Need help getting a status card

[rave210]

So I am a half breed who was not born on the rez. My Dad is Apache, Cherokee. and Mohawk and my mom is Polish.

Growing up Ive always learned to honor my heretage. My dad did not keep very close ties to his brothers and both his parents are dead. Long story short, my dad has disappeared from my life when i was 12 and all communication and contact is completely cut off. From what i know, my Dad did not have a status card either.

In high school, the acedemic counselors wanted to help me with financial aid and they told me since Im native i should be getting more help from the gov. i told them my situation and they said that my grandmother would of had to register in the census. keep in mind, my dad is actually a lot older, he was born in '42 so i guess the census was around that time. The counselors told me that if my Dad didnt have the status card then my granmother probably didnt register in the census. They think the reason being is because of racism in the area and being ashamed or something along those lines. Personally, I dont know but my Dad did mention alot of racisim and discrimination he and his family had to face.


Now, would I be able to apply through a DNA test? i dont really take after my moms side of the family, nobody thinks Im white hahaha so when I go to Pow Wows etc people think im some type of Canadian native.

But thats not the point, I have always been connected to my roots, and its not like Im a small percentage, so how can I get a card like everyone else? :?

[mizzlala]

`A. Not everyone who is Native is registered. For instance, my great grandfather was one of the Cherokees who decided not to move to a reservation and so I can still trace my family back to where they originated. However, every tribe has different regulations...the Cherokee alone have three different bands and each have different rules and regulations. The only reason I am not registered with the Eastern Band is because the cutoff for registration ends at age 18.
B. You state you are mixed with three different tribes so you need to find out what tribe you have the highest percentage. Not all tribes go off of DNA tests because many Native American people have been found to have similar genotypes of both Europeans and Asians.
The only thing I can offer is to have you contact the tribe you are trying to register with. Some schools you don't have to be registered in order to still get school grants and funds. Besides...as soon as they see you are not visibly full "white," you can apply for any minority based scholarship. Hope this helps...

Lala

[potsbychar]

`my great great grandfather was Principal Chief of the Western Cherokee. His name was John Brown and he welcomed John Ross and the Eastern band of Cherokee when they came to Oklahoma on the trail of tears. Soon after he left Oklahoma with his family and headed for Mexico as he was not in agreement with the way the government was treating the Cherokee. He never signed up on the Daws rolls and neither did his son Dan Brown or his grandson Sam Brown or my father William Brown. Since none of them were listed on the rolls I am not eligible for Tribal Status. Many people with far less Cherokee blood than I have are listed in the Tribe because they had someone in their back ground who signed up on the daws rolls. John Brown was on the old settler rolls, but that does not count for tribal membership. This does not seem fair to me. I still honor my Cherokee heritage even though I am not recognized by the tribe.

Osiyo
Charlotte WhiteOwl