Loci sigilli and American Indian treaties: Reflections on the creation of volume 2 of Kappler's Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties

The presence—or absence—of locus sigilli “[L.S.]” or “[SEAL]” indicators, to validate the signatures in those texts of American Indian treaties collated by Charles J. Kappler in his Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, is examined. The results of this inquiry suggest that Kappler spent far more time examining the original treaty documents than Deloria and DeMallie proposed in their Documents of American Indian Diplomacy: Treaties, Agreements, and Conventions, 1775–1979.