Speaking as a Kwakiutl many of our histories have been written down in books. One of the big ones was the Kwakiutl ethnography by Franz Boas. It was a valuable tool as we began our cultural revitalization. Some people (not just my own, many tribes across NA) are still weary of researchers recording information though, as it is pretty hit and miss whether the researcher will use that info in a respectful way. Because certain info is the property of family's and some researchers don't honor that way of thinking.