November is Native American Heritage Month, which was established to honor Native Americans as the first people of our nation and to celebrate their cultural heritage and their importance in our country.
According to the 2015 U.S. Census, Native Americans in the United States total about 6 million or 2% of the population. Maybe you have a desire to verify family traditions that have been passed down through the generations, or you may already know your history but are interested in establishing membership in a tribal community. Whatever the case, I would first suggest asking questions of living relatives.
I know I can sound like a broken record with this but it’s always the place to start. Do they have letters, newspaper clippings or anything that you can peek at? Make notes about any vital information such as ancestral names, dates of birth, marriages or divorces and dates of death and where they were born, lived and died. The location is critical information in this research. Do remember to always be sensitive with questions and respect boundaries.
If your research is for membership purposes, an individual must provide genealogical documentation that supports a claim of ancestry from a specific tribe or tribal community. This documentation must prove you are a descendant of an individual whose name can be found on the tribal membership roll of the federally recognized tribe from which you are claiming descent.
Membership eligibility requires you to: 1) establish that you have a direct line ancestor such as a biological parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc., who is from a federally recognized tribe in the U.S.; 2) identify the tribe your ancestor was a member of; and 3) document your relationship to that ancestor using vital records.
Once you’ve located the area where your ancestor lived, you’ll want to do some research on local tribes. Visit the FamilySearch Indigenous Peoples of the United States Genealogy, Wiki page (it’s free!) at https://www. familysearch.org/wiki/ en/Indigenous_Peoples_ of_the_United_States_ Genealogy#Locality. Here you will find tribes broken down by locality and reservation. They also have some very helpful maps.
Don’t forget, Native American ancestors are also represented in all the usual vital records such as the federal and state census.
Other helpful free resources include:
National Indian Law Library (https://narf. org/nill/resources/roots. html)
FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/ Native_American_Online_ Genealogy_Records)
Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/ indiancensusroll)
Department of the Interior (https://www.doi. gov/tribes/research)
National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/ research/native-americans)
Surname Search (http://www.freesurnamesearch.com/search/native. html)
As you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner this month, with everything going on around us, there is no greater time to be thankful for all we have. It’s also important to remember all that has happened in our country’s past. As genealogists, we must separate fact from historical fiction. Stay safe and happy hunting!