In the early part of this century, there were many economical
reasons for leaving your Native ancestry unclaimed. A "guardian"
was assigned to full-bloods to help them in managing affairs.
More often than not, the "guardian" benefited more than the
Indian. Women were discouraged from registering by their Anglo
husbands, especially if they were living outside the Indian
Territory. Voting was a privilege denied Native Americans and
women until 1924. The reasons can be as different as the phases
of the moon, yet all had merit to that person at that time in
history. In 1976, Cherokee voters ratified a new Cherokee
Constitution which changed the ways of measuring tribal
membership. At that time, it was determined that anyone who
could trace direct descent from the Dawes Rolls, a census taken
between 1902-1907, could become a registered citizen of the
Cherokee Nation. There are now over 165,000 registered Cherokee
citizens. It doesn't matter if you are rediscovering your
ancestry, or fulfilling a long-time wish of