Cherokee descent

There are three federally recognized Cherokee tribes: the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) in North Carolina, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (UKB) in Oklahoma, and the Cherokee Nation (CN) in Oklahoma. Enrollment criteria are different for each nation. • Eastern Band citizenship requirements are as follows: ::"1. A direct lineal ancestor must appear on the 1924 Baker Roll of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. ::"2. You must possess at least 1/16 degree of Eastern Cherokee blood. Please note: Blood quantum is calculated from your ancestor listed on the 1924 Baker Roll." • Cherokee Nation requirements are as follows: ::The applicant must "provide documents that connect you to an enrolled lineal ancestor, who is listed on the 'DAWES ROLL' FINAL ROLLS OF CITIZENS AND FREEDMEN OF THE FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES, Cherokee Nation with a blood degree." ==Social recognition==

Kim TallBear (Dakota), author of Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science, She states that while DNA can indicate one's biological relatives, actual tribal membership is a legal category based on complex understandings of family relations, governmental and tribal rules, and reservation histories. ==Reasons for self-identification without citizenship or social recognition==

Self-identification occurs when a person states that they have Indigenous identity or descent with no confirmation or acceptance from the tribe they claim. Membership in these groups, in some cases, requires genealogical proof of Cherokee ancestry, but many others have no requirements at all. • Many non-Indigenous American families, especially those with roots in the South, have a family folklores and oral histories of Cherokee ancestry. This has sometimes been called "Cherokee Princess Syndrome" or having a "blood myth". • Many Americans suggest Cherokee descent to explain physical traits that they believe are evidence of non-European or non-African ancestries, such as "high cheek bones", tan skin, straight dark hair, and keloid scars. Henry Louis Gates Jr. suggests that, in the case of African Americans, this can sometimes be a more tolerable explanation for these physical features than the realities of slavery and rape. • Anthropologist Kim TallBear describes some individuals asserting Native American ancestry based on DNA testing, who begin searching for "Cherokee ancestral lines" after this. She states, however, "There is no DNA test to prove you're Native American", and that this group mostly continues to identify as white. ==Issues with descent-based identity claims==

Individuals who claim Cherokee descent do not meet the criteria necessary to claim Native American identity under the provisions of the American Indian Arts and Crafts Act, except for those enrolled in one of the seven state-recognized tribes who identify as Cherokee. The academic Joel W. Martin noted that "an astonishing number of southerners assert they have a grandmother or great-grandmother who was some kind of Cherokee, often a princess", and that such myths serve settler purposes in aligning American frontier romance with southern regionalism and pride. ==See also==