, President Clinton announced a 10-point “Call to Action for American Education in the 21st Century”. In his call to action President Clinton emphasized the need to modernize school buildings and to connect every classroom and school library to the internet. The Clinton Administration FY01 budget included $300 million for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to use for new school construction and repair.

President Clinton signed Executive Order 13096 to improve the academic performance of American Indian and Alaskan Native children in grades K-12 on August 6, 1998. The Executive Order focused special attention on improving student achievement in reading and mathematics and increasing high school completion rates.

President Clinton’s administration acknowledged the impact that new technologies such as the internet would have on American Indian reservations, where many residents lived miles away from the closest public library. In May of 1998, the Bureau of Indian Affairs provided access to the internet to BIA schools using the Department of Interiors network. On February 2, 2000, President Clinton announced his proposal to “Bridge the Digital Divide” and to create new opportunities for all Americans. Increasing access to computers and the internet in schools, libraries, communities, and homes was essential in preparing the young and old for employment opportunities in the 21st century. In April 2000 at a Boys and Girls Club on the Navajo Nation President Clinton stated “imagine if all your children had access to the same world of knowledge at the same instance as children in the wealthiest communities in America… imagine if they could commute to high-tech, high-paying jobs in the large cities just by getting on a computer…”

On October 19, 1996, President Clinton signed Executive Order 13021 concerning Tribal Colleges and Universities. This executive order recognized the federal government’s commitment to tribal colleges, improved the quality of higher education received by tribal members, and promoted tribal sovereignty.  The executive order ensured that tribal colleges and universities were fully recognized as accredited institutions and were afforded the same access as other accredited institutions. The executive order also promoted the preservation and revitalization of American Indian and Alaskan Native languages and cultures.

Economy

Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS

In August 1998, the White House hosted an interagency conference on economic development in Indian Country. The conference title was “Building Economic Self Determination in Indian Communities.” The conference sought to address the 31% of American Indians and Alaskan Natives that lived below the poverty line and the 50% unemployment rates on Indian reservations. The conference also sought to improve working relationships between tribal governments and private industry.
View Clinton-Gore accomplishments concerning expanding economic oppurtunity for Native Americans from archived Clinton website

On July 7, 1999, President Clinton became the first sitting President to visit a reservation since Franklin D. Roosevelt. President Clinton visited the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota as part of his New Markets Tour to encourage private investment in Indian Country.
View Clinton Administration New Markets Fact Sheet from archived Clinton website

 

Digitized Collections

2006-0197-F Segment 1: This collection consists of records concerning Native American policy during the Clinton Administration. Segment 1 contains records from White House staff and office files and the National Security Council. The files contain handwritten notes, memos, articles, correspondence, and printed materials.
View all digitized documents from this collection on the National Archives Catalog

2006-0197-F Segment 2: This collection consists of records concerning Native American policy during the Clinton Administration. Segment 2 contains email from the Automated Records Management System (ARMS) Email. ARMS Email for this FOIA collection contains the phrases “Bureau of Indian Affairs” or “Federal Indian Policy” in the “Subject” line. The records include email created and received by Mickey Ibarra and Lynn Cutler with specific reference to Indians/Native Americans. The collection includes almost every topic of domestic policy as it relates to Native American people, including crime, teen suicide, gaming, the Census, housing, education, welfare reform, and health care. The collection also consists of records concerning the President’s Initiative on Race and the New Markets Tour. Also included are policy discussions concerning topics specific to Native American interests such as reservation boundaries, reservation tourism, tribal colleges, and sacred sites (the Kennewick Man).
View all digitized documents from this collection on the National Archives Catalog

2006-0197-F Segment 3: This collection consists of records concerning Native American policy during the Clinton Administration. Segment 3 contains records primarily from the IN (Indian Affairs) Subject File. This collection also includes White House Staff and Office Files. Records from this collection represent many topics of domestic policy as it relates to Native American people, including clemency for Leonard Peltier, Indian gaming, and tribal recognition. The files contain handwritten notes, memos, articles, correspondence, and printed materials.
View all digitized documents from this collection on the National Archives Catalog