This is especially helpful to Newbees... course if you arent interested ...just delete it... Cher TRACING NATIVE AMERICAN ANCESTRY The first step in tracing your Native American ancestry is determining which tribe your ancestors belonged to. You can start by locating the tribe that lived in the same area where your ancestors lived. One of the best places to begin your search is http://www.nativeamericanheritage.com/ You can also locate an old map of the area and find out if a reservation or village is noted on the map. Once you've determined the tribe, search the Internet for Web sites that relate to the tribe. Some of these sites may list a central office that keeps tribal records. The National Archives and Records Administration site, located at http://www.nara.gov/ is a good place to request records of specific tribes. --by Diana J. Muir ---------------------------------------------- Born and raised in Iowa, Diana Muir began studying genealogy at the age of 18 and has subsequently taught genealogy and conducted research for 30 years. Specializing in the Midwestern United States, she has also done extensive research in Southern and Eastern States, as well as England and Ireland. Diana operates an online K-12 and post-secondary school on the Internet, Porta School, Inc., and maintains her own Web page--Mother Hubbard's Cupboard--at http://www.rootsweb.com/~genclass/ which offers eight online genealogy courses. ----------------------------------------------