“Our way of doing genealogy does not always fit the Indian way. They may take into their home an orphan, the homeless of any age, a widow or other stray and call them “brother, sister, aunt” etc… and there may be no blood relationship at all. It was also an accepted practice to use the mother’s family name and she could be listed as head of household. An Indian name generally does not tell you if the person is male or female.”
A research tip from Mary Ann Hetrick’s Native Genealogy Webring
