How Do I Find Out What Tribe I am From?

Posted By PowWow Articles November 18th, 2018 Blog

Researching your Native American heritage can be a complex task. One of the most difficult parts if finding out what tribe your family is from.

Today you can use DNA testing to show you have some Native American blood, but determining what tribe that blood is from can take more time and effort.

Start At Home

You might not need to stress yourself over a little thing your uncles or parents might have an answer to. So, ask them questions. If your grandparents are still living, ask them about your family background. They have more knowledge about that than you do. Branch out to other family members, someone else may have done the research before you.

Use the Internet

There are more genealogy websites every day. Do not overlook them. These websites have a huge database of different tribes and their ancestors. You might be lucky to find your family tribe by using one of the sites. Many people have found what tribe they belong thanks to the internet.

Genealogy is complex. Finding your family tribe might take more than surfing the web.

You will likely need to consult other media too.

Visit Local Libraries, Archives, and Repositories

Libraries are still relevant in this world of electronic PDF books and journals. You can’t substitute the information a library or a repository will give you. You can use local libraries to get facts about one tribe or the other. Also, the library can help you find some books on how to conduct genealogical research of your family tribe. Check for local genealogical resources, for example, the Morman Church has extensive genealogical research.

Federal Archives

National Archives and Records Administration has a ton of information that you cannot even consume half of it. You should consider going through some of NARA’s records because they have a lot of information that is focused on Native Americans/ NARA isn’t the only place you can get some needful information. You can as well visit prestigious college libraries.

Hire A Genealogist

Sometimes you have to ask for help!

When you have followed these steps and still haven’t found your tribe, the next thing would be to pay a genealogist to do the job for you. The good news is that you already have an idea of the genealogical process. Your knowledge will come in handy when the genealogist begins work. You can choose to hire the genealogist to trace which tribe you belong, or you hire him to work with you on the project you have at hand.

Read our tips on hiring a genealogist.

Find more information on Native American heritage with our other articles.

Native American Genealogy Articles on PowWows.com