The Association on American Indian Affairs Archives document the role of an important twentieth-century Native American advocacy organization. Since its founding in 1922, the Association has promoted the rights of more than 300 Native American tribes throughout the United States. The records of these efforts make the AAIA archives one of the most comprehensive research collections on the struggles of Native Americans in the twentieth century. Correspondence, minutes, reports, articles, clippings, and other printed materials provide a wealth of valuable information for researchers. Materials in this collection cover the years 1922 through 1983; most of them are unique and cannot be found in any other archive.

Over the course of its history, the Association has stood on the forefront of battles for Native American rights, from protection of land and water resources and the right of self-determination to the right to worship freely and to secure equal educational opportunity for their children. The single largest component of the Archives is the tribal files, which consist of important and rare materials on more than 300 tribes, documenting the Association's work on their behalf on local issues. These files are organized by state and then by initiative, organization, issue, or topic relating to an individual tribe or to Native Americans as a whole in that state. Some tribes are formally recognized as residing in two or more states and have been organized accordingly. The largest of these is the Navajo, whose territory encompasses parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.

Part 1: General Files (in four sections)
91 reels

Part 2: Tribal Files (in five sections)
106 reels

197 reels