Home - Native Northeast Research Collaborative

Photo: L. W. Thurston, N. E. Annual PowWow of Algonquin Indians (1925), Copyright, Gerry Biron, Historic Iroquois and Wabanaki Beadwork

The Native Northeast Research Collaborative (formerly The Yale Indian Papers Project) is an inclusive digital humanities endeavor that engages tribes, scholars, educators, students, and the general public in the study of the Native presence in the Atlantic Northeast. With tribal partnerships extending throughout New England, New York, and the Mid-West, the Collaborative represents an innovate model of intercultural cooperation that brings research on Northeastern Indians into the 21st Century.

Engaging the Communities

One of the items soon appearing in the Native Northeast Portal is Thomas Commuck’s Indian Melodies. Printed in 1845, the work celebrating Indigenous resilience is possibly the earliest musical publication by a Native American composer.

In 2018, members of the Brothertown Indian Nation, students from Yale University, and the local shape note singing community gathered to sing and share Commuck's music.

Sounding Indian Melodies New Haven from Seth Wenger on Vimeo.

Read more about the Commuck Initiative

What People Are Saying

"One of the most rigorous and reliable digital databases that I have encountered in twenty years of research and teaching. The editors, drawing on an extensive network of advisors and consultants, know the landscape of Native New England well." -- Lisa Brooks, author of Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip's War

"An innovative and personalized approach to document digitization, sharing and storage. True trailblazers, the editors take the time to get to know each indigenous community on a personal level. Easy access to historical documents helping us to preserve our tribal histories. A truly emotional experience connecting us to the stories and experiences of our ancestors." ~ Melissa (Harding) Ferretti - Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe

"My students are eager to delve into original sources and to access Native voices and perspectives in new ways. I routinely incorporate the Collaborative's sources into both lectures and upper-level research seminars." -- Christine DeLucia, Williams College, author of Memory Lands, King Philip's War and the Place of Violence in the Northeast

The Collaborative's work is funded solely through the generosity of its supporters.

We welcome financial contributions from individuals, institutions, or from Tribes/First Nations.

Your gift, regardless of size, is important to the Collaborative in enabling it to meet the matching requirements of many of its grants and to maintain its high standards of quality and productivity. You may contribute by mailing a check (payable to Yale University/The Native Northeast Research Collaborative) to the following address:

The Native Northeast Research Collaborative
Yale Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration
P.O. Box 208351
New Haven, CT 06511-8351

Make sure that your name and mailing address is either on the check or included in a note. Thank you!

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