Identity & racial reclassification | Digital Archive Catalog
This public catalog guide introduces the Same People. Different Labels. collection in the Native Black Ancestry Digital Archive. Full archive browsing and available files are accessed through the member archive.
What this collection contains
Indian on one record. Colored on another. Follow changing labels through laws, publications, and family history.
How to use the evidence
Keep the exact terminology used by a record creator separate from later interpretation. A changing label can be a research lead, but relationships and identities must be examined across records.
Who Is an Indian? Who Is a Negro? Virginia Indians in the World War II Draft
Paul T. Murray examines disputes over the racial classification of Virginia Indians during World War II. This modern research article is presented under its original title.
Catalog citation: Paul T. Murray, The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 95, no. 2 (April 1987), pp. 215–231.
When Is an Indian Not an Indian? — Providence Journal, page 13 (1970)
Pairs Denise Dowdell’s portrait with Princess Red Wing’s account of teaching history and crafts. It describes a Great Swamp memorial ceremony and a dispute over singing a spiritual there, showing disagreement within the community about race, remembrance and public identity. One scanned newspaper page; advertisements alongside the feature are separate content.
Catalog citation: Jacquelyn Campbell, Providence Sunday Journal, February 22, 1970, p. 13. The inherited filename says February 21; the printed newspaper date reads February 22.
Source information and access
Catalog summaries describe the materials and their research context. Consult each member record for its full citation, available scans, and any transcription or curator notes. If a creator, date, or repository is unidentified, treat that information as unresolved rather than inferred.
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