This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/HGB.2ACI/471.2.2.2.1.1.1.1 Message Board Post: Cheri, You had to ask a difficult question which in some ways I cannot answer. If someone asked me to help them to help find their Native ancestry for enrollment in a tribe I tell them I cannot help them. Believe it or not it is a different type of genealogy. You have to be aware of several things: the tribes are separate countries and can make their own laws and therefore can say who is Indian and who is not. Membership in a tribe is based on their base rolls so they can say everyone listed in the 1870 annuity is considered fullblood, even if this is not the actual case. This is especially important where membership is based on blood quantum as opposed to lineal descent. The BIA goes along with these definitions. This is one reason you will find different records showing different blood quantum for the same person. When presenting your material to whoever (the tribe or BIA) you want to present your findings in the most positive light (ie. with the most Native blood). If you show an ancestor with more non-native blood then what has been generally accepted then you can reduce the blood quantum of a whole bunch of other members. This affects funding by the BIA which maintains the tribe has to have a certain percentage of qu! arterbloods. Is any of this making sense? The BIA and tribe do not necessarily base blood quantum on one document. Your Elizabeth BELANGER being listed as fullblood in the 1908 census may be a case of interpretation for that particular document, I do not know, you would have to research the history of the document. Elizabeth’s father is French-Canadian and her mother is only one half Native so technically Elizabeth is only one quarter Native. That is probably what the tribal specialist meant that Louis is not counted. Anyway this aspect of Native genealogy is not necessarily straight forward (too political for me) so I have nothing to do with it and tell people to get a professional to deal with membership applications. These people are part of the Soo (& Mackinac) Tribe and they are a lineal descent tribe. I understand they will be opening membership rolls next year, so you could possibly get in without having to have a blood quantum, however that does affect some benefits you would receive, I believe. Sorry I can't be of more help. Jim