Further, they write, “When establishing descent
from an Indian tribe for membership and enrollment
purposes, the individual must provide genealogical
documentation. The documentation must prove that the
individual lineally descends from an ancestor who was
a member of the federally recognized tribe from which
the individual claims descent.”
What’s more, each tribe is its own sovereign nation,
and each has its own membership criteria. Some tribes
have strict blood quantum requirements as high as
50%, while others ask for other specific descendancy
documentation. As such, just because one can
demonstrate Indian heritage in no way guarantees
membership into the tribal rolls.
ADULT ADOPTEES AND
LOST RECORDS
Tragically, many Native children were taken from their
communities and placed in non-Native homes where
their lack of identity haunted them. When the Indian
Child Welfare Act was passed in 1978, research
indicated that one in every three Native children was
being removed from their homes. Often these removals
led to adoption by non-Native families who lacked the
relationships or commitment to keep their adopted
children connected to their extended families, tribes,
and cultures. Given these numbers, it is no surprise
that thousands of Native adults search for their roots
today.
Until recently, what information existed of tribal
relations was seldom shared with adoptees. During
the military era and assimilationist period of federal
Indian policy, claiming to be an Indian could literally
be a matter of life and death. The distancing from
Native roots that occurred as a result—although
intended to ensure survival—also created a strong
current of shame in successive generations. Severing
ties was common, and, for many, records were not
written down.
For these reasons, there are many people today
who have only an ambiguous notion of where their
Indian heritage originates. NICWA receives inquiries
every week from adult adoptees who were removed
from their tribal communities and others who are
simply trying to determine their relationship to a
tribe. Unfortunately, scarce information and few
resources make the research more challenging, but
not impossible.
First, one should determine to the best of his or
her ability from which area of the country he or she
was adopted. A rudimentary example would be if an
adoptee was living on the East Coast with a wealthy
family, but knew he or she was adopted in South
Dakota, research could focus on the tribes in that
area, the Lakota, the Dakota, or the Nakota people.
Then, tribal enrollment offices can be contacted to
enlist their help. This type of inquiry may be enough
to alert the community of someone’s desire to
reconnect with home. Many adult adoptees share
similar stories of reaching out to a tribal community
where they had only the vaguest knowledge of a
familial connection. Unbeknownst to them, close-knit
families like those on reservations are aware that a
relative was lost during the adoption era and may
welcome the relative back.
This optimism just doesn’t seem to fit in with the
terrible feelings of displacement that many American
Indian and Alaska Native people feel who have
been taken from their Native communities. The most
committed researcher may become daunted when
the BIA suggests consulting an adoption attorney
for assistance in opening sealed adoption papers to
Tracing Native Ancestry| December 2019
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