Indian Heritage

I would like to know my percentage of my Indian heritage.  My grandmother Charlotte Carter was a full blood Cherokee.  My other grandmother was 1/2 chaos Indian.  Thank you very much. 

Hello Sharita 

Thank you for posting your question on History Hub!

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the repository of the historical, non-current records of the U.S. Government. We provide information about our records, make them available in our research rooms, and provide copies of records for a fee. We are not involved in determining tribal citizenship or eligibility for tribal benefits.

To become a citizen of a federally recognized tribe, one must meet the citizenship requirements set out by the tribe in their constitution. This usually consists of demonstrating direct descent from an individual who is listed on the tribe’s historical census or annuity rolls, although citizenship requirements vary between tribes. Each tribe manages its own enrollment lists; there is no single registry of all individuals of Native American heritage.

To inquire about the possibility of obtaining citizenship in a federally recognized tribe, you will therefore want to contact the tribe directly. Contact information for federally recognized tribes can be found on the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Tribal Leaders Directory page (https://www.bia.gov/tribal-leaders-directory).

Some tribes base citizenship on records that are now in NARA’s custody. If you contact a tribe and they refer you to census or annuity rolls in NARA’s custody, you may reach back out to us, and we can direct you to the NARA facility that houses those records. You can email us at inquire@nara.gov.

We hope this assists you with your research!