ANT 330: Native American Cultures

When researching topics related to Native American cultures, it is important to consider the perspective you are using, either historical, archaeological, etc., in determining the search terms that you will need to use. You will need to use a mixture of everyday terms as well as scholarly language to help in locating academic sources (from databases) as well as credible popular sources (such as websites, newspapers, and books). 

Scholarly language refers to the specific terms that researchers and experts in the field of study use when discussing a topic. This may be different from the term that many people think of when thinking about that topic. There may also be different ways of referring to persons or groups of people. For example, Anishinaabe is the self-name for the indigenous people commonly referred to as Ojibwe or Chippewa. It is important to know the different ways of referring to a people, places, or process to make the most of your searches. 

Tips for Searching in Databases (EKU Libraries)

• Start with scholarly terms connected to class concepts 
• Use Boolean Operators to refine your searches for your specific topic: 
  • "earth lodge" AND excavation
  • Mandan OR Arikara 
• Use quotation marks to keep phrases together: "relative dating" 
• Try the asterisk (truncation) to capture various endings: inhabit* (searches inhabit, inhabited, inhabitant)
• Try a question mark (wildcard) to capture variations: wom?n (searches woman, women)
• Explore the Subject Terms, Keywords, or Descriptors in databases; these often lead you to more precise scholarly vocabulary.

Tips for Searching the Web

• Use plain language searching to find non-scholarly but credible sources. 
• Use lateral reading strategies to evaluate the website and the author/organization behind the information.
• Look for organizations and associations related to your topic, such as anthropology associations, national park services, and historical archives.