WE OFTEN hear relatives say things like, “You look just like Aunt Rose,” or “You act just like your grandmother’s cousin.” Perhaps you share a name with a great-great relative that you never met. It might make you curious about this person or other people in your family who came before you.
Genealogy—tracing your ancestors or family tree—is a popular hobby because people like to know where they came from. If you’re Native American, it can be hard to find information about your family history. For one thing. Native Americans often depended upon oral history, but when children were sent to boarding schools and forced to forget the language of their parents and grandparents, those stories were lost. Likewise, when children were adopted into other families, stories about family history weren’t passed down.
If you have, or suspect that you have, a Native American heritage, gather as much information as you can from talking to older relatives and looking at their old photographs and papers and anything else that will lead you to full names and tribal affiliations. Once you have a full name and affiliation, some tribal offices can help you locate more information. Some Native American genealogy sites that may be helpful include:
Dawes/Freedman Roll Search—NARA Archival Information Locator: Www. archives .gov/research/arc/native-americans-final-rolls. html
“Dawes Rolls” at Access Genealogy: www. accessgenealogy. com/native/finalroll. php
Native American Genealogy: Www. native-languages. org/genealogy. htm
World History
