[Trinaz]

Peggy gave some good suggestions and I would like to add a few tidbits that may help you.

Back in the 1980's and early 1900's many people kept important documents and handwritten material in the family Bible. Start contacting your relatives and get names of more relatives and their contact information. Chances are they are also researching the family tree and have some information to give you. It may be possible that a very distantly related person that you have never met has already put together a family tree book and yes, your family tree will be listed in that book.

I hope this is helpful.

[verynicebecky]

Thanks Trinaz. I am trying to do just that but so many of the ones who could help me have passed on. Between ppl running away...leaving parents behind...deaths at early ages it is tough to figure things out.

[Choctaw2]

If your family is in the Dawes rolls, go to this link and see if their name is here. Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (http://www.choctawnation.com/History/index.cfm?fuseaction=HSubGroups&HSubGroupID=3 - broken link)
click on Hisotry, to the left, and then click on people.

My grandfather is....He is Charles jefferson Jones.

Also contact the Genealogy dept at Choctaw nation and ask for copies of their acceptance to Dawes. I was sent copies of the hearings for my Grandpa, my Dad and my uncle.

[warrior productions]

how do i find out about my choctaw heritage.where can i go to find this out

[jaada]

Originally Posted by redbird4848

You are now entitled to go to the Choctaw casino and gamble!!!!

The proceeds might help some of the Choctaw tribal programs. Not to be rude or anything,.. and I am not saying you are like this, but there is nothing worse than a wanna-be who suddenly finds out they are part Indian and now wants to know what they are entitled to...

If you really are interested in your Choctaw culture, there are many places to go on the internet which will help you connect to the beautiful culture of the Choctaw people.

Personally, I know a lot of Choctaws, and I have GREAT respect for them.

Please be respectful and sensitive and you will go a lot further in your quest.

i absolutely agree with you here. lets see entitled? no you need to do this for the right reasons, find the Choctaw tribe and get in touch with them, learn your culture and what you came from, learn the language, learn your traditions. i believe you must be at least 1/4 before you can enroll, not sure you need to check on that as well.

[HeatherDawn]

What's the difference in entitlement if you find out you should be on the roll at birth or middle-age?

[_redbird_]

Good question, HeatherDawn. A lot of people are interested in their heritage because they see the beauty in the culture. They may have always felt a deep spiritual connection to Indians and the traditional Indian beliefs and maybe they just plain enjoy finding their family that was lost.

There was a time in American when it was not "cool" to be Native. Then along came Dances With Wolves and New Agers.

Others come knocking on the Ancestry door because they want to "take". I think each person finds what they are looking for and each has its own reward.


Faith of Our Fathers

[HeatherDawn]

Yeah, but nobody gets their name on the roll because they see the beauty in the culture. Hell, a white girl can do that.

[karibear]

Originally Posted by HeatherDawn

Yeah, but nobody gets their name on the roll because they see the beauty in the culture. Hell, a white girl can do that.

It certainly helps if you do, but every tribe has its own qualifications for enrollment. If by 'roll' you mean the Dawes Roll, that only works if you can prove you are Cherokee and had an ancestor on it. I also know some whites who were adopted into tribes, but that still doesn't make them eligible for much of anything. Eligibility for services depends on blood quantum and frequently location of residence, and that isn't all necessarily determined by any tribe. In fact, there are some full-blooded Indians who aren't entitled to anything whatsoever, because they belong to federally non-recognized tribes. It hasn't been all that long ago that some of the finest Indian artists had to quit advertising their paintings and sculptures as Native American art because their quantum wasn't high enough, even some of the ones who'd grown up on reservations. Trying to figure it all out is at times like trying to unravel a web spun by a psychotic spider. But no matter what, being polite and respectful will get a person a lot further than just walking in the door and saying 'I'm such and so. What am I entitled to?'

[HeatherDawn]

I'm going to drop this after this post because I'm not going to make any friends being un-politically correct...

You can fake being polite and respectful if you want but if your aim is to get on the roll or get a CDIB card or whatever, it's because you want your "benefits". Period. I'm not attacking wanting your benefits. I'm attacking wanting your benefits while pretending not to.