There is disagreement regarding the extent to which tribes were coerced or forced into adopting blood quantum rules, with some scholars arguing that they exhibited a great deal of agency. Articles Podcast About Donate Contact. Canada, where a First Nation has decided to open enrollment to people who have no Indian ancestry at all, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility at GBH, Transparency in Coverage Cost-Sharing Disclosures. Of course, there is a desire on some individuals' part to claim an identity for affirmative-action purposes. Many Native nations, including the Navajo Nation and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, still use it as part of their citizenship requirements. The allotment period is best described here by the University of New Mexico, During the allotment period between 1887 and 1934, the term blood quantum was officially integrated into the legal status of native identity for the purpose of dividing reservation land into individual allotments. A Progressive Facade: Comparing the U.S. and Canadas Treatment of Indigenous Peoples, Carceral Institutions in the Era of COVID-19. The programs that most nations run have a host of requirementsthey might be living within a certain boundary or having a certain income or age requirement, for example., Continued use of blood quantum requirements has major implications for Tribal sovereignty. Here's my interview with Elizabeth Rule, edited and condensed for clarity. Occasionally we get thrown out or banned from events, public places, and private homes. Just blood tests. The government saw blood quantum as a way to strip. Without doubt, the Cherokee Nation engaged in blatant racial discrimination. In an 1886 Reconstruction treaty between the Cherokee Nation and the United States, Freedmen were given the opportunity to define themselves as tribal citizens within six months of ratification of the treaty. WebBlood Quantum is the total percentage of your blood that is tribal native due to bloodline. What do yall think? Blood Quantum was used by the former apartheid govt in SouthAfrica and the Nazi regime. Our nation is an odd case because so many families were forced to disconnect but were still allowed on the rolls, and today, now that its relatively safe again, you see so many of us making an effort to reconnect and revive our nation in a way that would never have been possible if we persisted with blood quantum. And how tribes use blood quantum varies from tribe to tribe. For example, some nations are lowering blood quantum requirements and/or allowing prospective citizens to count blood from other Native nations in their calculations. We can still have tribal enrollments without BQ. Some fear that individuals with mixed ancestry self-identify as Indigenous because of a desire to affirm a marginalized ethnic identity and to reap land or health and education benefits. Copyright The Navajo Nation requires a minimum of 25 percent "Navajo blood," and Turtle Mountain requires a minimum of 25 percent of any Indian blood, as long as its in combination with some Turtle Mountain. But, tribes today of course have to adapt, and blood quantum for some tribes in their view has been a way to preserve their community. There are Indian Hospitals and clinics only for use by tribal members. One of the questions that kept coming up is: OK, so why don't tribes just ditch these blood quantum requirements and switch to an enrollment requirement that uses lineal descent? These payments differ on amount for every tribe and Im sure differ on how that amount is reached. The Seminole Nation created a usage plan that said only Seminoles descended from members of the Nation as it existed in 1823 were eligible for the funds. Similarly, tribes that have land tend to be more exclusive than tribes that do not. It argues for the reassertion and rebuilding of traditional knowledge from its roots, its fundamental principles.. The sad thing is if we have a child, they will be 1/32 under the limit to register with my husband's tribe despite being half Native overall. Natives face lower life expectancies and disproportionate poverty rates, leading to the increased rates of: 3 times the rate of type 2 diabetes-related deaths, 1.7 times the rate of suicides, and 6.5 times the rate of alcohol-related deaths compared to whites. My tribe doesn't use blood quantum for obvious reasons. Are the clans recognized as their own tribes or each clan recognized as its own entity in a tribe ? GBH News brings you the stories, local voices, and big ideas that shape our world. Just not for yourself). Blood fractionating has been used predominantly in federal policies to manage entitlements to federal benefits. She hopes to reclaim membership rights promised to Freedmen ancestors in Reconstruction treaties. But WHY do tribes want this? As a co-managed organization, we are counting on your support to help us elevate the stories of our community and pay every writer we feature. These questions suggest the need to have frank conversations about the goals of particular blood quantum rules. Other times, we leave quickly on our own, never to return. I posted this in r/latestagecapitalism but I think it got deleted since I said blood and thats a safe space. Wayne Ducheneaux II and Sally Fineday speak with the Counter Stories team about blood quantum. And honestly I know nothing about South Africa, how, if, did it end? 27 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<82A9F044F25EB42FE2F9B69288F2063B><2807E08E2DAA1C47973DB6902F185C3A>]/Index[14 24]/Info 13 0 R/Length 77/Prev 76225/Root 15 0 R/Size 38/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream Data projections have shown that some Native nations will experience steep population declines in the near future if they continue with their current blood quantum requirements. (Lineal descent basically means that, if your ancestors were enrolled in a tribe, you can be, too.). How did people know that those original enrollees had "full blood quantum"? Those whod like to eliminate blood quantum point out that the original numbers are arbitrary. For more discussion about the complexity of labels, see What We Want to Be Called: Indigenous Peoples Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Identity Labels. In the present day, however, many nations and peoples voluntary use of blood quantum membership requirements complicates the story and suggests that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to indigeneity. So, lineal descendant supporters think about high memberships through the lens of existence as a resistance right. The blood quantum policy was first implemented by the federal government within tribes to limit native citizenship. However, tribes were granted the authority/ability to create their own enrollment qualifications after the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. Where was the term derived from? Because Cherokee society was matrilineal, children became part of their mothers clan, regardless of paternal lineage. Fucking none. To me, if a person is able to prove that they are a direct descendant of someone in the tribe, they should also be considered part of the tribe. Id even argue that many of the Oklahoma tribes have reached the point that people are arguing about here (due to relocation and the sheer amount of residential schools OK had) where we would have been lost entirely if we hadnt adapted. And, some Tribal citizens refused to sign blood quantum-related documents in protest, thereby losing their place on the Census rolls and, oftentimes, future citizenship for themselves and their descendants. I didnt understand how anyone thought to control their sexual attraction in such ways. For instance, for the Cherokee Nation, membership was generally determined by kinship affiliations to one of the nations clans. Blood quantum is a measure of the amount of Indian blood, expressed as a fraction such as one-half or one-fourth. 2023 Join us. From the time that European colonists set foot on American shores and made contact with Native[1] peoples, they have sought to control the land and resources that first belonged to the tribes. We encourage readers to stay up to date on conversations happening around blood quantum and citizenship within the Native nations and communities closest to them. Anishinaabe Aki stretches multiple states and provinces and there are over 100 different bands. The Seminoles, for instance, have also employed blood differences to deny membership. But the tribe itself will say that they are not Cherokee enough to be considered Cherokee. Also, unlike any other ethnic group, Native Americans have to continuously prove their identity. While I was open to many possibilities, few (if any) could create blood quantum approved babies. Not really. They base citizenship on culture, liniage, and roll numbers. The government hoped that using blood quantum would eventually eliminate Native peoplesthat intermarriage would dilute the amount of Indian blood in the population, The conduct of the federal government influenced Seminole Nation to act to exclude Freedmen from its usage plan. People dont know about this. Others see disregard for blood quantum as a way to build up a nations numbers for the sake of survival. What is blood quantum, and why is it controversial? This effectively excluded Freedmen because they were not recognized as members of Seminole Nation until 1866. And that ensured that every person who had at least one drop would be considered black and would be covered under these discriminatory laws and, even in the earlier days, enslaved. Easypeasy. To ensure that only Real Natives are enrolled in tribes. In 1912, Congress conditioned funding and membership for some tribes on blood quantum, limiting its obligations to only those tribes and individuals it deemed to have enough Indigenous blood. The federal government used blood quantum to deny some mixed-race Native Americans land during this time by requiring at least one-quarter Native blood to receive allotments. Others are eliminating blood quantum requirements entirely and using lineal descent (or sometimes, more specifically, patrilineal or matrilineal descent) to define membership. And finally, folks worry that these same outsiders may someday be elected to Tribal Council and sell their nations land. The Freedmens case also offers a chance to analyze examples of blood quantum rules outside of the American Indian context. Blood quantum, a means of quantifying a persons Indigenous ancestry in the United States, has a bleak history as an erasive tool used by the federal government. Many tribes use a 25% blood quantum standard. Finally, some nations are incorporating knowledge of language, culture, and traditions into their citizenship requirements. My body houses too much already. True assertions of sovereignty made by the Cherokee Nation can only take place after recognition of the historical contributions of Cherokee Freedmen, 1866 treaty provisions, metaphorical conceptions of blood that existed prior to colonization, and the erasive, paternalistic history behind blood-based exclusion. Blood quantum is a colonizer idea. Now blood quantum was forced on us. Do you have to enroll to be White? So that over time, Indians would literally breed themselves out and rid the federal government of their legal duties to uphold treaty obligations. The government decided who would and would not receive land allotments by referencing the Dawes Rolls, the original lists of Native Americans compiled by the U.S. government. hXM6Wj/&)|Iy&{$dy?`=} ,lZO" It only exists until we do not. Some Freedmen pushed back on this exclusion, including Marilyn Vann, a descendant of the Cherokee Freedmen and President of the Descendants of the Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes. The Freedmen controversy highlights the importance of open community dialogue in shaping Cherokee membership. The Cherokee Nation is not the only American Indian tribe that uses blood distinctions to restrict tribal citizenship, privileges and benefits. Over 90 million of the 138 million acres originally designated as Indian territory were lost, and thousands of AIs (American Indians) were displaced.. If someone was Black and Native American, they were Black (unless they were seeking U.S. citizenship), no matter how much Native American blood they had. Through dialogue, communities better acknowledge the roles lived experience, cultural connection, pre-colonial forms of knowledge production, and blood-based classifications all play in shaping indigeneity. Before the arrival of Europeans, many Indigenous tribes used lineal descent and defined Native identity through social-cultural-territorial definitions. Current and historical constructions of race, citizenship, and identity have primarily been shaped by White people in order to uphold White supremacy and domination. Too many contradictions, too many genders, too many traumas, too many paths leading who knows where. The fundamental tenet of kinship was reciprocityreciprocal duty to one another, to your people, your clan, your longhouse. %%EOF On many reservations and within indigenous communities, blood quantum is a contentious issue, one often distorted by the blind acceptance of the concept. Yet it is ironic that tribes that have themselves been subject to racial discrimination through the federal governments use of blood quantum rules have now adopted the very same rules to promote their own sovereignty. why blood quantum is problematic Blood Quantum Land Laws and the Race Versus Political Identity Dilemma. Blood Quantum in the modern sense was first officially used by the BIA after the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, better known as the Indian Welfare Act. However, many tribes no longer follow these laws. The Freedmen alleged that Seminole Nations decision was partly due to a recommendation from the BIA to the Nation that only blood Seminole[s] should be eligible. Currently, all Natives enrolled in a federally-recognized tribe are issued a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood, also known as a CDIB, by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 5Q~)Pv8Mgg%;q={I8&]m.?HC(x%_G{mF"Yb`2o" Tribes use blood quantum as an enrollment tool requirement. Many Native nations currently use blood quantum to determine who can and cannot become a citizen. %PDF-1.5 % Colonization caused a shift to legal and race-based definitions. Climate Driven: A deep dive into Maine's response, one county at a time; But like I said, its not a reality, Fletcher said. And howtribes use blood quantum varies from tribe to tribe. However, the Dawes Rolls commissioners only enrolled a small fraction of Native Americans. Well, they didn't. Nonetheless, the words of Cherokee citizens like Darren Buzzard suggest that racism is undeniably present within the community. The amount a person has is measured in fractions, such as or . nE$lbVL^bcw|i_0@hDbh`{Ob (q~g3+f^ [!pa4V2anvOweF-jNKY It makes absolutely zero sense. Someone could be 1/4 from the same band and be enrolled while someone else is 4/4 and not enrolled. Until we do not rid the federal government within tribes to limit citizenship... 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