By the 1830s, however, the vast majority of Cherokees still lived within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation, a tract of land that encompassed parts of present-day Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. Unfortunately for the Cherokee, this region was on the frontline of westward settlement expansion, and when gold was discovered beneath their feet, the pressure on Cherokee sovereignty grew ever stronger. For years US settlers and lawmakers debated the question of whether the US government had control over the Cherokee Nation lands. Legally, the Cherokee Nation was to be treated as a separate and wholly-sovereign foreign nation. But this was not the reality, and the boundaries of the nations became further muddied as US citizens continued to push west and settle on lands within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation.

In the 1820s and 1830s, a jurisdictional conflict between the state of Georgia and the Cherokee Nation, became a federal concern and eventually an historical tragedy. The issue arose when Georgia extended its state law to include the Cherokee Nation -- thus declaring the Cherokee laws and government null and void. The Cherokee, however, did not recognize this governing authority and passed their own written constitution asserting their own rights and claim to the territory. Georgia in turn declared this Constitution void.

In 1832, the Cherokee Nation took its case to the Supreme Court who ruled in its favor in the case of Worcester vs. Georgia. The ruling asserted that the state of Georgia did not have authority over the Cherokee Nation and that in fact the Cherokee Nation was a "distinct community, occupying its own territory ... in which the laws of Georgia can have no force, and which the citizens of Georgia have no right to enter but with the assent of the Cherokees themselves or in conformity with treaties and with the acts of Congress." Georgia refused to acknowledge the Supreme Court ruling, and the state had the full support of then President Andrew Jackson, who refused to enforce the ruling.

Simultaneously, in 1830, President Jackson pushed the Indian Removal Act through Congress. This Act passed with little resistance in Washington and gave the president the authority to negotiate treaties with Indian Nations for their removal from Indian lands east of the Mississippi river. The treaties would move Indians to a designated "Indian Territory" located in present-day Oklahoma. If Indians refused to move they would become citizens of the encompassing state and lose all connection to the sovereign Indian nation.

The Cherokee Nation, despite these legal set-backs and the flood of squatters who continued to settle on their lands unabated, would not be moved. They had made it illegal, under the Constitution of the Cherokee Nation, for any Cherokee to sell Cherokee land without express consent of the tribe. Under the leadership of Principal Chief John Ross, the tribe resisted removal and held on to what little sovereignty remained. This policy, though popular, was not universally supported within the tribe. There was a small group of Cherokees who regarded removal as inevitable and wished to enter into a removal treaty with the US government. On December 29, 1835, the Treaty Party met secretly to sign the Treaty of New Echota, which effectively sold the Cherokee land to the US government.

The Cherokee Nation as a governing entity did not recognize this treaty, and Chief Ross organized petitions of protest against the Treaty. The US government did, however, recognize the treaty and ratified it in 1836. The removal date was set for 1838, and any Cherokees who had not voluntarily vacated the Cherokee lands by then were to be forcibly removed.

In 1835 the Henderson Roll (sometimes referred to as the "Removal Roll") counted over 16,000 Cherokees who were to be removed from the land pursuant to the terms of the Treaty of New Echota. The roll lists the head of household and the state where the family resided (Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, or North Carolina).

With the signing of the Treaty of New Echota in 1835 came a steady stream of westward Cherokee migration. Many Cherokees, including the members of the Treaty Party, moved to the designated Cherokee lands within Indian Territory, but some Cherokee moved elsewhere -- settling in Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas. In May 1838 those Cherokees who had remained on their land were roused from their homes, corralled into stockades, and made to walk to Indian Territory. This tragic episode in Native American history is called the Trail Where They Cried, or the Trail of Tears, and thousands of lives were lost.

By 1839 the Trail of Tears had ended and the Cherokee Nation, as a governing body, was located in Indian Territory. The Cherokee who arrived on the Trail of Tears were joining those Cherokee who had already settled in Indian Territory prior to removal -- roughly one-third of the tribe. The two groups worked together to rebuild their community with the establishment of a constitution in 1839; a courthouse and schools soon followed. Those Cherokee who had settled in Indian Territory prior to removal came to be known as the "Old Settlers" and in 1851 the Old Settlers Roll was taken to document those Old Settlers who were still living.

In the next year, 1852, a census roll was taken of the surviving Cherokee who had been new arrivals to Indian Territory in 1838-1839 with the Trail of Tears. This roll was called the Drennen Roll.

The turn of the 20th century brought a new push from the US. The tide of westward expansion had once again made its way to the doorstep of the Cherokee Nation. "Intruders" had been moving onto Cherokee land for some time, and now it seemed that a new generation of settlers and entrepreneurs was poised at the edge of Cherokee lands, coveting and quietly invading the area. With the US government turning a blind eye, the Cherokee were left to defend their sovereignty and the right to control their own borders, but were ultimately left with little recourse for removing squatters.

At the root of this cultural clash was a fundamental ideological difference regarding land usage. The US was founded on the principle of private land ownership, a stark contrast to the largely communal social organization of the Cherokees. The Cherokee Nation fought to maintain its own land usage policies, in spite of repeated attempts by the US government to encourage parsing the land for individual ownership. Eventually the pressure became too great and the Cherokee Nation again experienced a devastating blow to their culture and community.

In 1893 the Dawes Commission, led by Senator Henry L. Dawes, was formed to negotiate the final dissolution of the Cherokee Nation and the allotment of land to its citizens. After much debate the Cherokee eventually agreed to allotment. In theory, every eligible Cherokee living within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation would be allotted 110 acres of "average grade land." Then, once enrollment and final counts were confirmed, the Cherokee Nation would be forever dissolved, and the Cherokee people would become residents of the Oklahoma Territory (the state of Oklahoma as of 1907) and citizens of the US. However, this allotment was most beneficial to the US because even with every eligible Cherokee receiving an allotment, it still freed vast tracts of land not allotted, which could be made available for white settlement.

To compound this unfortunate tragedy, the roll did not count every eligible Cherokee. Many Cherokee made the decision not to enroll in this latest in a series of broken treaties and agreements. In particular, the majority of Nighthawk Keetoowahs, a very traditional group of Cherokees, refused to sign the roll. In addition, some Cherokee were discouraged or disallowed to enroll. As a final insult, the enrollment offices were flooded with a glut of non-Cherokees looking for free land. There were an estimated 100,000 Cherokees eligible for enrollment, but the enrollment offices were overwhelmed with a whopping 300,000 applications. Of this, the final Dawes Roll included roughly 6,600 full-bloods, 30,000 mixed-bloods, 300 intermarried whites, and 5,000 freedmen (former slaves).

In 1907, the Oklahoma territory became a state and it seemed the Cherokee Nation was history. But not so -- in 1975 the Cherokee Nation was reformed under a new Constitution and regained federal recognition as a tribe. To determine enrollment eligibility in the newly formed Cherokee Nation, the tribe turned to the Dawes Roll as the final record of Cherokee Nation citizens. Today, citizenship in the Cherokee Nation is based solely on legally-proven direct descent from a signer of the Dawes Roll. Since 1975, the Cherokee Nation population has swelled to over 200,000 members and is one of the largest Indian nations in the US.

The Cherokee Nation, however, is not the only federally-recognized Cherokee tribe today. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is a smaller nation in North Carolina with an entirely different historical experience and its own set of rolls.

In 1838, when the Cherokee Nation was moved to Indian Territory, there were over 1,000 Cherokees who avoided removal. Many of these Cherokees managed to escape removal by hiding in the Appalachian Mountains, while others were able to escape the removal through legal channels. Surviving signers of the 1817 Reservation Roll were technically US citizens, not Cherokee Nation citizens, and were thus able to avoid removal.

The North Carolina Cherokee occupied a precarious position for many years as federal agents searched the area for more Cherokee to remove to Indian Territory. It wasn't until 1848 that the US government agreed to recognize North Carolina Cherokees, provided the state of North Carolina would likewise grant them permanent residency. The Mullay Roll lists the 1,500+ Cherokees who remained in North Carolina after removal.

In 1850 an Act of Congress declared that the North Carolina Cherokee were entitled to a per capita payment based on the terms of the Treaty of New Echota. The Siler Roll of 1851 listed around 1,700 Eastern Cherokee entitled to this payment. This was followed by the Chapman Roll in 1852, which listed all Eastern Cherokee who had actually received these payments. Then in 1854, Congress acted again when they added 88 names to the original Siler Roll in the aptly named Act of Congress Roll.

By 1866 North Carolina finally recognized the Eastern Cherokee, and in 1868 a new Act of Congress called for a new census of the Cherokee in North Carolina. The Swetland Roll of 1869 listed those Cherokee (and their descendants) on the earlier Mullay Roll who still remained in North Carolina. With the issues of legal status in the state of North Carolina now resolved the Eastern Cherokee could again operate as a tribe, electing a principal chief in 1870 and establishing the Qualla Boundary as the Eastern Cherokee reservation.

The Hester Roll, the fifth census of the Eastern Cherokee, was compiled in 1883. The roll is an extensive audit of the Eastern Cherokee, including nearly 3,000 Cherokees. It lists all of the Eastern Cherokee listed in the four previous rolls, with their whereabouts noted (e.g. whether they've dead, if they've moved, or whether they remain a member of the Eastern Cherokee). This roll includes Eastern Cherokee living in California, New Jersey, and many places in between. Soon after in 1889, the Eastern Cherokee were incorporated and title to the Qualla Boundary was transferred from government trust to ownership by the corporation.

Later in 1908, the Churchill Roll was administered to certify members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

In 1924, when all American Indians were granted US citizenship, the US Government took the Baker Roll of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. This roll, like the Dawes Roll in the west, was intended to be the final roll of the Eastern Cherokee. The plan was to allot the land, just as they had done in Oklahoma, but the Eastern Cherokee managed to avoid this fate and maintain their tribal status.

Today, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians counts over 12,500 members, with more than half living on Cherokee lands which encompass over 56,000 acres in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. The land is now individually owned, but the titles can only transfer to other tribal members. Enrollment in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians requires an Eastern Cherokee blood quantum of 1/16th or greater and a direct lineal ancestor on the Baker Roll.

In addition to the Cherokee rolls specific to each of the two main Cherokee groups, there was one roll which existed outside of any specific boundary. The Guion Miller Roll of 1909 came about as the result of a lawsuit won by the Eastern Cherokee. It was a roll taken to document monetary reparations for broken treaties. In order to be entitled to payment a person had to be an Eastern Cherokee or a descendant of an Eastern Cherokee at the time of the treaty violations. As a result, this roll included both Eastern Cherokee and those living in the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory.

II. Where Do We Go From Here -- Tracing Your Family To The Rolls

Now, that we've explored the Cherokee rolls, it's time to trace our own family history to these documents. But, this is often the most difficult part, because when it comes to "proof" in genealogy there is only one set of resources we can rely on -- primary-source documents.

Primary-source documents, if you're wondering, are legally recognized government records. There are nine types of primary-source documents: birth, death, marriage, census, probate, land, military, church, and court records. When tracing your genealogy, always try to use primary sources. Family stories and query boards on the internet are not considered primary sources, so you'll need to use primary-source documents to back up any information you've received to this point. Bible records, obituaries, newspaper clippings, published family histories, county histories, personal papers, and tombstone inscriptions are considered secondary sources, which can be very helpful as supporting information, but cannot provide "proof."

Of the various forms of primary-source documents, census records are particularly helpful. They offer vital statistics and help to paint a picture of a day-in-the-life of our ancestors. The records include very basic data, such as name, age, gender, and race, but also delve into much greater detail. For example, did you know that the 1910 census notes whether an individual was a Civil War veteran? Genealogy gold!

What's most exciting about the census is that it captures information on an individual's entire household. Often, in addition to information about your specific ancestor, you will find information about that person's parents, siblings, spouse, and/or children. This peripheral information can help you advance to the next branch in your family tree. When looking at census data, consider the following:

When it comes to the census records, however, there is a downside. First, the census records are not always accurate. Census-taking was once conducted through door-to-door interviews, so mistakes were bound to happen. Therefore, it's important to corroborate census data with other sources, including: multiple census records, birth and death records, Indian rolls, immigration and military records, family records and stories, etc. Also, there are some gaps in the federal census records. For example, the 1890 census was destroyed by fire in 1921. Of the some 63 million records taken, a whopping 6,160 remain -- fragments from Alabama, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas. Additionally, the census records are only available up to 1930. In the interest of our privacy, the federal government does not release census records to the public for 72 years. So the 1940 census will not be available for research until 2012.

Lastly, and most importantly in the context of this report, census records only counted those individuals who were citizens of the United States and eligible for congressional representation, which means that Cherokees who lived in Indian Territory were not included on the federal census records until 1900.

Throughout the second half of the 19th century a handful of census records were taken within Indian Territory. However, these are not your ordinary census records. In 1860 the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, was still considered separate from the US, and citizens of the Cherokee Nation were not citizens of the US and could not be counted toward congressional representation. However, non-Indian residents of Indian Territory were considered US citizens and were counted in the census. In the 1860 Federal Census, non-Indian residents of Indian Territory were listed as residents of the "Country West of the State of Arkansas."

The late 19th century is considered the "golden age" of the Cherokee Nation. It's easy to see why. The Cherokees had built for themselves a constitutional government, court system, and even a prison. The Cherokee Nation excelled at education, in fact, the Cherokee Female Seminary was the first school west of the Mississippi dedicated to the education of women. And it was at this time that the Cherokee even had their own census. The 1880 Cherokee Nation Census lists all Cherokees living within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation.

The 1900 Federal Census was the first and last time that all citizens and residents of Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, were counted in the federal census. By the next census, in 1910, Indian Territory was dissolved into the new state of Oklahoma.

Now, with information gleaned from the census records and other primary source-documents you will have a clearer picture of how your family history figures into Cherokee history. Did your ancestors live in Oklahoma, or Indian Territory? If yes, then you would do best to focus on those rolls taken of the Cherokee Nation. However, if your family lived in North Carolina (or eastern Tennessee) they might be found on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians rolls.

III. Quest for Tribal Citizenship

Most who start a search for their Cherokee ancestors have their hopes set on tribal citizenship. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people researching Cherokee ancestry will find that tribal citizenship is not based on Cherokee heritage alone. In fact, citizenship standards for the federally-recognized tribes are each unique, wholly-independent, and rigid.

A. Cherokee Nation Tribal Citizenship

The largest of the Cherokee tribes, the Cherokee Nation now has over 200,000 tribal citizens. Headquartered in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the Nation covers a fourteen county region of the northeastern Oklahoma. The tribe was disbanded in the early 20th century with the Dawes Roll, the "final" roll of the Cherokee Nation. Those people who signed the Dawes Rolls were certified as the citizens of the Cherokee Nation at its close and were allotted land. In 1975, when the tribe reformed they turned to the Dawes Roll for their citizenship requirements. The Dawes Roll, being the last legal record of Cherokee Nation citizenship, became the basis for all future citizenship.

In order to be a citizen of the Cherokee Nation you must prove that you are directly descended from someone registered on the Dawes Roll as "Cherokee by blood."

If you found your ancestor's name listed on the Dawes Roll results above then there is a chance that you meet the requirements for becoming a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. First, you need to request a copy of the full Dawes Commission file for further clarification and confirmation. The Dawes Roll includes the following data points for each enrollee:

Now, with a copy of the Dawes Commission file, you will need to prove that you are a direct descendant from the individual. To do this you must use primary source documents, as mentioned before. Once you have the ancestry line documented, you will be able to apply for a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) and Cherokee Nation tribal citizenship.

The CDIB, also known as the "white card," is issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) through the Cherokee Nation and is official recognition of your tribal affiliation as well as your degree of Indian blood (blood quantum) based on the blood quantum stated by your ancestor on the Dawes Roll. Tribal citizenship (blue card) certifies you as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and makes you eligible to vote in tribal elections.

Keep in mind that of the estimated 100,000 eligible Cherokees, only about 41,500 actually enrolled on the Dawes Roll. It's entirely possible that you are descended from a Cherokee who was living within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation, but who was not enrolled. Unfortunately there is little consolation. Enrollment in the existing Cherokee Nation is not possible without a Dawes Roll ancestor. Ironically, it was some of the most traditional Cherokees who were not listed, and today their descendents remain outside of the Cherokee Nation.

If your ancestors were living outside the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation at the time of the Dawes Rolls, then they were considered legal citizens of the US and therefore could not also be citizens of the Cherokee Nation. Cherokees who relocated to Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, and other states were not eligible for enrollment and likewise their descendants today are not eligible to become citizens of the Cherokee Nation, even if they are able to prove their Cherokee lineage.

B. Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Citizenship

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians counts over 12,500 members and is headquartered in the Quallah Boundary, a reservation in North Carolina. Like the Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Band also uses their "final roll" as criteria for tribal enrollment; however, the Eastern Band also requires a minimum blood quantum.

In order to become a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians you must prove that you are directly descended from someone registered on the Bakers Roll and that your Eastern Cherokee blood quantum is 1/16th or greater.

If you found your ancestor's name listed on the Baker Roll results above then there is a possibility that you meet the requirements for becoming a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. First, you need to request a copy of the full Baker Roll file for further clarification and confirmation. The Baker Roll includes the following data points for each enrollee:

With a copy of the Baker Roll file, you will need to prove that you are a direct descendant from the individual. To do this you must use primary source documents, as mentioned before. If you are able to document a direct ancestral link then you've met one of the requirements for tribal citizenship. Now you will need to calculate your blood quantum to see if you meet the second requirement.

1. The Question of Quantum

To calculate your blood quantum, look at your ancestor's blood quantum field on the Baker roll. You will need to start with your ancestor's quantum and work down to yourself -- algebra rears its ugly head.

Hypothetically, say your grandfather is on the Baker Roll with a blood quantum of 4/4 (full-blood) and your grandmother is also listed on the Baker Roll with a blood quantum of 4/4, and your parents are both full-blood -- then it's easy: you are a full-blood too. But for mixed-bloods it's not so easy. Let's say your grandfather is 1/2 Eastern Band Cherokee and he marries a non-Cherokee -- then his daughter, your mother, would be 1/4 Eastern Band Cherokee. Now, your mother marries a man who is 1/8 Cherokee -- this makes you 3/16 Cherokee. Confused yet?

It's actually fairly straightforward if you just remember a few rules about fractions and then throw them all out, because with quantum it's a little bit different. First, remember that the two denominators (the bottom numbers) must be equal. So in the example above, the equation 1/4 + 1/8 would actually need to be written 2/8 + 1/8 (2/8 is mathematically equivalent to 1/4). Now, simply add the top numbers together. But here is where it gets strange -- in a normal fraction calculation you would add only the top two numbers, but with quantum you add both numbers, top and bottom. So here we would arrive at the number 3/16.

Why? Well, with quantum you should consider the fractions as parts. So in the case of the mother who is 2/8 Cherokee, she is 2 out of 8 parts Cherokee. The father is 1 out of 8 parts Cherokee. Through their union, a child is born who has now inherited eight parts from his mother and eight parts from his father for a total of sixteen parts, and three of these sixteen parts are Cherokee. Sounds weird, I know, but that's how the math works.

So, let's try it with some bigger numbers: one ancestor is 1/16 and the other is 1/4 (for this equation 1/4 will be represented as 4/16). Now, we add the numbers together and have a Cherokee with 5/32 blood quantum. But what does this mean in terms of the 1/16 minimum requirement? Actually, this person meets the minimum requirement. Why? One-sixteenth is mathematically equal to 2/32, so a person with 5/32 quantum exceeds the minimum 1/16 requirement.

Here are a few more examples:

Keep in mind that in 1924 the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians was relatively small and close knit, so it is unlikely that you will uncover a long lost connection to this band. It's not out of the realm of possibility, but you should approach your search with realistic expectations.

If you find that you are descended from someone on the Baker Rolls but your blood quantum prevents you from joining, consider that at least you have the much-coveted proof so many seek. Though your quantum may not be enough to join the Eastern Band, it doesn't prevent you from cultivating Cherokee culture and history in yourself and your family.

C. United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Citizenship

Did you know that there are three Cherokee tribes recognized by the federal government? The first two, the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, have already been covered at length in this report. The third, or actually second in terms of chronology of federal status, is the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (UKB). The UKB was organized under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 and the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1936. Citizenship requires a blood quantum of 1/4 or higher and is limited to persons on the list of members identified by a resolution dated April 19, 1949, and their descendants.

IV. What Now? My Ancestors Are Not On the Dawes or Baker Rolls

If your ancestors were living in Indian Territory or the Qualla Boundary and you know that they were Cherokee, then consider checking for other family names on these two rolls. Perhaps it was your great grandmother, and not your great grandfather (as your family had always believed), who was Cherokee. Exhaust all possibilities in your family tree.

Unfortunately, there were a number of Cherokee who moved away from the Cherokee lands. After repeated broken treaties and rolls, some Cherokee were fed up with it all. Some groups moved as far as they could from the US government -- to Mexico -- while others gave up their Cherokee citizenship and moved into the US. Those Cherokee who left the Cherokee Nation or the Eastern reservation would lose their citizenship and no longer be counted in the rolls. If your family lived in Texas, Indiana, Missouri, or many other locations outside of the two main boundaries, then you will likely find it difficult to trace your family to the later rolls. Since tribal citizenship in the Cherokee Nation and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is based on enrollment in the Dawes and Bakers Rolls, it's likely you will not be able to qualify for tribal citizenship.

However, because of the ongoing Cherokee diaspora it's important to look for ancestors on all of the rolls, not just the two "final rolls." It's very possible, and somewhat common that an individual can trace his or her family heritage back to one of the older rolls, but not the two rolls used as the basis for tribal enrollment. So don't overlook the earlier rolls. They won't provide an opportunity for enrollment in the tribes, but they are legal "proof" just the same.

A. Can DNA Testing Prove That I'm Cherokee?

Welcome to the 21st century. It's like a bad sci-fi movie where genealogy no longer refers to ancestors but instead to chromosomes. Call me old fashioned, but where's the fun in that? I thought genealogy was supposed to be about learning the story of your family, not genetically assigning an ethnicity to your chromosomal make-up.

But enough of my editorializing. The reality is, even if we wanted to find our "proof" in our DNA, we can't -- at least not yet. It's true that there have been studies into the "Native American" DNA genetic markers. Scientists believe that if a person has these genetic markers in their DNA he or she is probably Native American. But the keyword here is "probably."

Why? Well it's not an exact science. There are two ways to test for Native American heritage in DNA -- mitochondrial DNA and the Y-chromosome. Mitochondrial DNA is passed through a continuous matrilineal line (e.g. mother's-mother's-mother's). So, if you are a mixed-blood and your Cherokee heritage came from your mother's father, then you will test negative for the Native American gene. The other testing method, Y-chromosome, also suffers from this problem. Since women do not have a Y-chromosome this test will only come up positive if you are male and your Native American ancestry was passed to you, unbroken, through a male line in your family. And, even if you test positive, it's still not conclusive proof, as it turns out that the "Native American" genetic markers are often also present in some ethnic groups in Asia, southern Europe, and the Pacific Islands.

Even if your DNA tests positive for Native American heritage this will still not be enough for citizenship in any recognized Indian tribe. The DNA tests cannot differentiate between tribes. So there is no way to conclusively prove that you are "Cherokee." In addition, and most importantly, tribal citizenship is not based on genetics. It is based on family history.

The best we can hope for is that genetic technology will eventually work with genealogy to give us a full understanding of where we come from. At Brigham Young University a study is underway to try and create a genetically based world family tree that will link everyone together based on our DNA. This could aid genealogists in finding conclusive connections between generations -- a sort of hybrid science-history. Using both history and science to know our ancestors is likely to be the future of genealogy.

B. Are There Other Tribes I Can Join?

Yes and no. Remember that there are only three federally-recognized Cherokee tribes. However, there are several state-recognized Cherokee groups, which are only recognized in their respective states. If one of these groups is in your state, you'll need to contact them about their membership policies.

In addition, there are also countless other non-recognized groups that claim Cherokee roots. More often than not these groups are heritage societies and social clubs with Cherokee cultural connections that are worthwhile to explore (they often share traditions, recipes, genealogy information and tons more great information).

Unfortunately, there are also a number of less reputable groups. Be wary of any group calling itself a "tribe" that charges a fee to join or asks for donations. Do your research before joining any group. Read their website and literature, ask around, find out what they are about -- know what you are joining before you sign your name to anything. Additionally, the so-called "Native American ID cards," which are issued for a modest fee, are not legitimate and carry no real meaning. It's sad that we should have to operate on this level of suspicion and mistrust, but it will be necessary as long as people continue to exploit the Cherokee name.

IX. In Conclusion: Seeing the Forest for the Trees

I sincerely hope this report will help lead you to the ancestors and the "proof" of Cherokee ancestry you seek. Unfortunately, finding conclusive proof is often an elusive goal. You may find that you are one of the many Cherokees who are ineligible to join one of the three federally-recognized Cherokee tribes. Don't let that hamper your enthusiasm for Cherokee culture and history. What matters most is who you know you are - not what you can prove to others. Be proud of your Cherokee heritage, proven or not.