#cdib

[smashing-yng-man]

It’s funny when cashiers think my CDIB isn’t a legal form of identification (which it most certainly is). Yeah, how about you get off of my ancestors’ lawn? (Kidding..mostly)

I mean, if you literally can’t tell that I’m Native American in the first place..lol! Besides, I’m Comanche — “Lord of the Plains”. We don’t take no shit, son.

[thatgroovycarlee]

#flashbackfriday to last week when my Daddieo and I ran up to Oklahoma to get our CDIB and hit up the casino!! . . #fbf #cdib #choctaw #casino #roadtrip #daddydaughtertrip #diamondtattooparlor #diamondgirl #diamondindustrymodels

[raisingleila]

Why is getting a flipping CDIB so flipping hard?

[ndnflower]

Is the process of getting a CDIB card really worth it? Asking because I've heard lots of things about it either not mattering or it just being good to have idk just curious

[nativeskins]

what if a white person gets genetic testing and finds out they're native? not an insignificant .1% or something, but a quarter or an eighth?

Well that would depend on what exactly you’re trying to do with that information..?

I’ve never taken a DNA test, (because I don’t need to lol), but as far as I know, DNA tests do not tell you what Native tribe or clan you could potentially be a part of. 

All current DNA testing can do is tell you that you have DNA in common with the Indigenous sample groups they have on file. Which usually means, the DNA tests usually cannot even differentiate between North American Indigenous Tribes and those of South American Indigenous Tribes. So even if you take a DNA test, and it comes back saying “You’re 1% Indigenous to the Americas” that means you could pretty much be from anywhere in North America or South America.

  Legally and politically, you are not considered to be Native American Indian (by some tribes & by the government) unless you are an enrolled tribal citizen. If you just took a DNA test without having proof of who your direct ancestors are, then you are just someone with some Native ancestry. (Someone who is adopted can petition the courts to have their records released, then they can see if they have a tribal parent.)  Keep in mind, some DNA testing companies are less than honest in their reporting. And by that I mean, they will tell you one thing, whereas another company might give you totally different results.

Native Nations have the right to choose how they want to enroll “new members”. Right now there is a system in place where most tribes use blood quantum and require proof that your relatives were part of their tribeto determine who can be enrolled officially. There are no tribes (that I know of) that accept DNA tests as evidence anymore. So it would all depend on the tribal census qualification standards. Each Native American Tribe or Nation conforms to separate rules. Just because a DNA test told you you’re “part Native American”, does not mean any tribe will want to take you in, because like i said, you have to meet their requirements. Genetic tests can only determine biological racial makeup, not ethnicity.

And if you’re thinking about possibly moving forward with trying to become enrolled, please remember ancestry is a very difficult subject for many Native people, so be aware and be respectful.

[nativeskins]

I just found out I'm 75% Native American, (the other percentage is black/mexican from father) and I was wondering if that's enough to say I'm just Native American instead of writing on papers that I'm Native American, black, and Mexican. I ask because most papers I've filled out don't have "mixed", so I usually had to go under Hispanic or African- American, before I knew that side of me. If this question sounds confusing, tell me & I'll rephrase it as best as I can.

If you’re talking about the types of papers that you fill out for school testing or job applications: then I would not suggest filling in that you are Native American until after you have a CDIB card proving so.

I say this, only because people, for instance, when hiring someone companies often look at their ethnicity so that they can have more of a diverse staff in their company. (Meaning they want to hire people from various ethnic backgrounds). So they take what ever you put down as your ethnicity very seriously. And those papers are how people keep track of what percentage of each ethnic background they have within their company or school.

If you say that you’re Native American on a job application, when it comes time for an interview, or any other types of legal documents, they may want you to prove that you are Native American. And the best way to do that is by having a CDIB card. Especially since it’s something you “just found out”... since that sounds a little strange.

[nativeskins]

am i less native because im not registered and i wasnt raised on a rez?

First of all, you have to know that this is a delicate subject among my followers and I.

So I can only speak for myself. But I’d love my followers to reply to this post with their own opinions.

I, myself, was not raised on a reservation because my father’s side of the family had left their reservation in 1910. And when my parents met, they decided together that they wouldn’t live on a reservation. 

Do I feel that because I wasn’t raised on a reservation that I’m less Native? Of course not. But I do admit, that there are plenty of things I’ve missed out on by not being raised on one.

As for the other part of your question.. I don’t understand why you’re not registered? Because I personally am. And I feel that having your Certificate of Indian or Alaska Native Blood card is a really important part of being Native American because that’s what guarantees you tribal affiliation and is the only way you are recognized as a Native American by the government; which to me, is probably the most important part, because that’s the way you get to have a voice in what happens within our culture politically.