This is a list of American Indian tribes waiting for federal recognition by the US Government, organized by state. The list is current as of March 3, 1998 and was prepared by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, "Branch of Acknowledgment & Research."
Nearly every day, some determined person with pale skin and blue eyes comes to Lela Ummerteskee from far away, ready to fulfill a dream and register as an American Indian.
Not everyone has a rock-solid pedigree. The tribal enrollment officer for the Cherokee Nation has been presented with everything from an X-ray of a head purporting to show Indian cheekbones to scraped-off patches of skin -- all offered as proof that a distant ancestor was Native American.