What are the requirements for enrollment in a federally-recognized tribe?

Tribal enrollment requirements vary by tribe because each tribe sets its own criteria for enrollment.[3372] Most commonly, individuals must be descended from someone on the tribe’s base roll or have a relationship to a tribal member who is descended from someone named on the base roll.[3373] Second, most tribes have conditions such as how Native-American you are by blood, whether you have lived with the tribe or on the reservation, or whether you have continued contact with the tribe.[3374] A tribe’s specific requirements are usually found in its Tribal constitution, articles of incorporation, and ordinances.[3375] Every tribe also has an enrollment officer or office that can provide information on enrollment requirements.

  1. 3372

    Tribal Enrollment Process, Tribes, Department of the Interior, https://www.doi.gov/tribes/enrollment. ↑

  2. 3373

    A base roll is the original list of members as designated in a tribal constitution or other document specifying enrollment criteria. Id. ↑

  3. 3374

    Tribal Enrollment Process, Tribes, Department of the Interior, https://www.doi.gov/tribes/enrollment. ↑

  4. 3375

    A Guide to Tracing American Indian & Alaska Native Ancestry, Bureau of Indian Affairs, https://www.bia.gov/sites/bia_prod.opengov.ibmcloud.com/files/assets/public/pdf/Guide_to_Tracing_AI_and_AN_Ancestry.pdf. ↑