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. Anyone who died before 1899 does
not have a roll number 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.
