How to Find My Land in Trust From My Sioux Ancestry
- 1). Gather your family history. You will need a clear family line to your ancestor landholder to prove your connection to the Great Sioux Nation and your allotment.
- 2). Gather records of land ownership. You must be able to verify that your proven ancestor is a landholder to a particular allotment.
- 3). Contact the Tribal Council of your Sioux tribe. Within the Great Sioux Nation are the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota, on more than a dozen tribal reservations throughout the Midwestern United States and Canada. You must know your tribal affiliation to contact your Tribal Council. Your council will then look at your records and help you through the process of finding your land in trust.
- 4). Find the other interest holders on your land. Often, as an allotment passes through several generations, there may be many interest holders. In order to make any decisions on the land, 51 percent of the interest holders must be in agreement.
- 5). Call the Office of Special Trustees (OST) Call Center (see Resources). The OST can help you organize information regarding your land-in-trust once you've gathered information on your ancestry, your proof of ownership on the land and information on any other interest holders.
- 6). Contact the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). You must consult the BIA when making decisions regarding development on your land.
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