Action-based services and discussions designed to amplify respectful relationships.
Learn about the review Join the ForumConversations that bring neighbors, tribal citizens, educators, and leaders together.
A careful review of documented lineage for individuals and communities who want their records examined.
Join the Forum as an Advocate or a Member.
The Indigenous Affairs Forum advances cultural understanding, protects Indigenous heritage, and strengthens respectful relationships among communities, governments, and Indigenous peoples.
We are not a tribe, nation, or government. We do not speak for any tribe, nation, or community.
The review is in its pilot stage. Each review follows the same three steps, and every result is plain about what it does and does not mean.
You tell us the ancestor and the nation you are researching. Evidence is collected only after your written consent and is never posted on this site.
A panel examines the records you submit for lineal descent from an ancestor recorded in historical sources as affiliated with the named people or nation.
One of three outcomes: Documented, Insufficient Documentation, or Research in Progress. A Documented result earns the designation Documented Descendant of the named nation.
The Forum mainly serves in the field with tribes, nations, and communities east of the Mississippi River, and we are expanding westward. Tribes, nations, and communities elsewhere are welcome and invited to participate.
Offices, funders, and journalists can check whether a group is a recognized tribe and whether a Documented Descent claim is valid. We point you to the governments that publish recognition, and we confirm only what a record code shows.
Read the answers to common questions, or send us a message through the contact form.
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