What “PROVES” that we are peoples of the Natchitoches Tribe of Louisiana?

By Fred Simon, Tribal Genealogist

Are we are “tribe” because of a “constitution”? NO

Are we are “tribe” because of ByLaws? NO

Are we are “tribe” because of being 501c3 tax exempt entity? NO

Are we a “tribe because of establishing a business organization, such as a Corporation or an “unincorporated association”? NO

These are all just legal ways of describing how U.S. and Louisiana State citizens interact with each other on a contractual level.

In order to “do business” a tribe has to “pick” a legal interactional way.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs explains “what proves we are a tribe” in this way: 

“When establishing descent from an Indian tribe for membership and enrollment purposes, the individual must provide genealogical documentation. The documentation must prove that the individual lineally descends from an ancestor who was a member of the federally recognized tribe from which the individual claims descent…Many people think that the BIA retrieves genealogical information from a massive national Indian registry or comprehensive computer database. This is not true. Most BIA offices, particularly the central (headquarters, Washington, DC) and area (field) offices do not keep individual Indian records and the BIA does not maintain a national registry. The BIA does not conduct genealogical research for the public.” https://www.doi.gov/tribes/esablishancestr

I, Fred Simon, hold the “proof” that we are a Tribe. In this page, I will describe the lineage charts that each “Distinct Family Unit” must use for the purpose of supplying its own contribution to the Federal Application for official tribal recognition. The “business organizations” which will handle the contractual interactions among the family units will be reaching out to you to begin that part of the process.

When you reach out to me to access the genealogy information, you must provide your ID provided from the Vetting Process in order to be granted viewing permission.