Some have more information than that to begin with while others are not so lucky. I've known people who begin their research and have enough information within a month to be able to apply for tribal recognition.
Most people fit somewhere in the middle.
In some respects, researching Indian ancestors is much the same as researching non-Indian ancestors. In fact, many of the steps and resources used in researching non-Indian ancestors will also be used in tracing Indian ancestors. At that point, it is necessary to know some of the history and culture of the tribe your ancestor belonged to in order to know which sources you need to be looking at. Often, people who are just beginning to research their Indian heritage try to go immediately to the Indian rolls to find their ancestor's name. Most of the time, they meet with disappointment and have no idea what to do at that point.