Where Do I Register As A Cherekee Tribe Memeber

In 2018, United states Senator Elizabeth Warren published Deoxyribonucleic acid evidence showing Native American heritage to back up her family unit'south memories of Cherokee heritage. The Cherokee Nation immediately responded with its own definition of what it ways to be Cherokee, which focused on formal tribal affiliation via citizenship. A statement issued past Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin reads in role, "Sovereign tribal nations ready their own legal requirements for citizenship, and while Deoxyribonucleic acid tests can exist used to make up one's mind lineage, such as paternity to an individual, it is non prove for tribal affiliation."

Hoskin provided farther comment on NPR's Morning time Edition with Steve Inskeep. When asked how the Nation determines who is or is not Cherokee today, Hoskin responded:

"Deoxyribonucleic acid is completely irrelevant to the process….A person living today would demand to trace back to a turn-of-the-20th-century census of Cherokees living in what was to become northeast Oklahoma…the Dawes Rolls… If you trace dorsum to that and document that proof through things like nativity certificates, decease records, then yous can establish yourself as a Cherokee citizen." Mind to the interview or read the full transcript.

Tracing your Cherokee ancestors

The Cherokee Nation describes its citizens as "the descendants of Cherokees and Cherokee Freemen who removed here to Indian Territory (nowadays-twenty-four hours northeastern Oklahoma) in the 1800s, either every bit 'Early on Settlers' prior to 1830 or through forced federal relocation normally known equally the 'Trail of Tears.' It acknowledges two other federally-recognized Cherokee tribes, each with its own citizenship procedure: United Keetowah Band of Cherokee Indians (Oklahoma) and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (N Carolina).

The Cherokee Nation's tribal citizenship requirements reinforce the need to connect your ancestral paper trail to the Dawes Rolls. "To be eligible for Cherokee Nation citizenship, individuals must provide documents connecting them to an enrolled directly antecedent who is listed on the Dawes Roll."

One time you've documented your roots dorsum to an ancestor who may accept appeared on the Dawes Rolls, information technology'southward time to search information technology. Watch the brief video tutorial below and read our companion article, "How to Utilize the Dawes Rolls."

The video references this free index at the Oklahoma Historical Social club (OHS) website.