The Envelope Please...from Illegal alien to Navajo?!? THANKS ALISIA!

February 24, 2011: As I was creating my Facebook page Adopted Native American Citizenship Affected by The REAL ID Act of 2005 and this blog, my mail was delivered. I received my letter promised by Alisia Milford, Vital Statistics Technician at the Window Rock Navajo Office of Vital Records and Identification. The envelope contains a letter from Alisia and also two forms:

1. The Navajo Nation Application for Membership
2. The Navajo Nation Application for Services (not sure why, maybe the two go hand in hand)

Remember: The Navajo Nation adopted me out of the tribe on July 15, 1971 throught their Trial Court of the Navajo Tribe, Judicial District of Chinle Arizona without a Birth Certificate,  Navajo Census Number or Navajo Certificate of Indian Blood. So, the above documents should have been done back in 1971. My adopted parents Stan and Gwena Morrill attempted to obtain a Birth Certificate but the Navajo Court system never granted one through reasons of their own. (this is an update because of a February 25, 2011 8:00am conversation with Alisia at the Window Rock Navajo Nation Vital Statistics Office and me verifying this with my adopted mother, Gwena Morrill)

WAAAAA HOOOO! THANK YOU ALISIA :)

(Click on image to enlarge)

Alisia was great to follow up with a phone call promptly at 8:00 a.m. February 25,2011 to tell me she'd sent a letter and if I'd received it yet.  I told her yes. I had questions about filling out the forms as I didn't have all the necessary information. She told me her supervisor wants everything filled out. If I don't know the answer I can put "unknown" or "I don't know" in the blank space, but all spaces must be filled on the form.
Lucky for me in receiving these because I have a Monday appointment with my Family Law Attorney. We were going to brainstorm who to contact to quicken the pace, as my UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP is due to EXPIRE on July 13, 2011, the expiration date of my second 6 month temporary State issued Drivers License.
NOTE: H.R. 418: THE REAL ID ACT of 2005 allows only a one year extention for State issued Identification Cards and State issued Drivers Licenses, even if lost, stolen or if you are just changing addresses or renewing.

See H.R. 418: THE REAL ID ACT of 2005 pages 46-47:

TEMPORARY DRIVERS’ LICENSES AND17 IDENTIFICATION CARDS that expire one year after issuance.
"(i) IN GENERAL.—If a person presents evidence under any of clauses (v) through (ix) of subparagraph (B), the State may only issue a temporary driver’s license or temporary identification card to the person.
(ii) EXPIRATION DATE.—A temporary driver’s license or temporary identification card issued pursuant to this subparagraph shall be valid only during the period of time of the applicant’s authorized stay in the United States or, if there is no definite end to the period of authorized stay, a period of one year."

Yes, that means after "a period of one year" that's it ... NO MORE UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP for me, a NAVAJO born in the United States and ADOPTED through The Trail Court of the Navajo Tribe Judicial Distric of Chinle, Arizona with no birth certificate, census number or Certificate of Indian Blood.

Now back to the documents.
For those Adopted Native Americans going through this process, there are certain geneological things you may want to accomplish in order to fill out the forms.

1. It is okay to put "unknown" or "I don't know" in a space where you do not have the information. Keep in mind as you fill out your Tribe/Nation's Application for Membership and/or Application for Services, it is important you find as much information about your biological family, mother, mothers maiden name, father, grandparents, paternal/maternal clans, census number, places of birth for each.
2. You must be able to fill out information about your birth name, social security number,  census number, tribe, Indian "blood quantum", and place of birth.
3. The documents may need to be signed and NOTORIZED. Yes, the Navajo Nation Application for Membership must be NOTORIZED, as in my case.

BACK TO ME (Leland Morrill) and my situation:
For my Navajo Nation "Application for Membership" I only know my biological mother's name: Linda Kirk. I do not know my biological fathers name (no documentation).
What I need to fill out my form are:

• Linda Kirk's Maiden Name
• Navajo Blood Quantum
• Was she a U.S. Citizen?
• Census Number
• Social Security Number
• Date of Birth
• Place of Birth
• CLAN: Maternal and Paternal
• Grandparents: Maternal and Paternal

For my Navajo Nation Application for Services form I need my own (Leland Kirk) information:

• Census Number (currently I don't know if one exists for me)
• Father's Name

IF ANYONE READING THIS BLOG/FACEBOOK PAGE knows the above information for Linda Kirk (deceased sometime between 1966-1969, perhaps a car accident) and for me Leland Kirk (adopted name Leland Morrill) PLEASE email the information to me at: lelandpmorrill@gmail.com

Thank you in advance- Leland

A good resource for NAVAJOS is the Navajo Nation Directory

Below is a list of Navajo Nation Vital Records and Identification telephone numbers:

Navajo Office of Vital Records (NOVR)
(928) 871-6386/6387
(928) 871-6397

NOVR - Chinle Agency
(928) 674-2279

NOVR - Crownpoint Agency
(505) 786-2034

NOVR - Fort Defiance Agency
(928) 729-4020

NOVR - Shiprock Agency
(505) 368-1334

NOVR - Tuba City Agency
(928) 283-3404

NOVR - Alamo Navajo Community
(505) 854-2613

NOVR - To'ha jillee Navajo Community
(505) 836-5099

NOVR - Ramah Navajo Community
(505) 775-3328

*If you would like to contribute, have vital information that will help, please email lelandpmorrill@gmail.com using the subject line:Adoption: Leland Kirk