Am I Native American? Native American Ancestry & Genealogy

Many people in the US and Canada have at least one Indian ancestral line in their family. Lots of people grew up hearing the family legend about a family member that was Native American.

Proving that legend to be true or false can be tough.

We have some steps and resources to help you answer the question, “Am I Native American?” Keep reading.

Please note that finding Native American ancestry does not mean you are an enrolled tribal member.

How to Find Your Native American Ancestry

If you’ve ever wondered “Am I Native?” or wanted to confirm stories about your Native American heritage, the journey often starts close to home.

Whether your goal is to learn more about your family’s past or begin the Native American enrollment process with a specific tribe, the first step is gathering information.

Gather and Document Your History

Researching your Native American ancestry can take months or even years. Start by becoming a collector of family history. Talk to parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins to collect stories about your heritage. Even small details may become valuable clues later.

Look for:

Birth and death certificates
Marriage records
Family Bibles or journals
Old photographs with notes or names on the back
Land deeds, census records, or military service documents

Even if something seems unrelated, set it aside. Over time, small pieces can form a larger picture of your Native American heritage.

Write Down Every Detail

Memories fade, and even the most vivid stories can lose accuracy over time. As soon as you hear a story or discover a document, write it down with as much detail as possible — dates, names, places, and who told you the story.

Keep in mind that some family stories may not be entirely accurate. For example, many families have heard they are connected to the Cherokee tribe. In some cases, “Cherokee” was simply the tribe name most familiar to people, even if it was not correct. These stories are still important because they give you leads to explore in your search for your Native American ancestry.

GET STARTED – Free Email Series – How to Trace Your Family History

Native American DNA Testing

DNA testing can be another tool to help you gather information. Test results are not legal proof of Native heritage, however.

The test can give you some idea about where in your family tree your Native heritage is rooted. For example, if your test comes back and you are 25% Native, then it is likely that your grandmother/grandfather was full blood. On the other hand, if it comes back less than 10% you know that you'll need to go back several generations to find the source of your Native heritage.

Building A Family Tree

Now it is time to assemble all the information you have into a family tree. This is how you can document your direct Native lineage.

There are many tools to help you create this or you can just use old-fashioned pen and paper.

A lot of people ask, “What is the best DNA test for Native Americans?” I recommend using Ancestry.com. They offer a 14-day free trial. For most people, this will be enough time to build out a family tree.

Ancestry® Free Trial

I also have a free email guide that takes you step by step on how to use Ancestry.com's family tree builder.

Free Email Lesson – How To Build Your Family Tree With Ancestry.com

Which Native American Tribe Are You From?

Tracing your family history can be very challenging. Find your tribe can be even more daunting.

As I mentioned earlier, if your family is several generations removed from your Native ancestors, knowledge of the exact tribe may have been lost or incorrectly remembered over the years.

Knowing where your family lived at different times and knowing all the surnames can be tools to help you find the tribe.

We have a whole page here about finding your tribe: How Do I Find Out What Tribe I Am From?

Applying for Tribal Enrollment

For many people just tracing the family tree is their goal. For others enrolling in a Native American tribe is their ultimate goal.

Each tribe has its own requirements and process for enrollment. In addition, each tribe has its own restrictions on blood quantum.

Be sure you understand the difference between tribal enrollment and a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood.

Good luck on your quest to find your family history!

Join our Facebook Group for Native American Family History. Talk with others looking for their history!

Resources

Native American Genealogy Articles on PowWows.com

Ancestry.com – Native American Genealogy

Whether you’re trying to dig into the truth about that old family story of a distant ancestor who was a Native American or simply taking on a fascinating new hobby, genealogy can be very challenging. Native American genealogy is complex and multi-tiered, and you need the right tools and resources to find what you're looking for.

This is particularly true for those with a Native American heritage, where records are often decentralized, sometimes poorly kept, and other times just straight-up impossible to find.

The good news?

While there will always be challenges researching your family tree and its Native American history as you go further back in time, it has never been this easy to get the information you need when researching your family’s Native American past.

Ancestry.com lets you search specifically for various ancestral criteria. Search by name, tribe, mixed blood, citizenship, tribal enrollment and more in one place, using the world’s most complete records.

Start your trial now!