The collection contains photographs, postcards, illustrations, ephemera, research files, correspondence, and newspapers.

The “Images” series contains photographs, illustrations, and other visual depictions of Indigenous Peoples. The majority of images relate to tribal nations in the Pacific Northwest, particularly to the Nimíipuu (Nez Perce Tribe), the Skokomish Tribe, and the Imatalamthláma, Walúulapam, and Weyíiletpuu Peoples (the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla Peoples, today the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation). Many of the images in this collection are reproductions, prints, or copies of widely published images. Types of images include portraits, staged photographs, candids, postcards, and stereoscopic photographs. Photographs taken by Major Lee Moorhouse and his contemporaries are present in the series.

The “Documents, articles, and research files” series contains two sub-series: “Documents and research files” and “Newspapers.”

The “Documents and research files” sub-series contains materials related to the Treaty of 1855, the so-called Yakima War (1855-1858) and Nez Perce War (1877), biographies of noted individuals, and research files on the Spokane Tribe compiled by author and historian Jerome A. Peltier. This sub-series dates from 1859 to 2005 and includes correspondence and articles.

The “Newspapers” sub-series contains newspapers from reservation communities across the United States, usually published by the agency or mission. The content of the newspapers varies, but most include some details of local life. Several newspapers include examples of Indigenous languages in written form, such as Iapi Oaye: The Word Carrier, The Cherokee Advocate, and The Indian Journal. The materials in this sub-series date from 1860 to 1892.