My daughter’s Grandfather is part Apache. However he was not aware of any written documentation so we never pursued the status. I have recently become aware of genetic blood testing. Is this a beginning to proving Native American status? Any help you may be able to provide will greatly be appreciated. She currently has a pending application in at JMU
I don’t know of any nations which allow you to enroll simply because your blood shows you’re part Native American.
For almost all tuition, etc purposes you have to actually prove that you’re part of a federally recognized tribe. Furthermore, many if not most have the requirement that you have at least 1/4 NA blood quantum. If the GF was only part Apache, your D won’t qualify for most tuition benefits.
What are you looking for status for? Is it for tuition benefits? A perceived boost due to affirmative action? (I’m not trying to be snarky, I’m genuinely asking.)
It doesn’t sound like you are there in terms of having any proof and it doesn’t sound like your family has any meaningful ties to the Apache community.
Whatever about the other aspects to your question, your daughter will have a response to her application before you can begin to get any proof of her heritage.
@kbdlaw42 you would need to do some serious genealogy research- find your daughter’s ancestor on an official tribal roll then acquire all the birth certificates or death certificates for each person in the direct line from your daughter back to the person on that tribal roll. Then you can send your documentation to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for a CDIB (Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood). Then you may be able to apply to the appropriate tribe for enrollment.
@romanigypsyeyes There are a number of tribes that do not have a blood quantum to be enrolled members.
It does however appear that the Apache require a minimum of 1/8 Indian blood.
Yes, I’m aware.
However, I don’t know of any who enroll you based on stories and a genetic test.
ETA: OH! I see what you’re referring to (I think?). I was referring to tuition benefits, not tribal enrollment with the 1/4 blood quantum.
Blood testing will probably not help unless you are trying to establish a genetic link to someone else. Also, there are at least seven Apache tribes so you would need to know which one you may be descended from.
Here is the [Guide to Tracing American Indian & Alaska Native Ancestry](http://www.indianaffairs.gov/cs/groups/public/documents/text/idc-002619.pdf) from which it comes.
No, the federal government and the tribes both want proof. However a DNA test might give the family a place to start. If no Native DNA shows up there is little to no hope. If there is Native DNA it may be worth looking into further. None of this will help the OP’s daughter this year though.
I imagine that being NA would only be helpful for the purpose of admission if the student were actually connected to a NA community and perhaps had experienced some disadvantage because of it. Colleges want to increase the diversity of their populations, but they also want to boost enrollment of under-enrolled or disadvantaged minority groups. I could be wrong, but I don’t see how a kid with no ties to a community could be considered part of that community.
If I were the OP, I’d pursue this only to research my ancestry and learn about my family. That could be very rewarding!
My kids and I are members of the Choctaw Nation (through direct descent). However, they have always listed their race as Caucasian for official purposes. They have never been involved in tribal activities, etc. Since my last grandparent died, we haven’t even visited the Choctaw Nation. However, 30 years ago, I received a few scholarship offers because of my NA heritage, but not to any college that I actually wanted to attend (mostly because they were in Oklahoma).
My husband and children are proud members of the Choctaw Nation.
I agree with the other posters. Doing genetic testing will only give you an indication of possible lineage.
I was under the impression that you had to be registered and/or be a part of the NA community. We have a NA bloodline, but we weren’t part of the federally recognized tribes, so we aren’t listed. Since we don’t reside in Texas, where the family line is, we aren’t considered a part of our NA “community”.
Don’t know if your daughter has any interest in STEM, but you might try communicating with the Multicultural Affairs Office at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. Mines’ outreach and support of Native students is outstanding. Of course most Native students at Mines are members of the Lakota groups, but not exclusively. By the way, Mines is an excellent STEM university with a great reputation nationally in the academic community and among major employers.
Many tribes don’t use genetic testing because it’s flawed and prefer you trace a relative. I think the govt is now asking for a direct connection to the Dawes List (for various benefits.) But for a college admission tip, it’s problematic if you have no real ties or never pursued this as an interest. I doubt it would help to go to the college and say you neglected to mention this on the app. The time to look into this would have been much earlier in hs.
The colleges that tend to require an enrollment number (for admissions) are those in areas with higher concentrations of Native Americans, to be fair. There are some that may consider based on your say-so. But without any involvement, don’t count on any hook.
actually we are interested in the entire heritage of our children. Neither set of grandparents kept records or cared to talk about their heritage. My mother is from the Philippines but that is all I know. I have no idea how much blood my children have of any heritage. Of course if my children have more blood of Native American than her grand-father cared to admit, then yes we would pursue the appropriate tribe.
I don’t know if her grand-father is ashamed of part or all of his heritage but states he has no records and prefers not to speak of it. The same is true of my mother’s side who are from the Philippines. I have hit a lot of road blocks trying to trace both sides of family heritage.
this is true since we cannot get her grand-father to speak of this. I came her for help not to be attacked.
Thank you for your information but more so your politeness.
@kbdlaw42, I do a lot of family history. Sometimes you can get the older generation to release family info. if you tell them you’re gathering medical information for the grandchildren. If you know that certain kinds of conditions run in your family you can screen for them and benefit from early detection.
Hello, I’m a member of an enrolled tribe, and Nationally recognized activist.
There are 567 Federally recognized tribes, all extremely unique and located throughout our country.
There is no DNA or genetic testing that can establish what tribe you may be from therefore they are inconclusive. Do not buy the DNA kit from the Maury show!
You will need to trace your heritage and lineal descent to an enrolled member of a specific tribe or receive a Certificate degree of Indian blood through the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
This process can takes years and be very expensive because you will need to purchase every birth and death certificate back to the ancestor who was enrolled with a tribe.
Often those certificates will have a different ethnicity listed other than American Indian because many of our elders were afraid to identify as Indian. You will be lucky to find records in tact because many courthouses suffered catastrophes and loss of Records before they were digitally stored.
These are just a few obsticles. Even if you can, all of a sudden prove you are a new race, which you never knew before, or have any clue about. One does not just select a new race, check a box and gain entry to school.
If you discover you’re Native, please learn about your specific tribe, & do it from the elders on the tribal council! Our history books are full of inaccuracies and this is not something you can simply Google to learn about.
Fact: Native Americans suffer from the most despairing statistics of all ethnicities including: 504 % higher rate of alcoholism vs. Non Natives.
Highest dropout rate in high school.
Least represented ethnicity in college.
Highest rate of teen suicide. 2.5÷ higher than National average.
1 in 3 Native girls will suffer a sexual assault.
Native males under 25 suffer the most beatings at the hands of another race.
Our race is the only one depicted has a sports mascot causing misappropriation of our culture and others to mock our traditions.
We are survivors of genocide as there were bounties placed on the scalps of our ancestors and a mass effort to eradicate us.
Being Native is a pride and respect that cannot be learned quickly. It is more than a check in a box.
Learn more at: www.nativeNERDS.org or CNAY.org
I serve as a youth ambassador for President Obama with other exceptional Native youth creating change for our people. Check out Generation Indigenous !
Blessings -