Under the Bureau of Trust Funds Administration, the Office of Trust Records manages a records and information program that upholds the legal obligation of the trust relationship between the Federal government American Indians and Alaska Natives. This office safeguards millions of original, historic documents describing the Federal government’s treaty obligations to Native Americans. We store most of these records at the American Indian Records Repository in Lenexa, Kansas.
Our Services
Records and information management guidance to the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), Bureau of Trust Funds Administration (BTFA), and other Department of the Interior (DOI) bureaus that create Indian trust records.
Policy, guidance, procedures, technical assistance, and training for Department of the Interior organizations that create, manage, or use Indian Fiduciary Trust Records.
Technical assistance to Indian tribes for Public Law 93-638, contracted and compacted programs to develop and implement a Tribal records management program.
Other Responsibilities
Identification of records and information, regardless of format or medium;
Developing and implementing records management-related policies, training and guidelines;
Reviewing new and existing records management-related laws, regulations and policies;
Identifying appropriate record series and records schedules;
Providing Electronic Records Management guidance; and
Coordinating with all appropriate parties to resolve records management-related inquiries.
The American Indian Records Repository
American Indian Records Repository
We store most Indian trust records at the American Indian Records Repository (AIRR) in Lenexa, Kansas. Located nearly 100 feet underground in a network of limestone caves, this facility contains roughly 750 million pieces of paper related to Indian trust, education, and other history from as far back as the 1700s. Our storage environment and procedures comply with standards created by the National Archives and Records Administration. The only Indian records not stored at the AIRR are active records in use at Department offices and those that have become the legal property of the National Archives and Records Administration.
Records Access & Research
The AIRR is closed to the public. Authorized researchers, federal employees involved in historic trust accounting, Tribes, and contractors may be granted secure access to inactive records for research. Individuals wishing to have research conducted on their behalf from records held at the AIRR must request authorization from BTFA, BIA or BIE.
