Tribal Enrollment: How Membership in a Tribe Is Established

Who keeps the records

The BIA says it keeps no database of enrolled members. Each tribe maintains its own enrollment and past-member records. The BIA's role, as described by its Division of Tribal Government Services, includes reviewing tribal rolls that need Secretarial approval and handling enrollment appeals where a tribe's governing document provides for them.

How people usually document eligibility

To seek enrollment, the BIA says you generally need to:

1. Identify the tribe.
2. Establish a lineal ancestor who was a member of a federally recognized tribe.
3. Document the relationship with vital records.

The BIA notes that birth and death certificates from state vital records offices help establish the connection between generations. Each state sets its own rules and fees for requesting vital records, and a certified copy from the state may be what the tribe asks for.

Other sources

The BIA recommends starting with family papers, then local and state sources such as courthouses, churches and schools. The National Archives holds federal census records from 1790 to 1940, including BIA censuses and the Dawes Rolls for the Five Civilized Tribes in Oklahoma. Blood and DNA tests cannot prove descent from a specific tribe, though a tribe may accept them to confirm a biological relation to a member.