Path to obtaining citizenship begins with Dawes Rolls research

CONTRIBUTED BY Dana Lance, Media Relations.


This article appeared in the April 2014 edition of the Chickasaw Times

The path to obtaining Chickasaw citizenship begins with the Dawes Rolls.

Taken only in Indian Territory from 1898 to 1907, the Dawes Rolls of the Five Civilized Tribes is a list of Indians by blood in Indian Territory during this time.

To be eligible for a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood and citizenship in one of these tribes, an individual must establish he or she is a lineal descendant of an original enrollee.

Connection to a Chickasaw ancestor on the Dawes Rolls is essential for Chickasaw citizenship.

The Genealogy Archive Center at the Holisso Research Center on the campus of the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur, Okla., can provide a wealth of information and assistance when seeking Indian ancestors.

The building houses genealogy collections, historic maps, photo archives, historic documents, census records and a complete set of Dawes Commission Rolls of Chickasaw citizens from 1896 to 1906.

Information such as family names, birth and death years, parents’ names, marriage dates and tribal affiliation are needed to aid genealogy staff with the research.

Beside Chickasaw, Dawes rolls for the Choctaw, Mississippi Choctaw, Cherokee, Muscogee Creek and Seminole tribes are also available at the Holisso Center.

Additional historical collections can be studied at the Tribal Library in Ada.

Chickasaw Nation Government Services provides CDIB, Chickasaw citizenship cards and information to Chickasaws who are direct descendants of enrollees on the Dawes Commission Rolls.

Applicants must be able to trace their heritage through bloodlines to an original enrollee listed on the Dawes Commission Rolls to obtain a CDIB and citizenship card.

The application is a family tree chart and must be submitted with birth certificates or death certificates and supporting documents.

Once the application is received in the CDIB office, researchers verify the applicant’s connection to enrolled ancestors on the Dawes Commission Rolls.

CDIB does not establish Chickasaw citizenship. Once applicants receive the CDIB, they are eligible for citizenship in the Chickasaw Nation.

Applicants must have a valid CDIB to obtain a citizenship card.

For more information, visit https://www.chickasaw.net/Services/CDIB-and-Chickasaw-Citizenship-Cards.aspx or call 580-436-7250. Tribal Government Services is located at 2015 Lonnie Abbott Blvd., Ada, Okla. 74820.

For more information about genealogy research, call 580-622-7130 or email genealogy@chickasaw.net.