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And that's pretty much why I've never registered with the Cherokee tribe, even though I have the Dawes numbers of my Great grandma, and my GGreat grandfather and GGgrandmother.
I'm a white bread American Cheese white woman. I live a middle-class existence in suburbia. I know who I am. I know who my ancestors are...and I'm proud of that...but I don't need to be taking away from someone else who might need those benefits more than I do.
The Dawes (Final roll) was for land allotment in the jurisdictions for serval tribes in Oklahoma. There is no "Cherokee tribe." There is the United Keetoowah and the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina (unrelated to the Dawes Rolls). Three separate tribes.
Anyone can obtain the Dawes details with numbers. Who cares you have numbers for people on the Dawes Rolls. Who cares! You don't need Dawes numbers to register with the Cherokee Nation for example. You need to prove you descend to people on those rolls via birth certificates. Lineal descent.
If your father was truly a part of a nation and registered, you would only need him, not your great grandparents to prove lineal descent. Quick and easy when your parent is already a citizen. You also need your certified degree of Indian blood from the Indian bureau of affairs. The Cherokee Nations does not require a degree of Indian blood but you still have to have it.
I'm a white bread American Cheese white woman - I am certain for sure, you are card carrying. Your other stories are swiss cheese.
I do not call myself Native American. I also have Dutch, English, Irish, German heritage.
I'm an American Mutt.
About the same here that one of my grandmothers is said to have been part Indian (whether that is Native or the Subcontinent, I have never questioned). As so much halved and halved that amount would be, I would not claim it.
Now, if someone wanted to claim such situation for themselves, that is fine with me......but I am not judging them.
The Dawes (Final roll) was for land allotment in the jurisdictions for several tribes in Oklahoma.
Anyone can obtain the Dawes details with numbers. ...
You don't need Dawes numbers to register with the Cherokee Nation for example.
(btw,) There is no "Cherokee tribe." There is the United Keetoowah and the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma.
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina (unrelated to the Dawes Rolls). Three separate tribes.
You need to prove you descend to people on those rolls via birth certificates. Lineal descent.
If your father was truly a part of a nation and registered, you would only need him,
not your great grandparents to prove lineal descent.
You also need your certified degree of Indian blood from the Indian bureau of affairs.
The Cherokee Nations does not require a degree of Indian blood but you still have to have it.
Thank you very much for laying out the particulars and details so clearly.
I'm new to the questions and suspect I've made some inaccurate statements.
One Q: How would a person be found to have that "certified degree of Indian blood" ?
Is that a lab test?
---
In my tree my pattern is to add an upper case suffix for known groups (lot's with a QUA f'rinstance).
I should compile them sometime but from memory ...
lot's of CHK (one says Keetoowah), one or two ALG, one or two IRQ, a CRW, a WAM (Mass)
Some of the legends are fun reading.
Thank you very much for laying out the particulars and details so clearly.
I'm new to the questions and suspect I've made some inaccurate statements.
One Q: How would a person be found to have that "certified degree of Indian blood" ?
Is that a lab test?
---
In my tree my pattern is to add an upper case suffix for known groups (lot's with a QUA f'rinstance).
I should compile them sometime but from memory ...
lot's of CHK (one says Keetoowah), one or two ALG, one or two IRQ, a CRW, a WAM (Mass)
Some of the legends are fun reading.
No lab or DNA testing. The only time DNA testing is used, is to confirm a child is related to the enrolled parent.
Firstly, you need to do genealogical research, to the ancestor in question. Blood quanta is tribal blood not general "Indian" blood. The recording of blood quanta onto the rolls was purely a verbal profession. Recorded blood quanta is not perfectly accurate only by what the person knew about their family. What they said is what was recorded and calculations are done from that for future generations.
With that said. Let's say you find your grandfather is registered on the [final] Dawes as 1/4 Keetoowah Cherokee. This means that 1 of his 4 grandparents was Keetoowah Cherokee. 3/4 could have Osage or European. 1/8 of your one parent's blood is Keetoowah. You would be 1/16 Keetoowah. Keep in mind that many Natives are tribally mixed. Someone can be 1/4 of one tribe but may be 3/4's of another or 4/8. You can only register with one tribe. Many people register with close family ties or culture. Some are tribally bred out to register but 100% racially indigenous.
When you go to the IBA (Indian Bureau of Affairs) to prove your documented lineage to them and they have verified it, they will provide you with your CDIB card of your verified "tribal" blood which you proven. You have proved your lineage to the Keetoowah, you will have a card which states you are 1/8 Keetoowah. United Keetoowah requires 1/4 (8.5) Keetoowah blood for registration for those 18yrs or younger. Many rolls are closed accept to enroll children. Your CDIB is needed for enrollment to a tribe and any other add'l documents they will require. Every nation is different.
The only way to find an ancestor is to one of the three Cherokee tribes are the below rolls. Keetoowah starting migrating to AR about 1790. They may also require prior rolls for enrollment.
Reservation Rolls – 1817
Emigration Rolls – 1817-1835
Henderson Roll – 1835 - Before deportation to Indian Territory
Mullay Roll – 1848 - Eastern band. Census of Cherokee left after deportation
Siler Roll – 1851
Old Settler Roll – 1851 -
Chapman Roll – 1852
Drennen Roll – 1852
Act of Congress Roll – 1854
Swetland Roll – 1869
Hester Roll – 1883
Wallace Roll – 1888
Kern-Clifton Roll – 1896-1897
1896 Applications for Enrollment -1896
Dawes Rolls – 1898-1907 - the Cherokee Nation and Keetoowah
Churchill Roll – 1908
Guion Miller Roll – 1909
Baker Roll – 1924 - The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Keetoowah Base Roll – 1949 - Keetoowah ancestors found
The Dawes (Final roll) was for land allotment in the jurisdictions for serval tribes in Oklahoma. There is no "Cherokee tribe." There is the United Keetoowah and the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina (unrelated to the Dawes Rolls). Three separate tribes.
Anyone can obtain the Dawes details with numbers. Who cares you have numbers for people on the Dawes Rolls. Who cares! You don't need Dawes numbers to register with the Cherokee Nation for example. You need to prove you descend to people on those rolls via birth certificates. Lineal descent.
If your father was truly a part of a nation and registered, you would only need him, not your great grandparents to prove lineal descent. Quick and easy when your parent is already a citizen. You also need your certified degree of Indian blood from the Indian bureau of affairs. The Cherokee Nations does not require a degree of Indian blood but you still have to have it.
I'm a white bread American Cheese white woman - I am certain for sure, you are card carrying. Your other stories are swiss cheese.
Dude! Chill!
Thanks for telling me everything I need, but like I said, even though I COULD register, I haven't and I laid out the reasons why.
My point is/was...I can prove my native blood. Point simple. I guess too bad it bugs you, but oh well.
I might be re-stating something already mentioned upthread but-
many part Native people won't bother with tribal enrollment. For different reasons........
Years ago I befriended a Native American man who was wealthy from tribal money (casino) - he chose to make a career in the Armed Services as he wanted to show people Natives cared as much about representing America as a great place. He considered himself a Native man first, and a special forces soldier second...and so on.
Just saying.
IMO there's nothing wrong with being proud of one's heritage.
My wife is around 1/32 Ojibwe. I believe her great-grandfather and his siblings (who were around 1/4 Ojibwe by blood) were the last relatives to make it onto the tribal rolls.
She does not (nor should she) consider herself Native American. But as long as people are upfront about their degree of Indigenous American heritage (or lack thereof), it’s up to the individual tribes to decide how wide they want to cast their nets, and I express no moral outrage over how far they might stretch blood quantum requirements.
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One Native American in the mix, a great-grandmother from the NE.
A Terrific FAQ Quality Post
