What is the best way to prove you are native american?

Question

My mom is trying to prove she is native american how is the best way to do this.Please help

Answer 1

Who do you need to prove it to, a better question would be why.

Answer 2

What I think you mean by prove is to becomen enrolled in her tribe. Once she is enrolled she will have certain rights as a Native person. It is true that no one needs to prove their ethnic identity but to have full access to rights for Native people one must be enrolled.

To become enrolled your mother first should call her tribe and find out the enrollment requirements. They are different per tribe.
For most tribes you have to prove descendency and have a certain blood quantum. To prove descendency your mother needs to have some record of her belonging to a member of the tribe that was recognized by the tribe at some point, hopefully an individual that was enrolled at some point. The average blood quantum standard is 1/4. Unless you are Cherokee, they pretty much accept any blood quantum.

Many Native people can never become enrolled because standards of enrollment are high and were set up by the White government to oppress Native people and Native people have yet to change them.

To become more involved in her culture your mother might want to look up local Native organizations or local tribes. Try going to Pow-wow's (because they are easy to find) and talk to community members there. Many colleges/universities have a Native student union where one can get involved or get more information.

Please remember ancestry is very difficult for many Native people.

By the way, I am Native, so I have some experience with this.

Answer 3

If your mom is indeed Native, then she has no need to prove it, because that is who she is. If there is a need to "prove" anything about her heritage then apparently she has not been involved in her culture. Is she just now trying to prove it? Has she been living as another race all of this time?

Since your mom is Native American, as you say then all she has to do is contact some of her Indian relatives and they should be able to give her all the information she needs. If she has not been active in her Native community or involved with her family, then it may be a bit difficult. She should just contact her tribal office to get the info she needs.

Answer 4

You have to do a genealogy of your family and prove your ancestry. Is she trying to get money or something? That seems to be the current trend. I have a friend who is less than 1/32 Native American and he thinks he's nearly full blooded with that. He's gone completely off the edge with this. He goes to Pow Wow's in Oklahoma and the whole bit. He's nearly 70 years old and is now letting his hear grow long. His skin is so white it's nearly blinding. Why do people do this? He's tried to get me to look my ancestry up. I just tell him my folks were the ones on the other end of the rifle back in the good ol' days... Makes him so mad he can't stand it. He has now left his wife for a medicine woman who is also as white as a sheet. I also have a good friend who is full Delaware Indian and he laughs at this whole thing going on now.

Answer 5

this may surprise you. Family Bibles are considered official birth records and can prove your mothers ansestry. If not, gather letters that have been written in the distant past.

Or go to county records of births; you may be surprised that many even non hospital births were recorded.

Military records are also good sources like her Grandfather, and then just show the marriage certificates and birth certificates that link them together.

And of course there may be ways of doing in by DNA analysis.

Answer 6

If you are NA you're assigned a role number at birth by your tribe. What tribe is she from? She must contact her tribe and trace her parentage to prove she is Native, and have a role number assigned.

Answer 7

Why does she have to prove it? I have American Indian (from my Dad) in my bloodline & I don't have to prove it to anyone. I just tell everyone about it.

Answer 8

Sounds like you want in on the Indian goodies.

Answer 9

Find ancestors who are registered in tribal records.

Answer 10

Prove it to who and why?