Verne Ray 1905-2003 was a University of Washington anthropology professor who helped dozens of Northwest tribes with their tribal land-claim settlements. When Congress passed the Indian Claims Commission Act in 1946, Ray's professional papers and books became models of research for the Indian land claim cases. Through the early 1970s he represented 44 tribes in 43 cases. By establishing the history and land of the tribes, Ray won them millions of dollars for the United States government's wrongful taking of their lands.
Verne Ray's papers capture his work as an anthropologist and as a legal consultant in the numerous Indian land claims.