Congressional hearings: Neglected sources of information on American Indians

Over the past three decades, discussion of government documents on American Indians has emphasized federal agency documents and archival records. Despite the fact that Congress has the ultimate authority in Indian affairs, document librarians have not explored the considerable research potential of hearings as a format for information. This article will show, with examples from early twentieth century legislative and oversight hearings, that there is significant untapped research content on American Indians in congressional hearings.