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NATIVE AMERICAN GENEALOGY

© Christine Sievers

A fellow Suite 101 editor, Marie Anakee at http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/arom... is hosting a Native American Month and asked if I would do a genealogy article. I was delighted to find that the Internet is rich in Native American sites. But the problem is, where to begin?

Start with the present and work backwards, carefully documenting all research. Because of the unique challenges that Native American genealogy presents, it is very important to follow good genealogy research practices. If you are new to genealogy, take a look at some the sites on my Links Page under Beginner Help.

Then, before you start your research look at the two sites I found specifically for Native American genealogy. Native American heritage is a good basic tutorial that features a vidbook (which combines text, pictures and streaming video). Then, I highly recommend reading Native American Family History from The Source: a Guidebook to American Genealogy. It goes into depth on the subject, and provides many resources.

Once you have found the time frame and geographical area for your Native American ancestor, search the pages of Links to North American Indian Map Pages, by Phil Konstantin to find information about a possible target tribe.

Phil Konstantin on his Links to American Indian Sites has an extensive list of sites you can search once you have found your tribe.Cyndi's List - Native American also has tribe specific links.

These links should get you on your way to discovering your Native American roots. Happy hunting!