Pueblo of Laguna Tribal Enrollment Department Information

Please update your mailing address using the Authorization for Change of Address form (link is below under office hours).

Office Hours: Monday thru Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

Office Staff:

Lorraine Silva, Enrollment Manager, Notary Public
Barbara Analla, Enrollment Clerk, Notary Public
Kayla Carrillo, Data Entry Clerk

Main Contact Information:

Phone Info: (505) 552-6654, Ext. 5771 or 5772 or 5773

Fax Number: (505) 552-7037

Office Email Address:  Email Enrollment Office

Email Addresses: Lorraine Silva or Barbara Analla or Kayla Carrillo

Mailing address: ATTN: ENROLLMENT OFFICE, P.O. BOX 194, LAGUNA, NEW MEXICO 87026

Physical location: PUEBLO OF LAGUNA ADMINISTRATION BUILDING (TRIBAL BUILDING)

                             22 CAPITAL ROAD, LAGUNA, NEW MEXICO

               Located at Laguna Village off of Interstate 40, Exit 114, South of NM Highway 124 (Route 66) East of St. Joseph Church. 

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW:

The Enrollment Office is under the directive of the Pueblo Secretary and in accordance with the Pueblo of Laguna Constitution (Amended October 29, 2012).  The Enrollment Office is responsible for maintaining a current membership roll and informing the Pueblo Secretary of the additions and deletions of said roll.  The Tribal Enrollment Office is a public service office, as well as a vital records office, dealing with many different individuals, communities, programs, businesses and governments (tribal & non-tribal).  The Enrollment Office consists of three (3) staff and assists the Enrollment Committee (who are appointed as a representative from each of the six (6) villages) and the Election Board (who are appointed as a representative from each of the six (6) villages).

Enrollment Committee Members:

Elsie Vaio, Encinal Village Enrollment Committee Representative, Chairperson

Mary Lockwood, Mesita Village Enrollment Committee Representative, Secretary

Gloria Martin, Paguate Village Enrollment Committee Representative

Victoria Johnson, Paraje/Casa Blanca Village Enrollment Representative, Vice Chairperson

Elaine Rivera, Seama Village Enrollment Representative

Claudia Douma, Laguna Village Enrollment Representative

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Mission: To maintain the membership roll of the Pueblo of Laguna, according to the Pueblo of Laguna Constitution, Enrollment Ordinance, Resolution and POL Code.  To assist individuals in applying for membership to become enrolled members and provide them with verification of enrollment by issuing Certificates of Indian Blood and/or membership cards, in order for those individuals to receive services through various programs and organizations.

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REMINDER: The BIA Census Numbers are no longer valid or issued from the Laguna Agency; individuals need to be an enrolled tribal member to receive an enrollment/tribal ID number.

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Per the Pueblo of Laguna CONSTITUTION (Amended October 29, 2012):

Regular Membership Qualifications:

Any person one-fourth (1/4) or more Laguna Indian blood. (There is no time frame to apply for Regular Membership). 

Regular members are eligible for all tribal benefits.

Naturalization Membership Qualifications:

• Persons of at least one-half (1/2) degree of Indian blood of federally recognized tribes who possess one-eighth (1/8) degree of Laguna Indian blood.  (An individual must have one-eighth (1/8) or more Laguna blood AND must have a combined total Indian blood equaling one-half (1/2) from a federally recognized tribe(s)).

Or

• In-laws who possess at least one-half (1/2) degree Indian blood and are enrolled with a federally recognized tribe. (In-laws married to a tribal member are eligible to be naturalized, however, an individual must possess at least one-half (1/2) total degree of Indian blood of a federally recognized tribe).

Or

• Persons who previously relinquished their membership with Laguna. (Returning relinquished Laguna members are eligible to be naturalized, provided that the blood quantum qualifications are met).

There is no time limit to apply for naturalization; however, if the applicant is age eighteen (18) or older, they must serve a five (5) year probationary period where the applicant must report to their respective Village Officials for five (5) consecutive years before they become a naturalized member.

Currently, naturalized members do not receive the same tribal benefits as regular members, however they are eligible for Indian Health and PHS services as well as all other government services.

ARTICLE II-MEMBERSHIP, Sec. 3. Powers of the Pueblo Council over Membership, states:

The Pueblo Council shall have the sole authority to determine eligibility for enrollment as a member of the Pueblo. No decree of any Court purporting to determine membership in the Pueblo, paternity, or degree of Laguna Indian or other blood shall be recognized as determinative of membership in the Pueblo.

Applications are processed bi-weekly by the Enrollment Committee and submitted to Council with their recommendations on a quarterly basis each year: March, June, September, and December.

Certain documents are required to be submitted, please contact the Enrollment Office for further enrollment application information.

• Provides applications and information regarding Regular & Naturalized membership and the different benefits for each.
• Provide documentation (CIBs, DCIBs, BIA Form 4432s, etc.) verifying tribal enrollment/membership.
• Provide and assist with Relinquishment Forms, Village Transfer Forms, Abide By Forms, Funeral Expense, and Family Trees (Upon Written Request).
• Maintain and safeguard the files of all enrolled members which contain vital & important documents & records. (Wills, Land Assignments, Power of Attorney, Court Orders, DD214’s, etc. can be placed in files by request only.)
• Assist with Minor’s Trust Change of Address & Withdrawal Forms.
• Generate statistical information (Upon Written Request).
• Assist with the per capita distribution.
• Assist the Enrollment Committee by preparing material presented to the Pueblo Council for quarterly presentations of new members held in March, June, September & December.
• Assist with verifications of physical addresses (New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division (MVD)).
• Assist families with preparing and filing death certificates with the New Mexico Vital Records.
• Assist with retrieving birth/death certificates by making trips once a month to the NM Vital Records in Santa Fe. (Trips are made usually the first week of each month, contact office for further details & dates.)
• Provide notary service at no charge.