I have been researching my genealogy and have discovered the possibility that one of my distant ancestors may have had some Native blood. Nowadays, the tribe in question has a One Drop policy with regards to membership, so if I can prove any blood at all to the satisfaction of the tribe (right now, not a certainty at all, and I may on the other hand disprove a Native origin as I or one of my relatives researches further). Almost all of my ancestry is White, as far as I can tell.
To give you a perspective, based on the documents I came across, the maximum percentage based on this ancestral line would be no more than 1/64 on my part, which, since the tribe in question has a one drop policy, is apparently enough for me to “be” one of them.
What are the practical effects of gaining and maintaining membership in a Native American tribe that you don’t culturally connect with? Could it affect legal rights or responsibilities in any way?