I am a registered (at birth) member of a tribe with an enrollment number. My mother, grandfather, great-grandmother and her mother all were registered with numbers. My great-grandmother went to one of the “Indian schools” that tried to make them assimilate, and she did. We have maintained a connection to the tribe, but I am 1/16 blood and culturally WASP (the other 15/16). Will colleges count this?
The short answer is: it depends.
Unless prohibited by law, a college can make its own determination of what is a URM and how much of a bump, if any, it will play in the admissions process.
It will count if you are trying to attend one of the colleges that gives free tuition for tribal membership.
A tribal member is a tribal member. It “counts”
A high stat NA is a unicorn for highly selective colleges. Hopefully you fall in that category.
@MagisLudi What do you mean by, “Does it count?” Have you been active with your tribe?