Dear Auntie, Hey I’m Sioux but don’t get tribal money. How do I go about that?
Hey there. Well, there are a couple things to keep in mind.
First thing, you’ll need to register with your tribe.
Second thing, not all tribes and tribal members receive dividends.
So if you haven’t already registered with your tribe you’ll need to do that. Just Google your tribes official website. For example, Rosebud Sioux tribal enrollment. Every tribe has their own specific requirements, but mostly you’ll need to provide:
- Birth certificate
- Social Security Card
- Proof of lineage – usually going back three generations and/ or having a parent enrolled with the tribe
- Application fee – which can run from $5 to $20
Once you’re enrolled with your tribe you can ask them about potential dividends that tribal members might be eligible for. As I mentioned not all tribes receive money. For example, my half-brother is Fort Sill Apache and Zuni. He receives money from his Apache tribe, but not from Zuni.
Money for tribe’s come in a couple different ways; dividends or gambling revenues. Dividends can come from the government to be distributed to tribes and their members based on the tribes history with government. They can receive compensation for land disputes or things like land rights. Gambling revenues come from the tribe if they have such systems in place and obvious own casinos. My tribe (Zuni) receives neither of these because we still live on our land and we don’t own any casinos.
Hope this helps and best of luck!
Auntie Manda
