All Things Cherokee: Article - Buyer Beware - Make Sure You Get What You Pay For

The process of tracing your Cherokee roots can be surprisingly difficult. This difficulty is further exacerbated by all the offers, memberships, and services for sale to those researching their Cherokee ancestors. The focus of this article is to help you weed through the many ways to spend money researching your ancestors, and hopefully help you avoid some mistakes.

"Tribal" Citizenship and ID Cards
Let's begin by explaining the difference between being of Cherokee decent and being an enrolled Cherokee in one of the three federally recognized tribes. Many people believe that citizenship in one of the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes is based on heritage alone. "I am Cherokee, therefore I should be allowed to join." Nope, this is not the case, it's actually much more confusing than that. Enrollment in one of these tribes is more equivalent to national citizenship. You can be of Czech decent, but if you do not live in or were not born in the Czech Republic you are not a Czech citizen. The same general principal is behind citizenship in the Cherokee Nation, and other federally recognized Cherokee tribes. In the case of the Cherokee Nation the citizenship is based on the Dawes Rolls. The Dawes Rolls were the final rolls of the Cherokee Nation. The rolls were open from 1898-1907. During that time all people living within the boundaries of Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory were expected to sign the rolls. When the rolls closed in 1907 those who had signed received a small plot of land in what was now Oklahoma. The Indian Territory was absorbed into Oklahoma. Those signers of the Dawes Rolls were the "official" citizens of the Cherokee Nation at the time of allotment. This is what current tribal citizenship is based on. You must prove that you are directly descended from a citizen of the Cherokee Nation by proving that your ancestor signed the rolls.

If your ancestor did not reside in Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory at this time then they lived in the United States and were considered citizens of the United States -- you could not be a citizen of both Indian Territory and the United States. So while those people may have been of Cherokee decent they were not citizens of the Cherokee Nation. Also there were people who were citizens of the Cherokee Nation who refused to sign the roll for various reasons. Today, descends from these people will not be able to register with the Cherokee Nation either.

Regardless of the real meaning behind tribal registration many people still consider registration (and the cards which accompany it) proof of heritage. In fact, those registered with one of the federally recognized Cherokee tribes are Cherokee by blood and by citizenship, those who are not registered are simply not Cherokee citizens -- but they may very well be Cherokee by blood.

Many people want to carry a card which can provide proof that they are Cherokee (or Native American) and they want to belong to a tribe. It is this fact which makes many people vulnerable to the groups or individuals who are selling Cherokee heritage. There are over 300 "Cherokee tribes" which offer enrollment to those who are unable to gain membership in one of the three official tribes. While some of these tribes are state recognized and have good intentions, many others are frauds. Some of these groups do not require any sort of proof of Indian heritage, or if they do ask for genealogy information it is not researched or investigated before membership is grants. In many groups membership is open to people descended from any tribe, or for non-Indians. In almost every case there is some sort of fee involved for joining (or if there isn't a fee they ask members to donate money to the group). Research these groups thoroughly before giving any money to join. While the group may issue a membership card, it is not proof of your Cherokee heritage, and is equivalent to a membership card for a club.

When researching these groups watch for key phrases like "federal status pending" or "we have filed for federal recognition." These statements are, technically, true but they will never be granted federal recognition. Just about any group can file for federal recognition and never follow up on the paperwork, allowing them to insinuate that their paperwork is under consideration.

While these groups may seem harmless, allowing non-recognized Cherokee an opportunity to be a member of a "tribe," many have created problems for the Cherokee tribes which are federally recognized. Most Americans do not know the difference between the various recognized and non-recognized Cherokee groups and find themselves donating money to the wrong groups. Some non-recognized groups have even landed themselves in the newspaper headlines when they attempt to claim land for Cherokee casinos or other ventures. This does nothing but create bad press for all Cherokees, because of the confusion between the groups.

In addition to the non-recognized tribes there are also groups which issue Native American ID cards. These cards are not associated with any tribe and are not recognized by any government agency. These IDs are simply a card which states that the barer is Native American. However the card comes at a high price and really means nothing.

Online Genealogy Resources and Genealogists
One big challenge facing Internet genealogy researchers is bad data. Because of the nature of the internet, anyone can post genealogy information online. It becomes the job of the genealogy researcher to determine if this data is factual and if the sources are reliable. Many people do not understand this and may take what they find as fact, in turn spreading the misinformation on and off line.

Because of the proliferation of bad genealogy data online it is often necessary to access primary documents (e.g. census records, ship records, muster rolls, and Indian rolls). There are a handful of online services that charge a fee for online access to this sort of primary data. Despite the fee, these services are great time savers (and trip to the library savers) and the prices are pretty reasonable. But all online genealogy services are not created equal. Look into the programs -- compare price and offerings before subscribing. I personally recommend Ancestry.com (Ancestry.com Free Trial) They give you a lot of bang for your buck and they offer easy access to the Dawes Rolls (mentioned above regarding tribal citizenship).

If you do not have the time or patience to trace your ancestors on your own, there are a handful of professional Indian genealogists. These people have years of experience working with Indian rolls and other documents. They can help you to determine if your family is eligible for enrollment in any of the federally recognized Cherokee tribes or if you are even of Cherokee heritage. However, before paying money for genealogy services consider two things. First, when you hire a genealogist you are paying for their time, not the results. You cannot demand your money back if the results are not what you wished. In other words, if the genealogist finds out that your family is not Cherokee you are not entitled to a refund. Second, remember that anyone can say they are anybody on the internet. Be sure you know who you are dealing with and that they are legit. Get references and check them, ask for contact information other than an e-mail address. If you have a phone number for the person, call it. Don't part with you're money until you are certain that the person is trustworthy. If they truly are trustworthy, they will welcome your inquiries and afford you all the confidence you need in order to part with your money.

Lastly, remember that you are not alone. Genealogy is the second most popular hobby in the United States. This fact, coupled with the boom in internet access and technology have made genealogy accessible for just about everyone, but it has also muddied the waters. When doing anything on the internet approach with caution, dip a toe in, and be sure you haven't eaten anything in the last half before diving into the deep end. Take you're time, and have fun. Don't worry, your ancestors aren't going anywhere.