Quote:
Originally Posted by telekinetic
Cherokee nation is one of the tribes which allows any direct descendants to register as members, as long as there is an unbroken chain of registered members. If you're just finding out about it, you probably don't have that, but if your great great great (etc) had registered, and registered his son, who registered his daughter, etc etc etc down to you, you could be Cherokee. You wouldn't be able to get a Certificate of Degree if Indian Blood, though...or maybe you would, but it would say 1/512.
Navajo nation requires 1/4. My wife is 1/4 Navajo and 1/4 Apache (both on her mom's side), so has a Navajo CDIB and census number (better benefits than Apache). Our daughters are 1/8th Navajo and 1/8th Apache, so rather than register as a specific tribe, they will get CDIBs with no tribal affiliation but that show 1/4 Native American, which is enough to be eligible for generic Native American scholarships and benefits from the Bureau of Indian Affairs
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I was under the assumption that if you can find an ancestor on the Dawes Rolls and back it up with paperwork, you can register as a Cherokee, regardless if your parents are registered.
My grandmother (father's side) is 3/4 Cherokee & Choctaw mix. Her mother was born in Indian Territory, and my grandmother was raised in a Cherokee community (not a reservation) until her early teens. The Dust Bowl sent them packing to California.
Between my dad and mom, I reckon I'm approximately 1/4th Native American. I identify as Caucasian.