Legialativ Act  6- 92                                                                        Amended See LA# 2-93
                   
                                                           ACT RELATING TO
 
The Process of Enrolling as a Member of the Cherokee Nation

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CHEROKEE NATION that
 
Section 1.

Title:       The Cherokee Nation Membership Act

Section 2.   Purpose

The purpose of this code is to establish the policies and procedures governing the issuance of tribal membership.

Section 3.   Legiislative History

The Cherokee Nation Constitution provides for the membership requirements
under Article III.  This code shall supersede the guidelines approved by
Tribal Council Resolution 21-88 adopted March 12, 1988.

Section 4.   Definitions

(a)  Adopted Person means a person whose biological parents' parental rights have been given to others to exercise by court order.

(b)  Applicant means a person submitting an application for enrollment in the Cherokee Nation.

(c)  Base Roll means a specific list of individuals used for determining tribal membership.  One must prove back directly to an
individual who is listed by blood on a base roll.  The base roll as used herein means those final rolls otherwise known as the
Dawes Commission Rolls or the Final Rolls.  The Final Rolls were closed in 1907.  Those Final Rolls by blood used for membership purposes are (1) Cherokees by Blood, (2) Cherokee Minors by Blood, and (3) Delaware Cherokees.

(d)  Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) is the official document issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) stating a person's degree of Indian blood.  The CDIB is an acceptable document used to meet the necessary evidence requirements.  The CDIB is not an enrollment/membership document.

(e)  Cherokee Register means the current membership roll of the Nation and is maintained by the Registrar.

(f)  Direct Ancestors means those persons who are the biological parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc., through whom enrollment rights are claimed.  Collateral relations such as brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousina, etc, are not direct
ancestors. (g)  Enrollment means the process for applying to be formally recognized or registered as a member of the Cherokee Nation.

(h)  Nation means the Cherokee Nation.

(i)  Necessary Evidence means the documents which clearly establish relationships from one generation to another and that the person does possess Cherokee blood.  These documents must be State certified copies of the original birth and or death records issued by State Vital Statistics Offices, Court Ordered Determinations,

Skip section 5

Section 6 
(a)  Tribal Membership is derived only through proof of Cherokee blood based on the final rolls.

Passed by the Cherokee Nation Council on the 12th day of september, 1992.

signed by
John Ketcher
council president,

Wilma P mankiller
Principal Chief
of the Cherokee Nation

ATTEST
Troy Poteet
Council Secretary

Tommy thompson
Sec Treasure

14 YEA votes 1 absent