Dear Friends,
There apparently is a need to clarify the issue of Citizenship with a Tribal Nation and ethnic descent.
There are those individuals who do not either represent the official position of the Cherokee Nation, nor this project that have continually taken it upon themselves in numerous postings in our boards to give the false impression that to not find your ancestors on the Rolls is an indication they were not Cherokee, or that you as an individual will not be able to prove Cherokee descent by reason of their not being present on the rolls.
These types of postings have proven to be very offensive to some of you, so please understand that such views are not consistent with traditional Indian values nor are they the views held by those who support this project.
We neither support such ideology, nor will we in the future. This is an American Indian project designed to aid families and is operated by American Indian People.
If you desire a lookup on the rolls, or you wish to search the records we have online, please visit:
http://www.comanchelodge.com/cherokee-rolls.htmlFree Lookups & Roll Search
The scope of this project is not to DISPROVE one's Cherokee Lineage but rather to aid in the discovery of your ancestors. The project for which these query systems were designed does not consider Citizenship with an Indian Nation in the same light as genetic genealogical descent or ethnicity.
To compare the two is really apples and oranges from a genealogical standpoint. Those that seek to determine ones ethnicity based on roll numbers clearly has never been a member of an Indian community, nor is representative of Indian Country.
Please understand that MOST Indian people do not confuse the rolls used for Citizenship and one's ethnic background. Those that hold such views are a very small minority in Indian Country, and generally they are not genealogists.
One does not exclude one's African-American heritage because they can't find their ancestors on Slave Schedules anymore than the Jewish people exclude families because they can't trace their lineage directly to the Torah.
Such an approach to genealogical discovery is NOT responsible, nor is such idealisms welcomed by most American Indian genealogists.
In fact, it is offensive to most Indian people to be limited to being enumerated as a means to determine their cultural and genealogical background.
Government policies exist and we acknowledge that fact. This does not mean Indian People subscribe to the acceptance of such views as the means to determine whether one is of Native blood or not.
There have always for instance been fullblood Indian people, who have objected to being enumerated, just as many Indian people today STILL refuse to partake in Federal Census for the same purpose.
To espouse the opinion that they are not Cherokee because they are not on the Dawes Rolls is ridiculous and unethical.
Responsible genealogy is based on the truth. There were people enrolled, and there were people not enrolled. Being a citizen of a Nation has NEVER determined one's ethnicity.
One can live in the United States and yet still be English without being enrolled in London, one can live in the USA and still be Chinese and yet never have been a citizen of China.
People that continue to support genocidal views in respect to Dawes, as an end all to Cherokee Genealogy does NOT represent the majority of Indian Country.
An example would be this.. Some of my Cherokee ancestors were Indian Scouts for the colonies during the Revolutionary War. They were given citizenship to the United States after the war as a result of their service.
Does that mean because they lived Pre-Dawes and became citizens of the U.S. that they were no longer Cherokee Indian?
Nope! The proof that they did not cease being Cherokee Indians is pretty evident in the fact that these pages exist as a direct result of my Indian Heritage.
Ethnicity is NOT the same as Citizenship.
Those that continue to cloud this issue are not welcome to participate in this project; there are other venues for people who espouse such views and we leave them to their own repose.
These boards were not designed to weed out who is Cherokee and who is not; these boards are designed for the discovery of one's family history.
I don't care if you live in Sri Lanka or Siberia, if you have reason to believe your ancestors were Cherokee Indian, I invite you to post your queries here whether they lived before or after the Dawes Rolls.
The reason we have these query boards are not to confirm whether the families being posted on these boards are present on the Dawes or Baker Rolls, but rather to give families the opportunity to share their Cherokee family history with those who might have additional information.
Indian People have traditionally refused to allow the federal government to determine who they are as a people.
My advice to Indian genealogy researchers is consistent with that tradition. So my advice is to not become too ruffled when people who tout thousands of records at their disposal are attempting to say your family is not Cherokee because you do not appear in their database. :o)
People with those views have obviously never been a member of a close knit Indian Community. Fair enough? :o)
Most elders I know don't own a database or a computer, so just keep things in perspective when doing your Cherokee research.
The key is patience and to start at the basics!
Please review our Cherokee HelpGuide for learning to document your ancestors:
http://www.comanchelodge.com/cherokee-enrollment.htmlCherokee Genealogical HelpGuide.
It is very important to remember that Citizenship is NOT the same as Ethnicity. This project was NOT designed to glean those Cherokees who qualify for Dawes from those that don't. This project is for family's period.
It is my humble opinion that those who cloud the issue of Citizenship with one's ethnicity are NOT representing the American Indian People, but rather their own skewed views contrary to the majority of Native peoples.
While Rolls ARE important, a roll number or your name on a list does NOT determine one's ethnic background; Rolls are either for treaty reparations or Citizenship.
Just because one is not present on a Census does not mean they did not exist, it merely means they are not on the Census and any other conclusion other than that is not responsible genealogy.
A lack of appearing on a roll MAY determine one's legal citizenship as is required by Federal Law, however it most assuredly does not determine one's ethnic background.
You may not be eligible for a CDIB because your grandparents were not on the Dawes, but that does not mean your great-great grandparents were not Indian. Make Sense? :o)
For those that want to confirm the presence of Indian Blood, we have launched our DNA Surnames project, which has proven to be highly successful!
http://www.comanchelodge.com/cherokee-blood.htmlCherokee by Blood DNA Surname Project.
Citizenship with a Nation is NOT the same as determining ethnicity of American Indian People. Those that fail to approach American Indian Genealogical issue in a manner consistent with American Indian values are those who are not representative of Indian Country.
I hope this helps give some understanding.
Many Blessings!
-Darren
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