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I am a Native California Indian, I have a number thru the BIA. I can go to any of the Indian Medical Clinics and get basic medical care for free. That is about the extent of it. I can not become an active member of my tribe, so I get no tribal benefits. My grandfather and my mother are buried on the reservation. Due to politics in the tribe, they will not allow me to become a tribal member.
But the federal government does recognize me as an Indian, because my grandfather registered me with the BIA when I was born.
Oh, and I can get basic dental also. But if I need a referral someplace else, I have to pay for it. Also when the Federal funding runs out, they stop seeing patients.
I have heard my whole life that I had Cherokee blood. My great aunt just confirmed it to me. She said I'm 1/16th Cherokee. I don't know how to get a card and register with my tribe. Can someone help me figure this out? My great-great-grandfather Ira Taylor was a full blood Cherokee. We're from Eastern Kentucky.
I am 1/16 Cherokee. From My great grandmother. I have always been told that the American federal government is obligated to compensate native Americans .
There is no "compensation" in any sort of blanket sense. Every tribe has made its own compact with the feds. Contact whichever Cherokee tribe you've "always been told" you're descended from. Whoops. Didn't know there's more than one Cherokee organization? You'll need your great grandmother's enrollment information. Don't have it? Try searching the Dawes Cherokee Enrollment records for her name, then be prepared to provide a bulletproof paper trail in the form of birth records all the way back to her. Assuming she's on the roll, any break in enrollment of anyone in between you and her lessens your chance of being accepted. Good luck!
Some personal observations regarding the "benefits" of Indian enrollment. My wife is a 4/4 blood quantum enrolled member of one of Arizona's Indian tribes. She was born and raised on her tribe's reservation. I am not Indian. Our son is a 2/4 blood quantum enrolled member of the tribe. We do not live on the rez, but do have a 120 acre grazing allotment there on which we run cattle.
The land is not ours in the sense of fee simple ownership. It took my wife 5 years of paperwork to gain title. We are required to provide improvements at our cost. Fencing, water tanks, feed storage and corrals. We must run a minimum number of stock on the land and may not exceed a maximum number. Those numbers are determined by a tribal land use committee and change every few years depending on the weather/available grass, etc. We can lose the property at the whim of the tribe.
Her reservation has a large Indian Health Service Hospital. Our son was born there. We made the choice to travel there for my wife's prenatal care as it was a better facility than the one we have here off the rez. The care and birth was free to on reservation tribal members, but because we live off rez our private health insurance was the first provider. IHS picked up the out of pocket only. During her pregnancy my wife was referred off-rez for an MRI. Since the service was provided off rez, we had to use private insurance and paid the out of pocket, out of pocket.
In his senior year in high school, my son applied for and received tribal scholarships. He just graduated, debt free. He was required to carry a minimum of 15 semester hours each semester and maintain a 3.0 GPA throughout his education.
There are no checks, no freebies. The feds provide no "compensation". Most of the people on this forum who think they have some sort of freebies coming because they have some distant ancestor who may or may not have been an Indian are dreaming. Most tribes provide little or no benefits to members who do not live on tribal land. I can understand wanting to document and get close to one's NA roots, but all this business about benefits and compensation is, in a word, appalling. What a bunch of bums.
I can understand wanting to document and get close to one's NA roots, but all this business about benefits and compensation is, in a word, appalling. What a bunch of bums.
Great post, and ABSOLUTELY!
People who decide at some point in their lives that they are "Indian" because of family stories and now want government benefits make me completely sick, sad, and disgusted.
I am 1/16 Cherokee. From My great grandmother. I have always been told that the American federal government is obligated to compensate native Americans .
There are three federal Cherokee; United Keetoowah (OK), The Nation (OK) and Eastern Band (NC). Unless you are a recognized member of one of the three Cherokee tribes, you are not a citizens, therefore NOT Cherokee. You cannot be 1/2, or 1/4 Cherokee. You either are or you are not. Judging by your post, are not.
I'm not even going to ask how you came up with 1/16 Cherokee from a great grandmother.
Last edited by AppalachianGumbo; 05-29-2016 at 04:35 PM..
I have heard my whole life that I had Cherokee blood. My great aunt just confirmed it to me. She said I'm 1/16th Cherokee. I don't know how to get a card and register with my tribe. Can someone help me figure this out? My great-great-grandfather Ira Taylor was a full blood Cherokee. We're from Eastern Kentucky.
There is no "Cherokee" tribe. There are three Federal Cherokee tribes, United Keetoowah, Cherokee Nation both out in Oklahoma and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Different tribes, different constitutions and different requirements. The Eastern Band in NC, enrollment is closed. Only open to children under 18.
If you cannot find you supposed Cherokee ancestor on the Final rolls, there are plenty of other rolls before the final removal in 1838. These rolls, most Cherokee were verified from previous rolls.
Eastern Rolls - Cherokee East of the Mississippi
Reservation Rolls of 1817
Emigration Rolls of 1817
Henderson Roll of 1835
Mullay Roll of 1848 - Recorded Cherokee in the area after removal (No one was hiding)
Siler Roll of 1851
Chapman Roll of 1852
Swetland Roll of 1869
Hester Roll of 1883
Churchill Roll of 1908 Baker Roll of 1924 -Final Rolls used for enrollment Eastern Band Cherokee
Eastern portion of the Guion Miller Roll of 1909
Western - Cherokee West of the Mississippi - The Cherokee Nation and The United Keetoowah
Old Settler Roll of 1851 - Keetoowah
Drennen Roll of 1852 Dawes Rolls of 1898-1914 - Needed for enrollment
Western portion of the Guion Miller Roll of 1909
Many of these rolls are not available online or via searches. Contact the tribe.
In other words you don't have a blood quantum in any tribe large enough to qualify for enrollment or a paper trail to prove any of it.
I'm 3% Neanderthal, where do I sign up to get all the free stuff?
There's a cave in southern France where you leave your handprint.
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