how do i prove i am a cherokee native american?

Question

I want to be a legal Cherokee native American, all I know is my grandfather is a full blood Cherokee but I don't know how to prove that ( he is dead now) I don't know if he was even legally considered that. I want to spend time on a resorvation and learn about my culture and language, I want to know what I am and become part of a people I was ment to be with. Please help me.

Answer 1

Which of the three cherokee bands was your grandfather a citizen of? Why didn't he enroll your parent? Does your parent have a CDIB?



Unfortunately, if your parent (his child) failed to enroll as a citizen, then you are ineligible for enrollment yourself, as you must be the child of a citizen.



You can research your grandfather's records, and find out whether or not he was actually a tribal member. ( if he was "full-blooded" as you say, it is virtually impossible for him NOT to be) and having his enrollment number, you can apply for a CDIB (certificate of degree of indian blood) yourself.



http://www.cherokee.org/Docs/Org2010/2012/8/31660CDIB_Application.pdf



If you can find no record of him in the tribal rolls, then he certainly wasn't cherokee. Where was he from? Real Cherokees are only going to come from Oklahoma or Qualla Boundary.



If you were "meant" to be with the people, then your grandfather would have seen to it that your parent and you were enrolled in the tribe, and acquainted with your relatives. The fact that this obviously didn't happen is a red flag.



And like I said, the three cherokee bands have closed enrollment, meaning that you must be the child of a citizen, and enroll before the age of 19, in order to apply. So, unfortunately, you are neither legally native american nor cherokee. If your story is true, then it is actually very easy to prove that your grandfather was cherokee. Like I said, just look for his name in the tribal records. If he's not listed, he wasn't cherokee.

Answer 2

Oh, thats really, really, really easy. Just identify which of the three bands he was from and call their enrollment office. Sometimes the children/grandchildren of men in our tribe (scandalous men who had kids outside of marriage and what-not) find their way into our enrollment offices where all they have to do is prove kinship to the enrolled tribal member and voila! They fill out their paperwork and complete the other necessary steps for enrollment.



If your grandfather was 1/1, 1/2 or 1/4th Cherokee, it is nearly impossible that he was not enrolled, so no worries there. They'll have his name for sure. Even if you find his name though, the Cherokee have closed their enrollment (unfortunately) because too many people not raised in the culture were taking advantage of the tribe.



The ONLY exception to this...is if he wasn't really Cherokee. Unfortunately, many many families in America have stories of Native American ancestors that aren't exactly true...or they are very exaggerated. Like, some families think that because they see that their great-great grandma lived on Cherokee territory, she must have been Cherokee, when in fact, she wasn't. OR, they Do have a native american ancestor that goes back several generations, but it is so far back that their name, tribe and all the other vital information is lost, so they make something up and their kids believe it and repeat it.



Its kinda like how most american families think that they have Irish, Dutch, English or French ancestry, (which most of them do, even if they don't know for sure) but it still doesn't make them part of Irish, Dutch, English or French cultures because the lineage is so far removed. The difference though, is that most people who think they are Cherokee or some other indian, actually arent. So they create a mental/emotional identity around an idea of something they aren't really a part of, so then they get mad when others point out to them that the possibilities of them actually having that background are very, very slim.

Answer 3

Many of these stories of “Cherokee blood” (particularly, when someone claims a fullblood grandparent or great grandparent that they don’t know much about) are exaggerated, or flat-out false. So, you should take these family claims with a huge grain of salt and go into this family research like any other form of genealogy. You simply go where the paper trail leads you. If you have a grandparent that was a fullblood, this is s very specific thing and his family will be from very distinct locations and found in tribal records.



You have to understand historical and tribal context here. If you are, say, early 20s to middle age then you’d be looking at a grandfather probably born in the first half of the 1900s. A fullblood Cherokee born within the last few generations come from the few fullblood communities in two locations: Eastern Oklahoma or Qualla Boundary reservation. Even if he or his family had moved away for employment or opportunity in standard American society, his family ties would still go back to these two locations with almost no exception. The Removal was over by 1839 and after that point there were only two locations where fullbloods maintained their fullblood status and culture. A 4/4 grandparent born in the early 1900s would be a legacy of his ancestors historical survival. There was a context for this survival! They maintained Cherokee communities in very specific locations.



So, you’d just have to do standard genealogy and find out who his family was. You build a standard family tree and go back each generation. For fullblood Cherokees, you can easily trace families to numerous rolls and records. If from Qualla community, they would be found on the Baker Roll of 1924, Guion Miller Roll of early 1900s, and the Hester Roll of 1884. If from Cherokee Nation, they would be found on Dawes Roll of 1906, Cherokee census records, annuity records, Guion Miller roll, possibly the Old Settler roll if they came out west before the Trail of Tears. They’d also likely be found in standard federal 1900 and 1910 census records living in these locations and enumerated as “I” (Indian).



You can only claim “my culture and language” and talk about “your people” if your grandfather was a tribal member and part of this community. Otherwise, it is quite premature. Generally speaking, most tribal members will be leery of the claim unless you clearly state who your relatives are and they were recognized as being from that community. You should probably be able to find extended family as well. However, if you trace your grandfather back and he (and his family) is showing up in standard American records, outside of Cherokee community, not on the rolls or records, listed as White/Black and not-Cherokee, and has no family connection to the tribe, then this would indicate he wasn’t Cherokee and they are not your people. It’s all about establishing your family’s lineage and affiliation with the tribe.

Answer 4

Thomas gave a fantastic answer!

Answer 5

you have to defeat an ojibwe woman in mortal combat. only then can you be inducted into the cherokee nation