 Native American and Yakama Nation Resources
Native American Resources The society library has a large variety of records available to the Native American researcher. These records are covered by our book collection, our microfilm collection and our access to on-line genealogical sites such as Ancestry and Family Search. Our large in-house collection of books and microfilms covers records of a genealogical nature of tribes across the nation, with records of the Cherokee Nation and the Yakama Nation being predominant. Yakama Nation Resources The Yakama Reservation in central Washington state is home to the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. The reservation contains 2,186 square miles and lies in both Yakima and Klickitat Counties. The eastern part of the reservation includes about half of Mt. Adams. The tribal offices are located in Toppenish, Washington and can be reached at the following website: yakamanation.org. As of the year 2000, approximately 31,800 people lived within the tribal boundaries. There are roughly 10,000 enrolled members of the Yakama Nation. To be an enrolled member, an individual must have at least 1/4 Yakama blood and their ancestry must be thoroughly documented. Although the Yakama Nation has a lot of the original records of the tribe, they are not easily available for use by the public. In addition, a lot of the tribal records are held by the Bureau of Indian Affairs at various locations. The YVGS library has access to almost all of the existing Yakima Nation records that are available to the general public. Many of these resources are available on-line through our library membership of Ancestry and Family Search. The microfilm holdings of our library include most of the existing accessible records of the Yakama Nation. These films are available for use in our library facility by any member of the tribe or the general public. Among the records included on these films are: annuity rolls, births (1895-1931), Native American Censuses (1880 to 1951), enrollment cards, heirship records (1912-1948), land allotments (1887-1913) and marriages (1895-1946).
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