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Visit These Non-Profit Web Sites:
Alliance For Native American Indian Rights
Native American Educational Association
Tennessee Trail of Tears Association
Books about Indians:
Loud Hawk : The United States Versus the American Indian Movement
Exploration
of Ancient Key-Dweller Remains on the Gulf Coast of Florida
Who is an Indian?
This is a simple question that actually has many complex answers depending on the context in which it's asked. This is also one of the most controversial issues in Indian affairs today. Anthropologists, ethnologists, lawyers, government agencies, different groups of Indians and non-Indians all have their own ideas about how this question should be answered.
American Indians or Native Americans are the people that were indigenous to North and South America. In general, Indians are the descendants of these people. In addition, there are several specific definitions of "Indian".
A federally recognized Indian, sometimes known as a "card-carrying Indian" is a member of a federally recognized tribe. Federally recognized tribes each use their own criteria for determining who can be a member of that tribe, and these criteria can vary widely from one tribe to the next. Some tribes require a certain "blood quantum" or degree of Indian "blood", others require only that a person have a direct ancestor on a certain roll or census of the tribe taken at a particular time.
Federally recognized Indian tribes are tribes that the federal government acknowledges it has a special nation-to-nation relationship with, usually because of treaties or agreements between the two nations. The federal government has certain obligations to these tribes and tribal members. However, the fact that a tribe or individual person is not "federally recognized" does not necessarily mean that they aren't Indian, at least as far as the federal government is concerned. The United States recognizes that there are Indian tribes with which it doesn't have special obligations, and it also recognizes that there are individual Indian people who aren't members of a tribe.
State recognized tribes are eligible for some federal programs. Indians who are not members of a tribe can be eligible for certain federal programs if they can establish that they have an Indian cultural identity, and having Indian ancestry does not automatically mean that you have such a cultural identity. For the purposes of the U.S. Census, individuals can declare their race as whatever they consider themselves to be.
States can recognize Indian tribes according to the state's own definition. The federal government recognizes these state recognized groups as Indian, it just does not have any special relationship with them or obligations to them.
Traditionally, Indian communities defined their members according to an individual's cultural identity rather than genetic background. A person who is born and raised in a community will obviously share the cultural identity of that community. Many Indian societies also had procedures for inducting outsiders into the community. These procedures usually involved, at least in part, the outsider adopting the culture of the community. Today, there is much debate among the members of some Indian tribes and communities about how they define their members.
To sum up, Indians are the descendants of the original people of North and South America. Indian tribes decide who their members are. Not belonging to a tribe or having non-Indian ancestry does not necessarily mean a person is not an Indian. Government programs can have different definitions of the term "Indian", depending on the program. Indians usually have some degree of Indian "blood", but Indian communities, whether "recognized" by the government or not, decide who their members are.
Which is the correct term - Indian or Native American?
In our opinion, neither of these terms is any more correct than the other. You'll notice that we use both interchangeably. Native people probably use "Indian" to refer to themselves more often, especially when communicating with each other. Many Native organizations use the word "Indian" in their titles - National Congress of American Indians, American Indian Movement, etc. Some people prefer "Indian" because they believe it is derived from the Spanish term "In dios" , meaning close to God, and that Columbus used this term to describe the Native people he encountered in the Caribbean (etymologists and other scholoars dispute this "In dios theory" - see the Take Our Word for It web site and Dr. Phil Bellfy's reference book Indians and Other Misnomers for further discussion).
"Native American" is used to make the point that Indians were the first residents of the Americas. The prevailing opinion among non-Indians seems to be that this is the most politically correct term. We have to point out that both "Native American" and "American Indian" are both derived from the name of the European explorer Amerigo Vespucci. In our opinion this makes both terms politically incorrect.
The best way to refer to Native people is by the name of their specific Nation - Cherokee, Lakota, Chickasaw, etc., although there are issues with some current tribal designations not being the original name of the Nation. Of course, it isn't always possible to use specific tribal names especially when referring to the Native people of the Americas as a group, so we need terms that are mutually understood, and "Indian" and "Native American" fill that need.
How can I trace my Indian ancestry?
This varies with each individual situation, but usually the best first step is to do basic genealogical research on your family. If you find evidence that an ancestor was Indian or had Indian blood there are some specific sources of information that can be investigated, depending on individual circumstances.
The Native Nashville Information Center has a Genealogy section that provides some basic genealogical research tips and links to other resources.
What is the Native American population of the U.S. and Tennessee?
See our Census Data page.
Are there any Indian tribes in Tennessee? Are there any Indian reservations in Tennessee?
No. There are no federally recognized tribes with a reservation in Tennessee. There are no state recognized tribes in Tennessee, and no state recognized Indian reservations.
What Indian tribes were indigenous to Tennessee?
Many Indian tribes have been present in the state at one time or another. In historic times, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, Shawnee, Yuchi, and Choctaw occupied large parts of the area that eventually became the state of Tennessee.
Are Indians citizens of the United States?
Yes. Since 1924, all Indians born in the U.S. are citizens of this country, even those that are members of an Indian tribe.
Do Indians have to pay taxes?
Yes. Indians do pay federal income tax. Federally recognized tribes are exempt from most federal taxes, as are the individual states.
Indians living on federal Indian reservations and federally recognized tribes are exempt from most state taxes. Individual Indians are subject to state taxation if they don't live on a reservation.
Do Indians receive money from the government?
Not necessarily. The federal government does not give Indians money "just for being Indian". Members of some federally recognized tribes may receive money from their tribe, usually as a per capita payment from income the tribe derives from any number of sources, such as leasing trust land or operation of a tribally owned business. Indians who don't live on reservations can be eligible for the same social services programs, such as food stamps, as non-Indians.
Do Indians get to go to college for free? Do Indians get free health care?
Again, not necessarily. Members of federally recognized tribes may have access to certain grants and scholarships if they go to a tribal college or a college managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Some tribes also assist members with scholarships to non-tribal colleges. There are various grants and scholarships available from public and private sources that provide financial assistance to federally recognized and non-federally recognized Indians attending college off reservations.
Do Indians get free health care?
Federally recognized Indians living on reservations usually have access to an Indian Health Service clinic, and those who don't live on a reservation can get care from any IHS clinic. However, this can present a problem if you live in an area such as Tennessee that does not have an IHS clinic nearby.
If you have any questions you would like to ask us, please feel free to email us.