1. Let’s Talk ICWA
April 2018: CDIB Cards

2. Who am I?
My name is Amanda Nalewaja, I have been interning at OCS with the Native Family Services unit since early September. I am graduating in May with my Bachelor’s degree in Social Work with a minor in Children's Mental Health.
Working with ICWA and in Native Family Services means a lot to me, because I feel that as a person with certain inherent privileges it is my responsibility to address the confusions and disparities seen within the Child Welfare system.

3. Tonight’s Agenda What is a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood
What are the eligibility requirements and how do you apply
What benefits require CDIB
There will be time at the end for CDIB or any other ICWA-related questions

4. Brief Overview What is a CDIB Card/What does it prove?
CDIB = Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB also is the abbreviation for Certificate of Degree of Alaska Native Blood)
The CDIB Card is an official document issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs which proves the fraction of a person’s blood which can be traced to a federally recognized Native tribe. This proof of lineage is necessary for enrollment in some tribes, to access certain benefits, and is also an important piece in a child’s life story.
Terms used for it?
People sometimes refer to CDIB Cards as CIB Cards, BIA Cards, or Proof of Blood Quantum

5. History
An 1866 decree by the state of Virginia stated anybody with more than one-fourth Native American blood would be deemed an “Indian.” This evolved into the 1887 General Allotment Act, aka the Dawes Act. This act used a person’s degree of Indian blood to determine how land or other resources would be allocated.
Resources include land, scholarships, social safety nets, and healthcare.

6. Eligibility How to apply How to find genealogy
Using the form available as a PDF online, or in-person at a local BIA office, provide lineage for parents, and both sets of grand- & great-grandparents. Both maternal and paternal lineage must be included, even if Native lineage is only on one side of the family. Return to your local BIA agency.
How to find genealogy
Historical Rolls such as ‘Dawes Rolls’ (in Oklahoma), access records from tribal leadership in the associated Native tribe/village, birth certificates. For a broad view or personal curiosity, genealogy and DNA websites can also be utilized.
You must be able to provide proof of lineage from one of about 566 ‘federally recognized’ tribes. There are currently about 250 tribes which are not federally recognized and for which the BIA will not issue CDIB cards.
A note about blood quantum: The BIA does not accept DNA tests which say you are x% AI/AN, as these do not prove which tribe you are related to.

7. CDIB vs Tribal Citizenship vs Corporation Shareholder
The CDIB Card only proves you have a blood-tie to a federally recognized tribe. Tribal Citizenship (or Membership) is a separate application with the specific tribe or, in Alaska, the specific village. Many villages in Alaska do not have a specific Native blood requirement, although this has been shifting in recent years. Some tribes offer dual enrollment (just like dual citizenship), but often at age 18 a person must choose just one tribe to enroll in.
Native corporations are separate from tribal citizenship, with their own eligibility & application criteria. Native Corporations work under Alaska’s state corporate laws to make money for their shareholders, whereas tribes and villages are their own sovereign governments.

8. Benefits of Obtaining CDIB Card
CDIB is a key application piece for tribal enrollment
A child’s life story should include their family history, the CDIB provides a way for a child to one day research their own history.
Healthcare – Indian Health Services
High Education Benefits (Scholarship, Recruitment Programs,etc)
One example: Indian Vocational Training in Bismarck. AI/AN persons are invited to learn a valuable trade with all education & tool expenses paid.
Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program – provides assistance with down payment & loan accessibility for AI/AN persons to purchase or rehabilitate single family homes
For those with federally recognized ‘low income’:
TANF
BIA Financial Assistance & Social Services Program
Energy Assistance Programs (for high energy bill costs)

9. Time Allotted for Questions

10. Links Guide to Tracing your American Indian Ancestry (PDF)
CDIB Application/Instructions (PDF)
Directory of Tribal Leaders (Interactive Map)
List of Federal Benefits Available to AI/AN persons with CDIB Cards