Tracing Cherokee Indian Ancestry We receive so many requests for information on how to trace Cherokee Indian ancestry, therefore we have included this special section for it. The information below – “Locating the Dawes Rolls” – is useful for anyone trying to find a lineal ancestor who was a member of one of the Five Civilized Tribes in Oklahoma – the Cherokee Nation, the Chickasaw Nation, the Choctaw Nation, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the Seminole Nation. These are the only federally recognized tribes who use the Dawes Rolls as their base membership rolls.
• A Brief Overview of Cherokee History
About 200 years ago the Cherokee Indians were one tribe, or "Indian Nation," that lived in the southeast part of what is now the United States. During the 1830's and 1840's, the period covered by the Indian Removal Act, many Cherokees were forcibly moved west to what was then termed “Indian Territory” and that is now the state of Oklahoma. A number of Cherokees remained in the southeast and some gathered in North Carolina, where they purchased land and continue to live to this day. Others went into the Appalachian Mountains to escape being moved west and many of their descendants may still live there now.
Today, individuals of Cherokee ancestry fall into at least one of the following categories: (1) Living persons who were listed on the final rolls (Dawes Commission Rolls) of the HUCherokee Nation of OklahomaUH, now known as the Cherokee Nation, that were approved and their descendants. These final rolls were closed in 1907.
(2) Individuals enrolled as members of the HUEastern Band of Cherokee IndiansUH of North Carolina and their descendants who are eligible for enrollment with the Band.
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(3) Persons on the list of members identified by a resolution dated April 19, 1949, and certified by the Superintendent of the BIA’s Five Civilized Tribes Agency, and their descendants who are eligible for enrollment with the HUUnited Keetoowah Band of Cherokee IndiansUH of Oklahoma.
(4) All other persons of Cherokee Indian ancestry.
(1)
CHEROKEE NATION: After about a half century of self-government, a law enacted in 1906 directed that final rolls be made and that each enrollee be given an allotment of land or paid cash in lieu of an allotment. The Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe, formally organized in 1975 with the adoption of a new constitution that superseded one from 1839. The new constitution established a Cherokee Register for the inclusion of any Cherokee person for membership purposes in the Cherokee Nation. Members must be citizens as proven by reference to the Dawes Commission Rolls. Included in this are the Delaware Cherokees of Article II of the Delaware Agreement dated May 8, 1867 (Delaware Indians who were made members of the Cherokee Nation), and the Shawnee Cherokees of Article III of the Shawnee Agreement dated June 9, 1869 (Shawnee Indians who were made members of the Cherokee Nation), and/or their descendants.
P.L. 100-472 authorizes, through a planning and negotiation process, Indian tribes to administer and manage themselves programs, activities, functions, and services previously managed for them by the BIA. Pursuant to P.L. 100-472, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma has entered into a self-governance compact and now provides to their members those services previously provided by the BIA. Enrollment and allotment records also are maintained by the Cherokee Nation. Any questions with regard to Cherokee Nation ancestry and/or enrollment should be referred to:
Cherokee Nation P.O. Box 948 Tahlequah, OK 74465 Phone: (918) 456-0671; Fax: (918) 458-5580 HUwww.cherokee.orgUH
(2) EASTERN BAND OF CHEROKEE INDIANS: The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina is also a federally recognized tribe. It has its own base membership roll, called the Baker Roll, and its own enrollment criteria. Inquiries about the tribe’s enrollment criteria or information shown in the records may be addressed to the tribe at:
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Qualla Boundary, P.O. Box 455 Cherokee, NC 28719 Phone: (828) 497-7000; Fax: (828) 497-7007 HUwww.cherokee-nc.comUH
(3) UNITED KEETOOWAH BAND OF CHEROKEE INDIANS: By the Act of August 10, 1946 (60 Stat. 976), Congress recognized the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma (UKB) for the purposes of organizing under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act. In 1950, the UKB organized under a constitution and by-laws approved by the Secretary of the Interior. Members of the UKB consist of all persons whose names appear on the list of members identified by a resolution dated April 19, 1949, and certified by the Superintendent of the BIA’s Five Civilized Tribes Agency on November 26, 1949Information about ancestry from this tribe and its enrollment requirements may be obtained by contacting: United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma P.O. Box 746 Tahlequah, OK 74465 Phone: (918) 431-1818;Fax: (918) 431-1873
http://www.keetoowahcherokee.org/ (4) ALL OTHER PERSONS OF CHEROKEE ANCESTRY: Information about any Cherokee ancestry of individuals in this category is more difficult to locate, largely because the Federal government has never maintained a listing of all Cherokee Indians and their descendents that also shows their tribal affiliation, degree of Cherokee Indian blood, or other data. If you are trying to establish Cherokee ancestry, you may want to follow the suggestions for researching American Indian ancestry mentioned in this guide.
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Locating the Dawes Rolls The Dawes Commission was organized in 1893 subsequent to the passage of the General Allotment Act that sought to break up the reservation lands of the Five Civilized Tribes in what is now Oklahoma. It was to accept applications for tribal enrollment from American Indians of the Five Civilized Tribes who resided in the Indian Territory, which later became the eastern portion of Oklahoma, between 1899 and 1907.
There are several places to get access to the Dawes rolls to see if your ancestor is listed. Here are three locations:
National Archives and Records Administration
http://www.archives.gov/research/native-americans/dawes/intro.html 1-866-272-6272
Oklahoma Historical Society 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Phone: (405) 521-2491
http://www.okhistory.org/ Tulsa City-County Library 400 Civic Center Tulsa, OK 74103 Phone: (918) 549-7323
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/