More and more people from all over the United
States are researching to prove their ancestor was an Indian. There has
been an increase in interest in Indian ancestry because emphasis is
placed on minority hiring in private industry and other Government
agencies, as well as in the BIA, and in services provided by the Bureau
of Indian Affairs. This is a complicated matter that requires study
and' research, and it is not possible to set out all the details in one
article, but it is hoped this will help to start you in the right
direction
Whatever the reasons, there are certain things people
should know before they begin, such as the fact that possession of
Indian blood does not, of itself, entitle an individual to rights or
benefits provided by the Federal Government. The payments made to
persons of Indian descent represent their shares of the assets of the
tribe with which they are affiliated. Consequently, to be eligible to
share in the tribal assets, a person must be a member of a tribe at the
time its assets are being distributed.
Indian policy was based on the General Allotment Act
of 1887, which purpose was to break up tribal land holdings and allot
each tribal member land from the reservation with land title and full
U.S. Citizenship. This act did not apply to the Five Civilized Tribes,
the Osage, or the Sac and Fox, however, a similar policy was forced
upon them by the Dawes Commission The Final Rolls of the Five Civilized
Tribes (commonly called the Dawes rolls) contain the names of more than
101, 000 people enrolled. A Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes was
authorized to determine who was eligible for tribal membership and thus
entitled to an allotment of land. There is generally a similar "FINAL
ROLL" for most tribes, and tracing ancestry to someone on a "Final
Roll"' is usually the key to recognition by the Bureau of Indian
Affairs.
The Dawes Commission Roll Book, the Final Rolls of the
Five Civilized Tribes, which is used for Certification of Degree of
Indian Blood, was compiled mainly during the years 1899-1906. To be enrolled there
were certain requirements to be met. Application had to be made during
the enrollment period, showing membership in the tribe and actual
residence within the area occupied by the tribe.
If
your direct ancestor was an original enrolled on the Dawes Commission
Rolls and you apply for Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood, based on
that relationship, you will be required to furnish certain proof such
as birth certificate, death certificate, or judicial determination of
heirs showing relationship to the nearest lineal enrolled ancestor. If
you do not know whether your ancestor was enrolled, or the tribe, you
must identify your ancestor and learn where they were living in, Indian
Territory in 1900. You can do this by looking on the 1900 Indian
Territory census. Finding them on the census will tell you which Indian
Nation they were living in, and if the person is Indian, identify the
tribe. If you are looking for a tribal member who was not of the Five
Civilized Tribes, you should look on the 1900 Oklahoma Territory for
your ancestor, then check with Tribal Headquarters or the tribal rolls
in the Oklahoma State Historical Society. The Dawes Commission Roll
Books are also available at the Oklahoma State Historical Society.
Some people may never be able to prove Indian
heritage. Indian law usually dictated that "when any citizen shall
remove with his effects out of the limits of the Nation and become a
citizen of any other government, all his rights and privileges as a
citizen of the Nation shall cease, provided nevertheless that the
National Council shall have power to re-admit any such person who may
at any time desire to return to the Nation, but no one is entitled as
an inherent right to re-admission to citizenship. If an applicant
proves that at one time he was a recognized citizen of the Nation and
has forfeited that citizenship, there is no law by which he can demand
admission. As a matter of course, the same laws and usages governed the
Dawes commission in their consideration of claims to citizenship
For
the most part Indian agents only kept track of persons who were
recognized as tribal members (either by the Federal government or the
Tribal government). People who remained behind when the bulk of their
tribe was moved by the Federal Government, or people who moved away
from the tribe and in effect ended their affiliation with it, will
probably be lost as far as official BIA records are concerned. You will
have to find these people using the basic genealogical methods of
putting the families in the proper place and time period, and studying
the history of the area; talking to family members, asking for family
Bible information, marriage records, birth records and census records.
Even if you do not prove your Indian Ancestry you will
have made a significant contribution to your family history, and that
is a worthy effort.
