Publications
Other Resources
US - Tribal Relations
Rolls Defined
Rolls are used by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal governments to determine who is eligible for citizenship in various Indian nations. You will often see these terms used in tribal consitutions, BIA documents and tribal enrollment ordinances.
Allotment Roll (or Allotment Schedule)
A list of people who received allotments of land on an Indian reservation.
Generally, allotment rolls do not reflect degree of Indian blood.
Annuity Roll
List of people eligible to share in annual payments made to members of
an Indian tribe under a Treaty or Act of Congress. The list usually names
the members of the tribe as of the date the payment was made.
Base Roll
The list of original members of a tribe as designated in a tribal consitutions
or other document specifying enrollment criteria. Future members usually
must be able to trace descent from a parent named on the base roll.
Census Roll
List of the population of a reservation. In addition to tribal members,
it usually includes all other people associated with the tribal group,
whether Indian or non-Indian. People named on a census roll who are not
regareded as members of the tribe are generally shown as "N.E." (not enrolled).
Descendancy Roll
A list prepared for distribution of judgment funds according to a Secretarial
plan or Act of Congress. It differs from a tribal roll because it is prepared
by the Secretary of the Interior on a descendancy basis without regard
to tribal affiliation and may include people who are members of other
tribes. Being listed on a descendancy roll has no effect on an individual's
status as a member of an Indian tribe.
Membership Roll
A list of people who meet the requirements for citizenship in a particular
tribe.
Payment Roll
A list of people entitled to share in the distribution of assets belonging
to an Indian tribe. The payment may be based on membership or on descendancy,
depending upon the source of funds and authorization for their use.
Tribal Roll for Tribal Purposes
A list of people recognized by a tribe as members of that tribe. Although this roll should be the same as the membership roll, since a tribe has the authority to determine its own membership for tribal purposes, it may or may not contain the names of some people recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as members of the tribe. A tribal roll for tribal purposes does not require approval of the Secretary of the Interior unless the tribal consitution or other tribal document provides for it. A tribal roll for tribal purposes is not binding upon the Secretary of the Interior in the distribution of trust assets to members of the tribe.
top | Projects
| Research | Publications
| Links | About Us
| Contact Us | Home
© Copyright 2002, American Indian Policy Center. All Rights
Reserved.
1463 Hewitt Avenue • St. Paul, MN 55104 • tel: 651-644-1728
aipc@cpinternet.com
Last updated:
Tuesday November 1, 2005