Researching Your Aboriginal Ancestry at Library and Archives Canada

Part I: Researching Your Aboriginal Genealogy at Library and Archives Canada

Record Organization in RG 10

The documents in RG 10 take many forms, including files, letter books, ledgers, registers, lists and more. Detailed descriptions of these documents are available in research tools called finding aids. Finding aids are numbered and are available in many formats; some are electronic and can be found in the Government of Canada Files database on the Library and Archives Canada Web site. Others may simply be handwritten or typed lists, which can be used at Library and Archives Canada, in Ottawa.

The General Inventory is an online database that offers a constantly updated overview of all Library and Archives Canada holdings. This database usually mentions what finding aids are available for each group of holdings and in what format.

Many archival documents have access restrictions. (See "Restricted Information" in Part II of this guide for instructions on how to review access restrictions.) These restrictions may be lifted in accordance with the provisions of the Access to Information and Privacy acts. 

Note: Most files in RG 10 that contain information useful to the genealogist are arranged by band, agency or district. This hierarchy of information, together with the time period of interest, is critical to locating relevant files. Knowing the band of an ancestor is the single most important piece of information the genealogical researcher can have. Knowledge of whether a band signed a treaty, and when, might also help narrow down a search.