This paper describes a project that was required for completing the Americans for Indian Opportunity Ambassador Program. The project resulted in development of a course on American Indian family history taught at the Native American Educational Services College (Chicago, Illinois). Part of the course required American Indian students to document their family histories. This project is important because researching family and community history leads to examining how conditions evolved over time and provides both enlightenment and perspective on current life situations. Secondly, very little has been written about American Indian families. Nearly all the research that exists on American Indian families has been written by non-Indians and often is not relevant to Indian community situations. Lastly, researching family and community history is conducive to developing an emotional understanding of American Indian history. Included is a syllabus developed for teaching a course on American Indian Family History. The class lectures and course readings examine the effects of attempting to assimilate American Indians into White society. Additionally, the course emphasizes boarding schools because of the detrimental effects they had on American Indian families and communities. Also included are a list of questions to consider when researching family history, and the author's own family history. (LP)