[nicrob42]

You can't take a DNA test to join any of these tribes or any tribe that I know of. From what I understand even if a DNA test does show NA ancestory it can't specify any particular tribe.

[BOS2IAD]

Originally Posted by nicrob42

You can't take a DNA test to join any of these tribes or any tribe that I know of. From what I understand even if a DNA test does show NA ancestory it can't specify any particular tribe.

Ancestry is getting closer to being able to do that. Recently, they put out updated DNA test results for those who previously took the test. Originally, I came in at 5% Native Indian. In the updated test, it's now 3% Andean Indian and 2% "North, Central, South" Native Indian. So...they're getting there. I have no doubt that at some point they will be able to further refine the latter results of my test.

[nicrob42]

Ancestry has nothing to do with tribal enrollment. Even if they can detect NA ancestry they can't give specific tribes. I don't ever see the Dawes tribes accepting DNA results, if they ever do it will not be for a very long time. Lookup all the issues that these DNA companies have been having with specifying African tribes to DNA customers. The enrollment is only a few generations back. If you can't prove back to that point, more than likely you are not NA by blood but anyone can relate by heritage if they desire. Of course I'm excluding adoption cases and a possible estranged parent. Most people with an original enrollee have always known who it was & what tribe they were with. In all truthfulness most were enrolled at birth or when kids. My great grandma was my original enrollee & she lived till I was 15 & I'm 41 now, so it's not that far back in people's heritage. Just my personal opinion......

[verynicebecky]

Hello from the OP!!! When I wrote my original post I was living in Reno, Nevada. I had moved to there from Protection, Kansas. I have lived in Buffalo and Laverne, Oklahoma. I am originally from Sacramento, California. I left Reno in 2010 and ended up in North Carolina, then in Virginia, then Minnesota and I am currently living in Tennessee. I hopped onto City-Data last night to scope out where to move to next!

It turns out that although my ancestors are listed on the Dawes Rolls as Mississippi Choctaw Removed, they were actually Lumbee from North Carolina (I did not know this when I was living in NC or VA). My great-grandfather is listed using his mother's maiden name of Carter. He was actually the illegitimate son of an Oxendine. I knew that he was born in North Carolina. So all those years I was searching for a Carter and I could never find his father. I thought at one time that we might be of Melungeon descent but looking at photos online, I couldn't see anyone who looked like my grandfather, but I found a photo of a man who looked very much like my grandpa, and when I clicked on the photo it took me to a page about the Lumbee Indians. They settled in Robeson County, NC by the Lumberton River. I found a Robeson County Facebook page and typed in what I knew about my great-grandfather. Very shortly after that, someone popped up and wrote that my great-grandfather was the illegitimate son of so and so, and he was the illegitimate son of so and so, and on and on. After some online research, it all added up. That dime I mentioned in a previous post that was sent from Florida to my grandfather when he was born in 1903 in I.T. was from his grandfather, who had moved to Florida from NC after his turpentine business shut down. My great-grandfather moved the family from I.T. to San Jon, New Mexico and in 2013 I flew out to Nevada from NC, rented a car, picked up my mom and we drove to NM to visit the graves of her grandpa and grandma. I also drove her through the OK panhandle, to Elmwood, OK (near Beaver) where she has an aunt (from her mother's side) buried, then I drove her to see Picher, OK where my father was born and raised. I will end this lengthy post here. I am trying to decide on moving back to Oklahoma or North Carolina. Thanks to all who responded to my original post. It has been an interesting eleven years. I have an great-great grandfather (Louis N. Attaway) buried in Stephens County, OK. If anyone knows anything about him, please let me know!