FINDING YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE

“Over a hundred years ago Black Elk had a vision of the time when Indian people would heal from the devastating effects of European migration. In his vision the Sacred Hoop, which had been broken, would be mended in seven generations. The children born into this decade will be the seventh generation”.

FINDING YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE

There are many people who while not being full blood native Americans do have ancestors that were Indians. If you think that there is any chance that you may have some Native American ancestry in your family it may be worth your while to check it out and find out the truth about your ancestry. There are a variety of reasons people begin to look into the past to find out if the do have Native American ancestry. Some people are interested in the benefits that are available from the government and in being able to become part of a tribe recognized by the government. Other people just want to know about their past and where they came from, along with their family histories and traditions. Others want to verify if a handed down family story, passed from generation to generation that they descended from an Indian, is fact or fiction.

My husband’s mother told me of their traditional family story about their Delaware lineage. Several generations ago her family had a farm in Buck's County Pennsylvania, traditional homelands of the Lenape Delaware. A band of the Delaware Indians came through and set-up their encampment on the Slife farms lower back quarter along the creek. After a short stay the Natives packed up and left. As boys will be, their 2 sons immediately went down to the creek to look for arrowheads or other disposed souvenir type items. What they found instead of artifacts was a sickly infant baby girl wrapped in a blanket crying for attention. The Delaware girl was adopted by the family and later on one of the sons married the Indian girl. Hence forth the Native American blood was handed down to my in-laws.

I’m a bit of a hobby historian and I questioned her story. I questioned it as I’ve heard this same story repeated by 2 other un-related families claiming the exact same history! First of all, no Native American woman would leave her infant child behind while still alive. My guess is that it was during the infamous Trail Of Tears for the Delaware people who were being forced west due to European land greed. I feel that the starved mother along with her people were exhausted by the long walk, had no home and their future was bleak. Any mother who loved her dear little child would look at a farmers family with a warm house, plenty of food and clothing as a godsend. I bet my eye-teeth that this unfortunate mother gave her infant daughter up for adoption in the hopes that she would have a better chance of survival.

I decided to begin my own investigation. I started by renting a DVD titled “How To Trace Your Native American Heritage” by Rich-Heape Films from blockbusters.com which was very inspirational and outlined steps to take.

The most important #1 clue that you need is to know the tribe you have ancestry with. At least 6 times a year through my photographic website, which has nothing to do with lineage, I get calls or emails from people trying to locate their Indian heritage. Not one ever knows the tribe. But they can rattle off the stories, sometimes names like Great Aunt Susan or places such as he lived along the Missouri River in Kentucky. If I’m their only last hope to finding out their Native heritage then they are SOL. All I can do is tell them to talk with their relatives, research birth/death certificates, gather old photographs or perhaps their family bible will have clues. My best advice is to talk with parents, grandparents or if you’re really lucky great grandparents before they all croak. Even if this story was never to be discussed well it needs to and NOW. Do not take any no for an answer. Let your family members know how important it is for you to be able to know about all of your ancestors and a heritage that you can be proud of.

Begin by asking  specific tribe afliliation of your relative, or what tribes would have been in that area, dates, names, places or how many generations back as this will help figure out your blood percentage. Research, research and research as you will need copies of all documentation that you seek out.

Contact the specific tribe that your heritage is associated with. You can google for contact info. Many tribes were re-located between 1835-1930’s so you may have to call a few tribal offices in a couple different states. Such as the Delaware, my husbands people, who were forced out of their traditional homelands of New Jersey,  pushed towards Pennsylvania and lands along the Ohio River, then forced further west where many would parish during their long walk to Oklahoma. Here’s where the Delaware tribe and their government offices are located today. When you call your tribal office let them know that you are searching for your heritage and request their particular guidelines, as each tribe is different. Tribal Registration office’s generally will have all historic records available in their archives that pertain to their peoples history. This can be a huge asset for your own research.

Some people want to become enrolled members of a federally recognized tribe while others might want to learn more about from whom and where they came. 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. Once you are a member there are many benefits you may be eligible for. There are Tribal benefits and Bureau of Indian Affairs benefits that you can look into receiving. Such benefits include assistance for education, loans at low interest, and being declared a minority. Minority status can help you when finding a job or going to college. Not only will you have the chance to gain benefits but you also have the opportunity to give back to your people. Learn the history and traditions of your tribe through books, sponsor fund raisers, donate to special causes located on the reservation and make a point to visit your tribe during festivals and celebrations.

 

 

 

  For More Information:

 

•    Family History Library located in Salt Lake       City, Utah.

•   www.dnatribes.com genetic heritage   
    $239.

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        •     www.accessgenealogy.com/native

•    Census of Indian Tribes, National       
     Archives  Washington DC

•    Dawes Role

 

 

 

 

 

Rez Joke:

Question:
What do you have when you get 16 Cherokee in one room?

Answer: A full blood.

Comments

[Charles A Lake]

After my maternal grandmother died, we learned from an aged aunt that their people were of Cherokee descent. Apparently the family name was DeArmon - or some variation of the spelling. Their residence and probably tribal lands were in Southwestern Oklahoma. My great grandmother - a full blood cherokee married a white man named Solomon or perhaps Reed. When he died, she returned to her people and no further information became available to us. Except that a friend of mine who grew up in the Frederick, OK area was acquainted with the mane "DeArmon" and said that they may have been a prominent family in that area. If any information is available in regard to this family, I would appreciate knowing who and where to make contact for further information. Sincerely, Charles A Lake, 1607 Northwood Dr, Marble Falls, TX 78654
830 693-2810.

PS I grew up in Oklahoma City and my Grandfather Lake Homesteaded in Grady County and again later in Harper County, Oklahoma. He was prominent in insurance in Northwestern OK., and owned a lot of farmland around Laverne, Oklahoma

[Shobin chawla]

The pics show the core reality of america. Nice efforts made by the blog owner.

Shobin
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[Angel Wynn]

Thank you Shobin;
I really try to show Native cultures in both their traditional and contemporary lifestyles. Right now I'm on the Warm Springs reservation and have been photographing tribal members picking huckleberries to golfing!!!
Angel

[Jodie]

This inspires me finally to ask my mom everything she might know about our Delaware Indian heritage. I know almost nothing! Only: my grandfather's grandmother was a Delaware Indian. My Grandfather grew up in Pennsylvania - and his grandmother would've been a yound woman in the mid-1800's, so that fits with what you've written above about the trail of tears era. I hope to find out more -- and I should make time in my busy life to ask family while a few of the older folks may still be alive (my grandfather died young in the 70's).

[Angel Wynn]

Jodie;
You may be a long distant relative to my husband who also has Delaware lineage in Pennsylvania. I encourage you to get all your questions answered and do the search for your heritage. It's what your ancestors would want you to do.
Good luck with your journey.
Angel

[Jennifer Bergerson]

How I wish it was that easy for me. I was adopted through the state child welfare system. All my life I knew I was Cherokee. But adopted parents told me no i wasn't . At 31 I got my photo album created for me by my Birth mother and the child welfare worker who my mother signed me over to. It says that my grand father was Full Blooded cherokee and my grandmother was a quarter. It doesn't matter to me about land rights or money, I just want the right to be what I am.
All my life I have tried to research and find my Birth family. But when your name is changed at adoption that makes it quite difficult. The photo album says that My mother was not a registered indian so that makes it even harder to find her. I want So much for her to meet her five grand babies. To be able to see them and Know that their names are after tribes and names i remembered from my birth family. But as with so many other things it falls through the cracks. I am a " lost Bird" trying to find her way home.
Priscilla ann Payne
God bless you all

[Zachary Travis Snell]

My father,William Earlton Snell Jr.was born in Gallup,New Mexico,Mckinley county on march 31 1960.His birth mothers last name was Flores.He was adopted by Dorothy Faye Jones Snell and William Earlton Snell Sr.in Albuquerque New Mexico,Barnalill county.I was told my grandmother was Navajo.I am 20 yrs. old and will be 21 on dec.7. I would like to know how to find my birth grandmother.

[Felicia Martinez]

I wish had people to question :( There's nobody left in my family except for my mother's side, but she's German and English... All I know is that my grandfather was half Apache and half Navajo and that he went to the Sante Fe Indian School starting in the late 1920s. He has no birth certificate however, and neither does the rest of his family, including my father. They just have baptismal certificates. I wish I knew how to get more info!

[Angel Wynn]

Get a copy of his birth certificate along with your grandfathers name, place of birth, and contact both the Hopi and Navajo tribal office. They can direct you. You will not be able to become Native status but you might find out more info about your ancestors. Good Luck!

[Renee DeArmon]

I am a DeArmon- Cherokee and Choctaw decent. My father, Samuel Jesse DeArmon was born in Arkansas and raised in Stigler, Oklahoma where I have many relatives still.
DeArmon is decendent of the North of France.

[Michelle]

Thank you for writing this article. I have the opposite problem..i *do* know where I come from and i have aunts uncles, cousins -lots of them!-living on the reservation right now, including 2 of my mothers sisters & all of her still-living half brothers & half sisters(my mother is one of 10) my mother and all of them are on the "roll" but i have applied, sent in my small "adoption fee" several times and never once recieved anything back , not even a "no" , to being adopted or a reason why not..i even have family on the tribal council...they have a pretty large casino and all get per cap checks and i feel this is why they dont want to let anyone on the roll...even though for me to do that, id have to be adopted into the tribe, then move there(way up north brrr im no snow bunny!!!) then live on the rez for like 6 years then id *maybe* get a per capita check(i say this because my aunts moved back to the rez and at first it was supposed to be 3 yrs to get their residency and per cap, then it turned to 5 then 6 then they had to take them to court and finally got their checks!) i feel its all greed on their parts..ive never seen anything like it..i dont want nor need their money, i just want my roll id card with *my* picture on it saying this is who i am because i have always felt, since i was like 2 or 3 and knew we were indian, that this is who i am..its in my blood but its also in me in ways im just now realising why i feel this way or that, and why i do how i do all of my life..it breaks my heart literally when i allow myself to think of this issue...i cry and feel so alone and abandoned really..and i feel its because of money...any thoughts or suggestions? thank you