What looks, acts and sounds like a federally recognized Cherokee tribe but really isn't? Any one of approximately 50 groups across the nation, some of which offer benefits similar to those of the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokees but just can't deliver.

"Some of these entities are like clubs -- they have a common interest," said Lee Fleming, tribal registrar. "This is fine so long as they understand their limitations. It can cause confusion when people join them and expect services offered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs or the Cherokee Nation."

Most of these organizations are made up of people who can't meet the requirements to become a member of the Cherokee Nation or the Eastern Band, which are the only Cherokee tribes in the nation federally authorized to offer and administer assistance programs and services to Cherokee tribal members, Fleming said. The federal acknowledgement program is a branch of the BIA, which receives formal requests from groups seeking to become federally recognized. The criteria which must be met by these groups is based on the establishment of a historical relationship between the applicant group and the federal government.

Some organizations make no pretense to be "tribes" but are clubs of American Indians meeting together to preserve their culture. The Cherokees of New Mexico is primarily made up of registered members of the Cherokee Nation. It acts as a support group for tribal members located in New Mexico and is the only organization supported by Cherokee Nation resolution. Some of the persons and groups claiming to be part of a federally recognized Cherokee "tribe," are relatively harmless while the main goal of others seems to be the accumulation of funds and power for a select few.

Although he does not hold an elected position or lead any federally recognized tribe, an individual in Dallas proclaims himself to be "His Royal and Imperial Majesty the Oukah, Emperor of Tsa-La-Gi." He has written letters to the President and other heads of state since the late 1960s presenting himself as a member of Cherokee "royalty." His title is not officially recognized by the federal government nor was he a member of a federally recognized tribe until 1992 when he satisfied the eligibility requirements of the Cherokee Nation.

Other people and groups seek rewards of a more physical nature. An alleged "Cherokee Nation" in Texas attempted to establish a sovereign country on a 155-acre island in the Rio Grande. This new nation would supposedly impose no taxes of any kind on its citizens while running a legal gambling operation similar to that in Monaco.

Using that as a front, the group proceeded to run scams on potential investors in their non-existent country. They signed reinsurance contracts with insurance agencies and accepted advance fees for loans, which they would never make. This scheme allowed the organization to take in over $50 million until congressional investigators exposed its true nature. The investigators made a report of their findings late last year.

"This group is neither sovereign, nor Cherokee, nor a nation," investigators said. "It is a sham run by a group of white Anglo Americans for the sole purpose of financial self-enrichment."

In 1989, an organization claimed to be able to trace an individual's ancestry through modern breakthroughs in DNA testing.

This Missouri-based organization said that this test would accurately indicate a person's degree of Indian blood and tribal affiliation as well as making the tested individual eligible for services provided by tribal and federal programs. The test required a blood sample and $250 from each person tested. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller responded to the group's claims in a press release that same year.

"That process is highly suspect, to say the least, and I would not recommend spending money on this test," Mankiller said. "Even if Indian heritage could be determined through an advanced kind of blood test, which it can't, it would not be sufficient to prove membership in the Cherokee Nation. My advice would be to be extremely wary of claims of this nature."

Other group leaders may have nothing but the best interests of their members at heart. However, this does not keep them from causing problems. "One group has developed their own CDIB card," Fleming said. "It looks very similar to ours and can lead to much confusion if members of that group attempt to use it here at the Cherokee Nation.

"A group in Florida claims to be the Cherokee Nation. An attempt was made in Kentucky to have a Cherokee organization recognized as the state's official Cherokee Nation. This led to a joint resolution with the Eastern Band in August, 1992 to attempt to keep other groups from using the Cherokee name." State recognition or certification can make an organization eligible for certain state benefits but federal programs and services are unavailable without federal recognition, Fleming said. Tennessee has issued certificates of Indian recognition to 33 individuals, most of who claim to be Cherokees.

"If the Cherokee Nation were to challenge the constitutional correctness of this, we would probably win. The U.S. Constitution states that only the federal government may deal with foreign bodies including Indian tribes," Fleming said. "We have sent a letter to each governor asking them to tell their state attorneys general, secretaries of state and state legislative leaders of the problem of states acknowledging or recognizing Cherokee groups. We also included a list of Cherokee organizations across the nation and asked that they send us the names of any groups in their state which we did not have listed."

Despite efforts such as these to inform state leaders and the public of suspect Cherokee "tribes," many people donate their time and money to such societies without anything given to them in return.

A woman in Florida gave $3,000 to such an organization and received nothing for her trouble except a "thank you," Fleming said. This often stems from the public's increased interest in the American Indian due to movies such as "Dances With Wolves" and "Last Of The Mohicans."

Money-hungry organizations claiming to be Cherokee "tribes" are easily avoided. There is nothing wrong with joining a club focused on American Indian culture but be wary if this group asks for sizeable regular donations and shows little in return, Fleming said. He also suggests bearing in mind that only the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band are able to deal with the BIA. To apply for membership in either of these tribes, contact their respective registration departments.

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