Guide to the Human Relations Area Files
at Indiana University
What are the Human Relations Area Files? The Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) is a database of full text ethnographies on nearly
400 different ethnic, cultural, religious, and national groups worldwide. It is used to find
information on a particular culture or cultural trait or for making cross-cultural comparisons. The
Files include thousands of pages of text from books, articles, and unpublished manuscripts as
well as English translations of foreign texts available exclusively in HRAF.
HRAF is available in two formats:
1. a microfiche collection housed in the HRAF office on the 7th floor of the library. Most of the Files are only available in this format.
2. eHRAF, the electronic full text version of the files, available on the web. As of Spring 1998,
approximately fifteen percent of the files are in electronic form, but more are being added steadily.
Go to the eHRAF Collection of Ethnography
The Files are indexed in two ways: first by cultural groups, and second by cultural traits.
1. Cultural Groups (Outline of World Cultures)
The Files are organized first into cultures. Each culture is designated by a four character
alphanumeric code. These codes are taken from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC) which
classifies all known cultural or ethnic groups based on their geographic location. The first letter
of each culture's code refers to the broad geographic region where it is located:
A=Asia
For example, the Masai are designated as FL12, while the Crow and Highland Scots are referred to as NQ10 and ES10 respectively.
2. Cultural Traits (OUTLINE OF CULTURAL MATERIALS)
A unique and powerful feature of HRAF is that it provides detailed subject indexing of every cultural trait described in the texts. The Outline of Cultural Materials (OCM) is the classification system used
for this indexing. The OCM is divided into some eighty broad headings that are further
subdivided into nearly seven hundred topics. The data contained in each paragraph of the ethnographic texts are
indexed with these three-digit OCM codes. Some common OCMs include:
kinship terminology (601), forms of marriage (583), clans (618), and ethnic relations (563).
The simplest way to use eHRAF is to search for keywords under Basic, Proximity, or Boolean Searches. However, for best results, use the HRAF indexing system for cultural groups and cultural traits: the OWC and the OCM.
There are two points of entry into the Human Relations Area Files. You can start your search by
looking for a particular cultural group, or you can look for a particular cultural trait as it appears
in different groups.
1)Finding Cultural Groups
You may want to view first a listing of all cultures included in eHRAF. From the
main page, click on the "Cultures Covered (OWC)" hyperlink; then click on "Browse the entire
list of cultures covered." Notice that many of the cultures listed are described as "incidental."
This means that these cultures are only mentioned briefly within the context of other, more
extensive files.
To see a brief synopsis of any culture in the eHRAF, return to the main menu and click on the
following hyperlinks:
Note: the list of cultures covered and eHRAF guide currently include only the 47 cultures in the
electronic version. For other cultures, consult the HRAF office on the 7th floor.
2) Finding Cultural Traits
You can also browse the subject headings used in eHRAF. From the main menu, click on
the following:
(A) "Outline of Cultural Materials (OCM)"
For more help, click on the "About the Human Relations Area Files" link from the main menu. There
you will find links providing help on search methods for eHRAF.
Go to the EHRAF Collection of Ethnography
The HRAF office is open during the following hours:
Spring 1998
Sunday: 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Monday: 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Tuesday: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Thursday: 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Friday: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
To visit the microfiche files at other times, contact either the HRAF assistant, Doug Schmittou (daschmit), or Moira
Smith, Subject Specialist for Anthropology (molsmith). During the summer months access can be arranged by contacting Moira Smith. Additional questions concerning HRAF or
eHRAF should be directed to Doug Schmittou. The telephone number for HRAF is 855-3731.
Organization of the Files
How to Use eHRAF
HRAF Office in IU Libraries
Go to the eHRAF Collection of Ethnography
WHAT ARE THE HUMAN RELATIONS AREA FILES?
HOW ARE THE FILES ORGANIZED?
N=North America
E=Europe
O=Oceania
F=Africa
R=Russia (cultures located in the former Soviet Union and Russia)
M=Middle East (including Muslim societies in Africa)
S=South America
HOW TO USE THE eHRAF
(A) "Guides to the files";
(B) "Browse the entire available eHRAF guides";
(C) Click on the "File Table of Contents" for the culture in which you are interested;
(D) "Guide to the File."
(B) "Browse OCMs in eHRAF Collection of Ethnography"
(C) This brings up a list of the broad subject headings used (e.g., "Fine Arts, 530"). Click on any
of these for a definition of the kinds of information in that category and its subheadings, and
related terms that may be relevant to your topic. Having found the OCM that matches your
topic, click on the "eHRAF Books with this OCM" link (located next to the bold-faced OCM
code).
SEARCH TIPS
Can't Find the Culture You Want?
So far, only about 15 percent of the Human Relations Area Files are available in eHRAF. The
rest are available in microfiche only. If you are interested in conducting research on cultures not
currently included in eHRAF, you will need to come to the HRAF office.
Human Relations Area Files Office
The office is located in the Main Library, 7th floor (opposite the elevators).
Last Updated: 18 February 1998
URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~libfind/hraf/
Questions and comments: Moira Smith.