Membership

In accordance with its mission and initial focus, this is a regional league of continuing colonial era historic American Indian Tribal nations of the eastern and southern seaboard of the continental United States, which have a common history including either colonial treaties, colonial era reservations or designated “Indian towns,” enrollment in federal Indian schools or closely associated Indian mission boarding schools, or listing as tribal communities in federal records or reports prior to 1960.

American Indian Nations which have signed the ACET Charter are (in alphabetical order):

Each of the Member Nations meets the following Specific Requirements for Membership:

Given the mission of ACET, member tribes must share a common history of certain types of colonial and federal contact and also be located along the eastern or southern coast of the continental United States. Members must have evidence of continuous tribal community from at least the year 1900 through to contemporary times. No member can be a group that has splintered from historic tribes in contemporary times. Each member Nation has met the following requirements...

Requirement #1: Members are American Indian Tribal Nations.

Membership is limited to entities which are continuing community of interrelated descendants of a historic American Indian Tribe or tribes which has maintained tribal identity in some manner that can be documented in a continuous fashion from at least the 19th century or earlier.

Requirement #2: Members are located in the eastern or southern areas of the continental United States.

Membership is limited to those Tribal Nations located in a U. S. state near the Atlantic coast or Gulf of Mexico

Requirement #3: Members have existed from colonial times.

Membership is limited to those Tribal Nations which have evidence of existence prior to the federal period by way of tribal interaction with colonial governments. Such evidence includes treaties, land grants, official reservations, designated “Indian Towns,” interactions with colonial authorities, etc… Such evidence shall demonstrates that the Tribal Nation was a sovereign indigenous entity during the colonial period.

Requirement #4: Members must be able to document federal contact prior to 1960.

Members can demonstrate the receiving of services, being listed in studies or reports, or of being the object of actions of the arms of the federal government prior to 1960. Such evidence may include enrollment in Federal Indian Schools or closely associated Indian Mission Boarding Schools, listing as tribal communities in ethnological studies done by arms of the federal government, etc…