virtuissimo asked:

I'm writing a native character that lives on the california coast & i've chosen the pomo tribe, but it's really hard to find resources that don't refer to all native americans in "past tense" as if theyre not around anymore. Tips for finding sources?

Modern-Day Resources on the Pomo Tribe

Where are you looking, exactly? 

If you want modern-day resources for the Pomo or another Tribe, then it’s pretty effective to look for their tribal government’s websites, which can typically feature newsletters to get you started.  The Pomo have several different groups today, and you can start with http://www.pinolevillepomonation.org/.

Then there’s going to the very extensive Indian Country Today Media Network and literally just searching “Pomo” to see all the references to and by them.

- Rodriguez

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: tribe documents and university publications are your best bet. You want to look for people who lived with the tribe for an extended period of time and a heavy amount of the text given to their own experiences. If you’re using tribe sources, this is easily achieved. If you’re using university sources, look for as little insertion of the author as possible. 

Researching Native American Cultures has more. 

~Mod Lesya