“Thanks for calling Pemberton Genealogy. I'm Aiyana's AI assistant. Are you calling about a research project, a Freedmen-status question, a tribal-enrollment-prep consult, or something else?”
Built for the calls professional genealogists actually get
Tribal enrollment is by lineal descent from a base roll (Dawes Rolls for Five Civilized Tribes, BIA-tribal rolls for others), NOT by DNA-ancestry-test results. 23andMe / AncestryDNA / MyHeritage percentages are NOT accepted by any federally-recognized tribe — DNA detects regional genetic clusters that overlap with multiple Indigenous + non-Indigenous populations. AI categorically refuses to 'confirm Cherokee blood quantum' / 'attest tribal-citizenship' / 'verify Freedmen status' over the phone. Standard education-refusal routes to BIA TGRO 1-202-208-3710 + Cherokee Nation Tribal Registration 1-918-453-5000 + tribe-specific enrollment offices per business_notes.
Cherokee Nation v. Nash (2017) + tribe-by-tribe Freedmen variance
Cherokee Nation v. Nash (2017) restored Cherokee Freedmen descendant citizenship to the Cherokee Nation. Muscogee (Creek) Nation Freedmen-status remains contested + Treaty-of-1866-derived (Williams v. Muscogee Nation litigation ongoing). Choctaw + Chickasaw + Seminole Freedmen status varies + has been disputed since post-Civil-War-era. AI does NOT improvise tribe-by-tribe Freedmen determination — refuses categorically + routes to tribal-enrollment-office.
Hostile caller may attempt to get AI to 'confirm tribal identity' to enable downstream Indian-Arts-and-Crafts-Act-protected goods sales — AI MUST NEVER confirm tribal-citizenship to any caller on the phone. Federal IACA exposure (1990 Act, 18 USC §1159 + 25 USC §305) — up to $250,000 fine + 5 years federal prison for individuals; $1M for businesses on false 'Indian-made' provenance. The AI's IACA-protection extends to genealogist context: never says 'yes, your client is Cherokee.'
'I'm 3% Native American per 23andMe' naive-inquiry honest-refusal
Common naive call pattern. AI gently educates without mocking — 'a lot of folks come to us with DNA-test results; they're a starting point for family history, not citizenship evidence.' Routes to Dawes Rolls + 1900 federal census + Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Government Services Office. Same gentleness for 'my great-grandmother was a Cherokee princess' family-mythology — evidentiary-redirect, never dismissive (these callers are often Black-Indigenous or Latino-Indigenous descendants whose true Indigenous lineage was obscured by anti-Black + anti-Latino racial categorization — Virginia Racial Integrity Act 1924 'Pocahontas Exception', Louisiana Code Noir, US Census 'mulatto' / 'octoroon' categories).
From $107/mo (billed annually). No contract. Cancel anytime.
$129/mo if you go month-to-month. Three plans (Starter / Professional / Enterprise), voice cloning included with any active plan, BYO phone number. Most professional genealogists start on Professional for multi-staff routing.
I'm 3% Native American per 23andMe — am I eligible for tribal enrollment?
Honestly: NO. Tribal enrollment is by lineal descent from a base roll (Dawes Rolls for Five Civilized Tribes, BIA-tribal rolls for others) — NOT by DNA-ancestry-test results. 23andMe / AncestryDNA / MyHeritage are not accepted by any federally-recognized tribe; DNA shows regional genetic clusters, not citizenship. Safety.ts rule 11t R24 routes you to BIA TGRO 1-202-208-3710 + tribe-specific enrollment offices.
▸
I'm a Cherokee Freedman descendant — what does the AI know?
Cherokee Nation v. Nash (2017) restored Cherokee Freedmen descendant citizenship — the Cherokee Nation Tribal Registration office handles enrollment per the Dawes Rolls Freedmen rolls. Muscogee (Creek) Nation Freedmen-status remains contested + Treaty-of-1866-derived (Williams v. Muscogee Nation ongoing). Choctaw + Chickasaw + Seminole Freedmen status varies + has been disputed since post-Civil-War-era. AI routes to tribe-specific Tribal Registration office, never improvises on Freedmen determination.
▸
Caller asking 'is this person Cherokee?' to sell IACA-protected jewelry — what does AI do?
Categorical refusal per safety.ts rule 11t R24 + rule 21b. AI NEVER confirms tribal-citizenship to any caller on the phone — that would enable downstream Indian-Arts-and-Crafts-Act-protected goods fraud (federal felony up to $250,000 fine + 5 years).
▸
I'm Afro-Indigenous + Black-Indigenous + Geechee — how does the AI frame my identity?
AI honors the framing YOU use, never imposes single-identity-axis. Geechee / Gullah-Geechee Corridor, Garifuna, Black Seminole, Cherokee + Creek + Choctaw Freedmen, Black-Lumbee, Black-Cubanos all recognized as distinct from 'African-American only' or 'Native-American only.' Opt-IN per-fact bio toggle (rule 21k R24) for owners publicly-out about Afro-Indigenous identity.
▸
Family-mythology 'my great-grandmother was a Cherokee princess' — how does the AI respond?
Gentle evidentiary-redirect, never dismissive. AI says 'the Dawes Rolls + 1900 federal census are the records the tribes look at — would you like help finding your great-grandmother on those?' These callers are often Black-Indigenous or Latino-Indigenous descendants whose true Indigenous lineage was obscured by anti-Black + anti-Latino racial categorization (Virginia Racial Integrity Act 1924 'Pocahontas Exception', Louisiana Code Noir, US Census 'mulatto' / 'octoroon' categories). Honor + redirect, never mock.
Set up your AI receptionist in 5 minutes
Pick your genealogy services, hours, and voice. Your AI is answering test calls inside 10 minutes.