How do I find out if I am Native American?

Question:My grandmother is half native American, but we can't really trust her. How do you find out what tribe you belong to and is there a blood test you can take?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: My grandmother is half native American, but we can't really trust her. How do you find out what tribe you belong to and is there a blood test you can take?

Yes there is a website for all of the above and be sure to check out the following, never overlook any information, whether documented or not, as stories sometimes can be validated. Try military papers, wedding certificates, birth certificates, jail records (yes), hospital records (this is different than the birth certificate, trust me) pictures (look on the back for info), and don't forget old cookbooks and please remember the family bible. It amazing what old people wrote in that book to keep up with family births, deaths, and marriages. Good Luck.

In all honesty, it seems if you say what you just said above (my grandmother is half) they'll pretty much just... believe you. When I was younger and a bit of a jerk, I collected 17 different tribal ID's. They just plain don't check. That's why you see so many obviously white people in charge of so many Amerind organizations. It's sad.. VERY sad really... but it's true.

there are ways to trace back your heritage like you need 2 look into your family tree and see whos indian in your family other than your grandma and then try to find out what tribe they are from or just question your grandma

I'm trying to find out what tribe I am too.My maternal grandfather is some more than half indian,but I was never told which tribe I was.What you should do first of all is study you're grandmothers roots,as in were her ancestors in a certain area for a few generations.And if she has a lot of roots in that area(county or part of a state),then study what tribes lived in that area,and most likely that is the tribe(s) that you're grandmother comes from,if she is half native american.

Now there is a blood test that can determine what tribe you're related to,and how much you have,and find out if you're grandmother is half native american.There are many as a matter of fact.

Here are some tests you can have to find out how much native american ancestry you have: http://www.dnaancesteryproject.com
http://www.familytreedna.com/ngene.html

No blood test will tell you what tribe you are. If you don't know already, the only way to determine 1) if you are American Indian and 2) what tribe you descend from is to do your family tree. You can do this by gathering birth/death certificates for your direct line of ancestors and comparing that information to the US Census. If they show up as Indian on a Census you might start looking at the tribal rolls in the area where the person was living. If you find nothing, maybe there was nothing to find.
SF: I doubt any of those 17 tribes you collected IDs from were federally recognized. Many groups calling themselves "tribes" are not tribes at all but are non-profit organizations that sell cards to their members. Those cards are worth no more than the paper they're printed on. Any member of a federally recognized tribe would be able to tell the difference. It's just those who don't know who don't know...

The only way to find out is standard genealogical research. You have to trace your family back and see where it leads.

Since you are talking about your grandmother, it is likely that you would be able to find her in the US Census. And through that, her parents. Then trace back from there.

Understand though, it takes time and there are dead ends.

Use your information to GUIDE your research. But don't fall into the "rookie" trap of fitting your research into your hypothesis. That just leads to huge leaps of faith and making rather absurd assumptions. If the facts are there, you should be able to find them.

Also, trust of your grandmother isn't really an issue. Even those who lie a lot tell the truth every now and then. But also realize, she may be stating this because this is what SHE was told by someone.

My grandmother told me about her grandfather who was an Officer in the Confederate Army in the Civil War. Being dirt poor (she was raised in a catholic orphanage in North Carolina) and lacking any real formal education, she was quite proud of that part of her ancestry.

Well, after I started my genealogical career, I discovered that this man was a PRIVATE in the Confederate Army...for 8 months before he deserted...and subsequently became a private in the Union Army...only to desert after 5 months.

Did my grandmother make this up to cover the "less honorable" truth?? Maybe. Maybe this is what her FATHER told her to cover up the "less honorable" truth. Or maybe the her grandfather himself told his son that to cover up the "less honorable" truth. I will never know. But my grandmother certainly could have been completely honest in her statements as this is what she really believed.

Family folklore is a great clue to guide research. But you do want to do your own sound genealogical research and see where it leads. It could very well be true. Or, like with my 2nd great grandfather, not so true.

You have to do the work yourself to find this out.