To adope a Native American (NA) child, how do you prove that you are NA?

Question

Assuming the law still says that you have to be a NA to adopt a NA child... is there a certain percentage requirement... like could someone who is 10% adopt a NA child?

Answer 1

You might need to show tribal registration, or otherwise prove your ancestry.  But I think showing the tribal registration is more important as it denotes a commitment to the culture of the tribe in question.  

  Different Native American tribes have different requirements for your "Percentage" in order to register as a tribe member.

It's not impossible to adopt a Native American or Native American biracial child if you are not Native American, but it is more difficult.  I think that the Tribal governing body needs to approve of the adoption, but it is completely within their discretion to disallow it if the adoptive parents are not Native American (as the sole reason for disallowing the adoption). Like anything else, some will be more inclined to do this than others.  

.

Answer 2

As far as i know you have to prove native american heritage and be able to be registered with the tribe that your genetics are from.  

Each tribe has it's own set of rules and regulations on what they allow for registration with their tribe.

I would suggest looking at the Oklahoma govt.  page.  Many different tribes work through the state of Oklahoma.

http://www.ok.gov/3167/3512/578/

Answer 3

It would really depend on the tribe. From what I have read they prefer to place the child with someone in the child’s family, if that cant be done then another family in the tribe.  If that cant be done then another tribe and if they still cant find a place they will adopt to non Native Americans. There would be a lot of rules like you  would have to stay in regularly contact with the tribe make sure the kids are educated in the ways of their tribe etc.  The tribe would have to approve the adoption.  Often times you might end up with an older child, a child with some disabilities or even a siblings group.

Answer 4

I'm not sure if you live in the States or another country but I have a friend that is 100% Indian but they are from Canada.  Her parents aren't Indian as they are as blonde & blue-eyed as they come.   So I'm not sure if that's a law that is strictly for the US.

These days it seems that so many people are claiming to be part Indian even if it's 20th of a percent.

Answer 5

I'm not really sure, but I assume it depends on the tribe/nation, since not all American Indian tribes have the same Indian ancestry requirements. For example, the Cherokee Nation might have different requirements than the Navajo Nation.

Answer 6

There is no law per se that you have to be Native American to adopt a Native American.

However, federally, Native Americans are considered "a sovereign nation."  But each state handles that differently.

In my state, children don't simply have to be placed with a Native American, they have to be placed within their tribe.  Placing a child from one tribe to another could be as hard as placing a American child in France.

We have specific laws about Native American children and there is a whole different branch of social services dedicated to that.

In fact, in EVERY child study I do for adoption I have to indicate at the top of the form if the child is Native American....if a child has been raised on a reservation, or is born and is a certain percentage Native American, they are to be placed within that tribe.  Because Native Americans place such a high value on kinship care, we are lucky enough to be able to do it.

But while it is a federal standard, each state handles it their way.

Answer 7

You would need to show your Tribal Registration Identification. The only way to prove you are part of any Native American Tribe it to provide you tribal documentations. Every tribe has their own process and criteria for registering so you would need to contact the tribe you belong to and ask for proper documentation.

If you are not officially or legally registered with a tribe then you would need to find out what is required to do so. Usually that requires documenting your family history to the last known registered tribal member.... Or somehow documenting a relationship to "known" tribal members before the registrations started.

Each tribe will tell you what steps you need to take and what papers are required to register. A lot of people say they belong to a Native American Tribe but it kind of like St Patricks Day when everyone has a little Irish in them.... Without the documentation and corect tribal documentations Americans are as Native as they are Irish.....

Answer 8

You need o have an active enrollment on a tribe.

And ethically should be willing to support your mutual heritage.