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Native News Network
-- 04/14/2012
TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA
– Over the next few months the Cherokee Nation is offering assistance
with applications for Certificate
of Degree of Indian Blood cards and Cherokee Nation citizenship in Rogers
County. Help with registration will be
available on Wednesday, April 25, Wednesday, May 23, and Wednesday,
June 27, from 10 am to 3 pm at the Claremore
Indian Hospital on Will Rogers Boulevard.
Cherokee Nation
Registration
The main Cherokee
Nation Registration Department office is in the WW Keeler Complex south
of Tahlequah, 17675 S.Muskogee
Avenue, and is open from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. The Cherokee
Nation does not charge a fee to
apply for tribal citizenship.
In order to obtain
a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood card, applicants must formally
apply and provide acceptable legal
documents that connect them to an ancestor who is listed with a roll
number and a blood degree from the final rolls of
citizens of the Cherokee Nation, commonly called the Dawes Final Rolls.
These rolls were compiled between the years 1899-1906.
Quantum of Indian blood is computed from the nearest paternal and/or
maternal direct ancestor(s) of Indian blood
listed on the Final Rolls.
Many descendants
of Cherokee Indians can neither be certified nor qualify for tribal
citizenship in the Cherokee Nation because
their ancestors were not enrolled during the final enrollment. Unfortunately,
these ancestors did not meet the requirements
for the final enrollment. The requirements at that time were:
1.applying between
1899-1906,
2.appearing on previous
tribal rolls of 1880 or 1896 and
3.having a permanent
residence within the Cherokee Nation (now the 14 northeastern counties
of Oklahoma).
If the ancestors
had separated from the Cherokee Nation and settled in states such as
Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri or Texas
during that period, they lost their citizenship with the Cherokee Nation.
Only enrolled citizens
of the Cherokee Nation named on the Final Rolls and/or their descendants
are eligible for Certificates of Degree of Indian Blood and tribal citizenship.
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