SCA holds books, newspapers, maps and other materials pertaining to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis (FNIM) peoples in Canada, as well as records related to Indigenous peoples abroad. Included is correspondence regarding a rebellion by the Mohawk Nation in the eighteenth century, the journals of fur traders Colin Rankin and Donald McKay, and five land grants issued by the Department of Indian Affairs bestowing lands formerly promised to the Ojibwe and Odawa of Manitoulin Island.

The department's Indigenous publications collection consists of a growing number of rare books, newspapers, zines, and other print material written by and about Indigenous peoples, with a focus on FNIM peoples. Of note are zines covering contemporary issues like Land Back activism and gender identity, as well as religious texts in languages such as Cree, Iroquois, Montagnais, and Ojibwa.

Additionally, the department holds the research and publications of Waterloo faculty E Palmer Patterson, a historian who wrote about the history of Indigenous communities in Canada with a focus on the West Coast, and Sally Weaver, an anthropologist whose work focused on land rights and sovereignty for Indigenous peoples in Canada and Australia. SCA is also home to a collection of correspondence, reports, publications, and other written records related to FNIM peoples gathered by Andrew Telegdi, a former Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister with special emphasis on Aboriginal Affairs.