Research Strategies​

• Brainstorm and write down key words that describe your family history and culture. 

To identify key words, you might think about: 

• Family name(s)
• Close relations' names
• Band
• Nation
• Home community or village
• Former community or village
• Geographic territory or region
• Language(s) spoken or language group
• Specific language dialects
• Local school names
• Local churches
• Anthropologists' names who visited the community
• Significant stories, beings, traditions, activities, and historical events
• Unique characteristics about your family, community, and territory

Searching for specific place names or groups

Spelling variations for specific place names and cultural groups may vary over time for numerous reasons. Common spelling variations, misspellings, and outdated terms for referring to specific cultural groups and places are often found in historical primary sources. To correctly and accurately represent cultural groups and and place names has been in response to recent and continuing efforts. To conduct an effective search, develop "OR" statements that reflect possible spelling variations and names throughout history. 

("Stz'uminus" OR "Shts'um'inus" OR "Chemainus Band" OR Chemanimo OR "Kuleet Bay" OR "Kulleet Bay")

("Kwakwaka'wakw" OR Kwakiutl OR Kwagutl OR Kwagiutl OR Kwaguilth OR Kwagiulth)

(Nisga OR Niska OR Nishga OR "Nisga'a")

("Mi'kmaq" OR "Mi'kmaw" OR "Mi'gmaq" OR Micmac OR "Mi'kma'ki")

Try combining with terms that describe the kind of information or source that may be interesting. For example:

AND (ethnog* OR ethnol* OR ethnoh*)

In addition to community knowledge, research, and reading, maps may be a useful resource.