When people believe they may be of American Indian ancestry, they immediately write or telephone the nearest Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) office for information. Many people think that the BIA retrieves genealogical information from a massive national Indian registry or comprehensive computer database. This is not true. Most BIA offices, particularly the central (headquarters, Washington, DC) and area (field) offices do not keep individual Indian records and the BIA does not maintain a national registry.
The BIA does not conduct genealogical research for
the public. If an individual does not wish to conduct their own research,
researchers are available for a fee. Please write to the Board of Certification
of Genealogists or the Association of Professional Genealogists and request
their listings of genealogical researchers for hire. Their addresses are:
Board of Certification of
Genealogists P.O. Box 14291 Washington, D.C. 20044 |
The Association of Professional
Genealogists P.O. Box 40393 Denver, Colorado 80204-0393 |
Individuals should find all the information they
can about their parents, grandparents, and more distant ancestors and write
such information down. The most important information is vital statistics,
including ancestral names, dates of birth, marriages (or divorces) and
death, the places where ancestors were born, lived, married, and died.
During such research, the goal, especially for tribal membership purposes,
is to establish and document the relationships of Indian ancestors and
to identify the Indian tribe with which their ancestor may have been affiliated.
Relatives, particularly older ones, are another good
source of information. Persons doing this research should visit or write
family members who may have the genealogical information that they are
seeking. Someone else in your family may also be working on a family history.
Write to the Bureau of Vital Statistics, usually
in the state capital to request copies of birth, death and marriage certificates,
or divorce decrees. Include the name of the individual, date and place
of birth and your relationship to that person. State governments did not
keep birth and death records until the turn of the century, about 1890-1915,
so searches in state records for ancestors who were born or died before
that time may be limited.
Researchers can also contact genealogical organizations,
historical societies, and other private institutions. For example, the
Family History Centers are "branch offices" of the Family History Library
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). This private
institution contains a large collection of genealogical documents relating
to Indians that may be useful in research.
The National Archives has various publications for
sale. The Archives have microfilmed all censuses. Individuals can purchase
copies of the microfilm rolls and associated genealogical materials. Various
rolls of microfilm are available for rental at the National Archives. The
telephone number for rental and sales requests is 1-800-234-8861. The National
Archives Internet address is www.nara.gov.
The BIA field offices in selected areas throughout the United States may have some records concerning Indian ancestry. However, the BIA field offices do not maintain current or historic records of all individuals who possess some degree of Indian blood. The records the BIA holds are current rather than historic tribal membership enrollment lists. These lists (commonly called "rolls") do not have supporting documentation (such as birth certificates) for each tribal member listed. The BIA created these rolls while the BIA maintained tribal membership rolls. The BIA no longer has extensive involvement in tribal membership. Current Federal policy and case law limits the involvement of the BIA in tribal membership matters unless mandated by congressional legislation, or is required by the tribe's governing document or otherwise requested by the tribe.
When you contact a BIA field office, be prepared to give the name of the tribe, the name(s) and birth dates of ancestor(s), and relationships. You must provide specific information otherwise, field offices (and other institutions) probably cannot provide much useful information.
The Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. §552(a) protects the
current tribal membership rolls and lists that the BIA maintains. Submitting
a request for genealogical information under the Freedom of Information
Act, 5 U.S.C. §552, is not necessary for records compiled and published
by private institutions or available in census records declassified by
the National Archives.
Two common requirements for membership are lineal descendancy 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 blood quantum, tribal residency, or continued contact with the tribe are common.
Rarely is the BIA involved in enrollment and membership.
Each tribe determines whether an individual is eligible for membership.
Each tribe maintains it's own enrollment records and records about past
members. To obtain information about your eligibility for membership, you
must contact the tribe.
Some tribes distribute payments to enrolled members when revenues from the sale of tribal assets such as timber, hydroelectric power or oil and gas permit. Many tribes cannot make per capita payments because they do not have natural resources or other revenue from which they make a fund distribution.
There is a clear distinction between judgment funds
and tribal funds. Judgment funds are appropriated by Congress after a claim
that is filed by tribes or Indian descendant groups against the United
States, is settled. Tribal funds are derived from tribal assets (refer
to paragraph above). An individual does not have to be an enrolled member
of a tribe to receive a final judgment fund payment. An individual must
be an enrolled member of a tribe to be eligible to receive payments derived
from tribal funds.
Many Federal agencies other than the BIA have special programs to serve the American Indian population, i.e., the Indian Health Service (IHS), an adjunct of the Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The IHS provides health care services through a network of reservation-based hospitals and clinics. Besides standard medical care, the agency has established programs that specialize in maternal and child health, mental health, substance abuse, home health care, nutrition, etc. The Administration for Native Americans, another agency within DHHS, administers programs aimed at strengthening tribal governments and supporting the social and economic development of reservation communities. Other agencies of the Federal Government that serves the special needs of Indian people include the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Agriculture, Education, Labor, Commerce and Energy.
All Indians, whether they live on or off reservations,
are eligible (like all other citizens who meet eligibility requirements)
to receive services provided by the state such as Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the Food
Stamp Program and the Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program
(LIHEAP).