Lakeminite Melungeon Nation
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Enrollment and Eligibility
The Lakeminite Melungeon Nation does not believe in blood quantum. Historically, we also operated without formal enrollment. This was a way to honor kinship through lived connection. Due to increasing instances of misrepresentation and external misuse of our name and identity, Lakeminite Nation will now require enrollment for anyone wishing to formally affiliate with the Nation.
*all formerly known and recognized members will be automatically enrolled under our Standing Kin Clause, please email midwestlosthistory@gmail.com for your enrollment number if you do not already have it.*
Enrollment and your paper enrollment ID are free.
For more information on Enrollment ID and replacement click here.
To be eligible for enrollment, an individual should meet all of the following:
*If direct descent cannot be proven due to lack of documentation, the following 2 criteria MUST be met.
1. Diasporic Descent or Adoption
SEE ACCEPTED COUNTIES AND SURNAMES
Prove direct descent from an already enrolled member or direct descent from a Melungeon family who originated in an accepted home county and migrated to an accepted landing county during the Great Depression and postwar industrial periods
OR
Have been adopted into the kinship network through
-Marriage into an enrolled family
-Being raised by enrolled kin
-A valorous act recognized by the Eldriarch Council as grounds for
adoption.
2. Cultural Continuity
Demonstrate knowledge of and connection to Lakeminite cultural practices, including but not limited to:
-Family and Local oral histories - Migration narratives
-Regional dialects, foodways, burial customs, or labor histories
-Participation in community events or traditions
3. Community Accountability
Be known to and vouched for by at least one enrolled member or family line and agree to uphold the values and code of conduct of the Nation, including:
-Respect for elders and oral tradition
-Protection of the Nation’s name and mission
-Rejection of racial essentialism, white supremacy, and cultural appropriation