Consumers Beware

As a consumer you have the right to ask if the American Indian you are purchasing from or hiring as a performer is properly documented. Now days, most Federally recognized Tribal Members have an enrollment card/ certificate, this documentation contains sensitive personal information plus photo, much like a State Identification card, with more information such as tribal number that is filed with Bureau of Indian Affairs BIA, and degree of blood/ decadency.

What is the purpose of enrollment?

Tribal enrollment requirements preserve the unique character and traditions of each tribe. The tribes establis membership criteria based on shared customs, traditions, language, and tribal blood.

What are tribal membership requirements?

Tribal enrollment criteria are set forth in tribal constitutions, articles of incorporation or ordinances. The criterion varies from tribe to tribe, so uniform membership requirements do not exist.

Two common requirements for membership are lineal decendency from someone named on the tribe's base roll, or relationship to a tribal member who descended from someone named on the base roll. (A "base roll" is the original list of members as designated in a tribal constitution or other document specifying enrollment criteria.) Other conditions such as tribal blook quantum, tribal residency, or continued contact with the tribe are common.

How do I apply for enrollment in a tribe?

After you have completed your genealogical research, documentede your ancestry, and determined the tribe with which your ancestor was affiliated, you are ready to contact the tribe directly to obtain the criteria for membership.

How do I locate the tribe i may have Indian ancestry from?

The Tribal Leaders Directory - https://www.bia.gov/whoweare/BIA/OIS/TribalGovernmentServices/TribalDirectory/index.htm

That is published by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and lists all 562 federally recognized American Indian Tribes and Alaska Natives. It also lists all the regions, agencies , and officers within the BIA