How can I find Out about my Native Heratige

[Eyes_of_the_Wolves]

indian2: Melody

[Mato Winyan]

Best thing to do is to talk to any and all relatives. Ask questions of anyone you can think of. Ask about names.. dates of birth, marriages, deaths. Found out about any adoptions. Ask about counties. That will get you started. Search our archives here, there is some great advice in there. :)

[Eyes_of_the_Wolves]

ok I got the names of my grandparents on my mom's side and where they were born and died at and what years. Now what do I do? :(

[storm]

You mention your tribes. You need to see if any were enrolled members of each tribe. To be a cherokee you have to have a blood relative on one of the Dawes rolls.(1906) I have no idea about the Sioux but call tribal offices. Check the web for geneology sources. as you get info will try to help more.

[Eyes_of_the_Wolves]

only problem is I don't even know how much they had in them

[storm]

YOu do not need to know how much. You need to know where they were born. Were they really Indian or is it just talk. What band were they from? Thier home towns will help you determine this. This can take months or years. Try Genweb the oklahoma site and others to find Cherokee names on the rolls.

[Eyes_of_the_Wolves]

Well then I might be in trouble because my mom was not told much about it as a kid.Plus can't yyou be native and just not have chosen to be enrolled?

[superndngyrl]

Originally posted by Eyes_of_the_Wolves
Well then I might be in trouble because my mom was not told much about it as a kid.Plus can't yyou be native and just not have chosen to be enrolled?

yea. there's a lot of people that were not enrolled because they were ashamed and then there's some tribes where you can only enroll if your father was that tribe and many many other reasons. Unless you're cherokee then u just have to be a descendant of a descendant of the tribe. ;)

[Eyes_of_the_Wolves]

ok I know i have cherokee in me, but i not sure who is father back after my mom though

[storm]

Yes there are plenty of unenrolled natives. It make it harder to trace your lineage though.:(

Good luck. tomorrow I will post some sites you can go to that may help.

[Okwataga]

If you know you have cherokee then you should know who else in your family is cherokee too, otherwise how do you know?

do you have any family names?

if they are western then theres the emigration rolls for those that moved before removal or the dawes rolls too

if eastern we base off the baker roll 1924

unless you know who is on the siler, hester, chapman or churchhill rolls

[Eyes_of_the_Wolves]

Ok this is what I have so far. My grandma is Vivan David born in some town called Avenue,MO or KS in 1921. Died in same town in 1987. Either her father or some how related name is Arthur David. I think not sure though he died in 1921 in the same town.

My grandpa is Virgil Van Cleave not exactly sure where he was born at or died, but he was born in 1905 and died in 1967. That is about all I have at this time.:(

[Okwataga]

okay virgil being born 1905 not sure when the dawes rolls started but from where you say they lived most likely on the western rolls

okay just looked at baker and churchill (1908) and there are no davids or van cleaves

so I guess then you need to check the dawes on the western hope that helped get you started

[storm]

Dawes rolls ended 1906.

[Eyes_of_the_Wolves]

Yea I wish my uncle knew the names and years and places of my Great Grandparents. That probably be better to trace to the rolls. :(