Plain answers about the Forum, membership, and the Documented Descent Review.
A membership organization that builds respectful relationships among communities, governments, and Indigenous peoples through dialogue, education, and careful documentation.
No. We are not a tribe, nation, or government. We do not speak for any of them.
A person whose records show lineal descent from an ancestor recorded as affiliated with a named people or nation. The designation always names that nation.
No. Each nation decides its own citizenship. The review looks only at whether documents support descent.
No. A Documented Descendant does not speak for or represent any recognized tribe, nation, or community. The designation carries no recognition beyond the Indigenous Affairs Forum.
Some documented descendants cannot enroll. Enrollment may be closed, requests may go unanswered, or a family may have documented lines to several nations. The Forum helps those descendants be heard as themselves, and it never challenges a nation's decisions about its own citizens.
No. Those decisions belong to each nation.
Documented, Insufficient Documentation, and Research in Progress. Only Documented is ever shown, and only through a code the holder controls.
No. It means the available documents do not meet the standard yet. Many records were destroyed, altered, or never created.
Adults, and communities through an authorized representative. You do not need to be a member.
Records that show a complete line of descent from you to your ancestor, and records that show how that ancestor was identified. Family stories and DNA tests can add context, but they cannot carry a review on their own.
Only the reviewers on your case. Your evidence is stored securely and is never posted on this site. A record code shows only the status, the review date, and the documented nation(s), never your name or documents.
Yes, at any time. Your code will then show as withdrawn.
You give them the code, and they submit it on the Check a Status page. An automated lookup is coming soon.
An Advocate joins to support the work and makes no claim of Indigenous ancestry through the Forum. A Member joins as a participant in Forum programs. Neither is reviewed, and neither has a vote.
No to both. They are separate.
Reviewers who pass a conflict check, working in pairs, with a panel making the decision. We are working toward a panel that includes Indigenous reviewers.
Yes. One appeal is heard by a different panel.
Nations can raise concerns at any time. The panel reviews each one and responds in writing. A code can be revoked for fraud, a material error, or misuse.
Use the Check a Status page. For an individual, you need the person's record code, and we answer only valid, withdrawn, or not found. For a group, we point you to the published federal and state lists, because recognition is decided by governments.
No. The Forum confirms only what a code shows. It never confirms or denies that anyone has applied.
We hold the standard, we decline what the documents do not support, and we correct any misuse of our name. We report concerns privately, to the affected nation first, and we never publicly name a person or group.
Those can be a starting point, and your belief is yours to keep. A review needs records. We will help you find them through a research circle.
Yes, when it can be shown. The review looks for specific evidence, such as an altered or reclassified entry, correspondence, or a pattern in that place's registers. A general statement that records were destroyed is not enough on its own.
Use the contact form or the membership page. We do not publish an email address.
The Forum works with them. It celebrates collaboration for the betterment and empowerment of Indigenous tribes, nations, and communities, and it does not compete with other organizations. Groups that share that goal are welcome to partner with us, and we are glad to learn from their work.
A Board of Directors sets the mission, adopts policy, and oversees the Forum. The Board elects its own members, and Forum membership does not carry a vote. A separate Advisory Panel of people who do not serve on the Board advises on research standards and cultural protocol. See the About page for details.