California Indian Studies & Scholars Association Statement and Call to Action

The California Indian Studies & Scholars Association has issued a statement and call to action “condemn[ing] [the closure of the National Archives at San Francisco], which puts irreplaceable archival materials and Native histories at risk.”

The statement notes that “NARA San Bruno is home to the 1968 California Indian Judgement Fund Roll (CIJF) applications. These rolls are an archive created by and filled with testimonies of California Indian peoples about their connection to place, their traditions and languages, and their memories of family. CIJF documents are critical for people of California Indian descent and are used today in various capacities for tribal enrollment, Indian health services, and educational scholarships. While the applications for the 1933 California Indian Census rolls are available online through the National Archives Catalog, these later applications have not been digitized. NARA San Bruno also holds the Stewart Indian School records and the Greenville Indian School records, including individual student files. Indian census records, Indian Agency records, and various documents related to Native peoples from roughly the last hundred years are also part of NARA San Bruno’s collection. Few of the records are digitized and only available to view in person.”

See the California Indian Studies & Scholars Association’s statement here.