Native Americans, Tribal ID

Colorado notaries must use reasonable care to identify a document signer.  A current government-issued ID card, containing a photograph and a signature, such as a driver’s license, non-driver ID, military ID or passport is acceptable.  A Native American tribal ID card is also satisfactory evidence of identification.

Colorado Indian Reservations

In Colorado, the Native American population is about 1.1%, so tribal ID is rarely seen.  It is more common in southwest Colorado, near Durango and Cortez, where there are two Indian Reservations, for the Southern Ute Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.  There is also an urban Native American population in Denver.

Sand Creek Massacre

There was an Indian Reservation in eastern Colorado, for the Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribes, but that ended after Colorado soldiers attacked the reservation during the Sand Creek Massacre of November 29, 1864.  The site, in Kiowa County, east of Eads, is now a National Historic Site.  November 2014 marked the 150th anniversary of this tragic event.

The Sand Creek Massacre site is managed by the National Park Service in collaboration with the Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribes.

There is still a Cheyenne County and an Arapahoe County in eastern Colorado.  Other Colorado places named after Indian people or words include Chipeta Park, Curecanti, Kiowa, Manitou Springs, Montezuma, Niwot, Ouray, and Saguache.

Navajo Nation

There is no Navajo Reservation in Colorado, but the Four Corners Monument in southwest Colorado is a tribal park, managed by the Navajo Nation, based in Arizona.  Navajo Lake, in Navajo State Park, is in southern Colorado, near Pagosa Springs, and holds water used for irrigation on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico.

On Indian reservations, jurisdiction is under tribal law.  There are tribal courts, judges, and police.  Some tribes use tribal notaries, other tribes use state notaries.  The venue on a tribal document would show Navajo Nation, for example, rather than a state and county jurisdiction.

Ute Indians

The Colorado Springs area was once home to the Ute Tribe.  El Paso County is named for Ute Pass, which was the route used for buffalo migration and Ute Indians traveling between the eastern plains and the mountains.

Tribal ID Card

The top 20 states with the highest percentages of Native American populations are:
1. Alaska 14.8%, 2. New Mexico 9.4%, 3. South Dakota 8.8%, 4. Oklahoma 8.6%, 5. Montana 6.3%,
6. North Dakota 5.4%, 7. Arizona 4.6%, 8. Wyoming 2.4%, 9. Washington 1.5%, 10. Oregon 1.4%,
11. Idaho 1.4%, 12. North Carolina 1.3%, 13. Utah 1.2%, 14. Nevada 1.2%, 15. Nebraska 1.2%,
16. Minnesota 1.1%, 17. Colorado 1.1%, 18. California 1.0%, 19. Wisconsin 1.0%, 20. Kansas 1.0%.

It is more likely that tribal ID cards will be seen in those states. Other states have less than 1% Native American population.

A tribal ID card (see photo) is similar in size and appearance to a Colorado driver’s license.  It states the name of the issuing tribe.  Images of some tribal ID cards may be found on the internet.

Note: See our blog article on the Cherokee Nation Tribal Code, Notary Laws for a photo of a Cherokee Nation tribal ID card, and the Cherokee tribal notary laws.

Visit our website for Colorado Springs Mobile Notary services or Colorado Notary Training classes.

[Last-Modified Date 2017-03-22] add page links, new image

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