Auntie Knows Native
Where's the gathering? Auntie knows.
Native-owned businesses

How badges work

Every business may list and advertise. Only verified businesses earn a badge, and a badge can never be bought.

Two badges

Auntie Knows Native verifies one thing: who owns the business.

Verified Native-Owned
At least 51% owned and actively run by an enrolled member of a federally or state-recognized tribe.

Tribe-Owned
Owned by a tribe or one of its enterprises. The tribe must confirm, business by business, that it owns the business. Being listed on a tribe's page does not by itself earn this badge.

What a badge shows

Every badge names the tribe and its recognition in words, so you know exactly what was verified:

  • Verified Native-Owned Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina (federally recognized)
  • Verified Native-Owned Coharie Indian Tribe (state-recognized)
  • Tribe-Owned Southern Ute Indian Tribe (federally recognized)

Citizens of federally recognized and state-recognized tribes earn the same badge. A tribe can hold both kinds of recognition; the badge shows federally recognized when it applies, and the tribe's page explains the rest.

No badge

Every other business that serves our visitors is welcome to list free or advertise: a powwow-supply shop, a casting agency, a regional company, or a business run by a Native person who isn't enrolled. No badge does not mean a business isn't Native-owned. It only means Auntie hasn't verified its ownership. Many Native people aren't enrolled, for many reasons.

How a business gets verified

  1. An existing certification. Send a current certificate from a tribe (for example a tribal Native-owned business or TERO certification), a state program, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, or a listing in the federal IACB Source Directory. We confirm it with whoever issued it.
  2. Confirmed by the tribe. The tribal office confirms in writing that the tribe or one of its enterprises owns the business, or that the owner is an enrolled member. A tribe that already manages its page here just tells us; no extra paperwork.
  3. Proof of enrollment. The owner shows tribal enrollment on a short video call, or sends a copy with the ID number blacked out, and signs the ownership statement.

Most decisions take about a week. Businesses that don't qualify are listed without a badge and told how they could qualify.

Rules every business follows

  • Badges are free. Paying for an ad never changes a business's label.
  • Within Auntie Knows Native listings and ads, a business is called Native-owned or tribe-owned only after we verify its ownership. Not having our badge says nothing about a business outside this site.
  • We verify ownership, not products. Each business is responsible for the accuracy of its own product claims.
  • No sacred or ceremonial items, and no protected feathers or animal parts.
  • Honest ads only: no false prices, fake reviews or misleading claims.

Privacy and fairness

  • We look at proof but never keep copies of tribal IDs. We record only the date checked, how it was checked, and who checked it.
  • Anyone can report a concern about a badge by emailing hello@auntieknowsnative.com. We review reports within two weeks, and the business can respond before anything changes.
  • Badges are re-checked once a year. A false claim removes the badge and any ads, with no refund.