Wayne Ducheneaux II and Sally Fineday speak with the Counter Stories team about blood quantum. Congress issued a statistic that 60% of Indigenous individuals will have one-fourth or less blood quantum in the next century. You might live there, you might speak the language, but they dont care about you., Eva Garroutte, a sociology professor at Boston College and an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, proposes a framework of radical indigenism as a starting point for new definitions of Native identity. 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. Kids enrolled. This amount is used to determine the individuals tribal belonging and legal rights. Thats why defending blood quantum has Indigenous people sounding like white supremacists products of white supremacy will ALWAYS align with white supremacy. Spewing awesomeness all over the web! I'm glad my tribe is based on lineage and not percentage. I didnt understand how anyone thought to control their sexual attraction in such ways. Modern definitions of indigeneity within tribes closely mirror the nineteenth and early twentieth century European-American conceptions of race. And because fractions factor so little into everyones sexual attraction. Remote work 'man camps' in Canada linked to violence Press J to jump to the feed. Just like veteran hospitals and clinics. And, every Native nation has a different approach to defining citizenship and setting goals for the future. Many Native tribes adopted the same criteria used by the federal government, leading the majority of tribes to have a blood quantum requirement. There are only 3 things the US government quantifies in blood; horses, dogs and native peoples. Native tribes also generally accepted mixed-race individuals into Native societies with few hesitations. Blood Quantum is a strategy used by the government and tribes to authenticate the amount of Native blood a person has by tracing individual and group ancestry. So, lineal descendant supporters think about high memberships through the lens of existence as a resistance right. Blood Quantum, as a way to ascribe Native American membership, has dire consequences. Overall, the right of self-determination should not be used to insulate a tribe or promote discrimination and deny an individual the equal protection of the law. The economic implications of this categorization were on display in the 1990s, for example, when the federal government decided to pay the Seminole tribe for land the government seized in 1823. Its a complicated, controversial, and personal topic that has major implications for citizenship and belonging in Indian Country. A consequential piece of federal legislation in which blood quantum was particularly relevant was the General Allotment Act, also known as the Dawes Act. The definitions of Indian are inconsistent because the government is constantly reshaping those definitions in order to fit its aims. The US government wants tribes to keep using blood quantum so that one day, nobody will have enough tribal blood to be enrolled in a tribe. Yet, as an expression of sovereignty, the Cherokee Nations decision to expel the Freedmen could arguably be viewed as a valid, albeit utterly troubling, exercise of the right of self-determination. Colonization caused a shift to legal and race-based definitions. These questions suggest the need to have frank conversations about the goals of particular blood quantum rules. Listen Live: Classic and Contemporary Celtic, Listen Live: Cape, Coast and Islands NPR Station. Got a Pendleton jacket as a gift and they really got our My brother got featured on the official 7/11 page rocking One of my favourite pieces I've made called "Dancer". She's a doctoral candidate at Brown University who specializes in Native American studies, and also a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. However, when it came to questions of citizenship, the courts were quick to categorize mixed Native Americans as Indian. Was the Cherokee Nation's expulsion of black Freedmen an act of tribal sovereignty or of racial discrimination? 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. The BIA issues Native people a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) that identifies an individuals blood quantum and Native nation affiliation. I have heard of one example in Canada, where a First Nation has decided to open enrollment to people who have no Indian ancestry at all. That system is the blood quantum One means of control was defining what it meant to be an Indian. The dominant White society in the United States has changed and manipulated legal and sociological constructions of race to further its goals: to acquire more land, preserve the institution of slavery, prevent certain groups of people from becoming citizens, maintain the White race, and more. Blood quantum minimums really restrict who can be a citizen of a tribe. Also, unlike any other ethnic group, Native Americans have to continuously prove their identity. People dont know about this. Now blood quantum was forced on us. Thank you for sharing your powerful words. She's an amazing scholar. Because Cherokee society was matrilineal, children became part of their mothers clan, regardless of paternal lineage. And so there's a desire to build up tribes' numbers and capacity in order to survive and perpetuate the tribe. Starting in the 18th century, however, settler encroachments on Native sovereignty pressured Cherokees to adopt settler practices, including slavery, to maintain some semblance of control over their economic and diplomatic affairs. The conversation around blood quantum is Are the clans recognized as their own tribes or each clan recognized as its own entity in a tribe ? 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. They base citizenship on culture, liniage, and roll numbers. If you've got 25 percent of Navajo blood according to that tribe's blood quantum standards and you have children with someone who has a lower blood quantum, those kids won't be able to enroll. Yes. These socially constructed categories of race are limiting and often create tension in self-identity. Both parents enrolled? Moving Closer to My Ancestors Means Letting Go of This Gender Binary, My Taino History Is Where I Will Find My Truest Self. Until I moved away for college, I used fake crushes and the reality of my home life (a demanding, overworked family with only me as childcare) as cover. It only exists until we do not. This guide provides a non-comprehensive beginners introduction to blood quantum and its implications for sovereignty. That was really the underpinning of how we belonged.. Blood quantum is a colonizer idea. The thing that I've found to be most interesting about both arguments in support and against blood quantum requirements is the language of survival. Ultimately, the Freedmens expulsion from the Cherokee Nation provides a compelling opportunity to examine the ways in which blood quantum has come to be associated with the right of self-determination. Articles Podcast About Donate Contact. 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. Cherokee citizen Darren Buzzard wrote in a widely circulated email before the election, Dont let black freedmen back you into a corner. Historical use of blood quantum use led to frequent violations of Indigenous sovereignty and erasure of Native identity, including being used to limit social mobility and sustain structural violence. Native Governance Center, Blood Quantum and Sovereignty Event Recording. 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. Occasionally we get thrown out or banned from events, public places, and private homes. So why keep a system that's decreasing your tribe's rolls and could lead to its demise? My tribe doesn't use blood quantum for obvious reasons. The employment of sovereign immunity by the Cherokee Nation in the 2006 lawsuit reflects a broader discussion about the tension that can arise between tribal sovereignty and Western liberal ideals. %PDF-1.5 % hbbd``b`@ H0 X$"j1 a|Hp W ga. Fb~ 8 14 0 obj <> endobj She's aligned herself with Jacqueline Keeler's batshittery, and is suuuuper shitty to the Mtis community. Blood Quantum is so effective because it expertly combines ingredients from the horror genre (in this case zombie horror) with a real-life horror story that needs to be toldthe I try my best to avoid these discussions. We are a fully remote workplace. Throughout history, blood quantum was used to define a point at which responsibilities to tribes, entitlement programs, treaty rights, and reservations would end. In other words, when tribes operate along patriarchal, racist, or homophobic lines, should federal and state governments of the United States intervene to protect individual civil liberties, given that tribes are not bound by the U.S. Bill of Rights? And his son Tatanka Means. Such unresolved questions continue to plague tribes today and underscore the importance of sustained community dialogue as a starting point to acknowledge the complexities of tribal identity. endstream endobj 18 0 obj <>stream Models like that of Garoutte are at odds with the reality of the postcolonial membership requirements in groups like the Cherokee Nation. The fundamental tenet of kinship was reciprocityreciprocal duty to one another, to your people, your clan, your longhouse. . 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. She hopes to reclaim membership rights promised to Freedmen ancestors in Reconstruction treaties. As we mentioned at the start of this guide, blood quantum is controversial, with many different arguments for and against. Who gets to tell the story, and what story do they get to tell? Blood Quantum policies are little other than genocidal and will eventually lead to the extinction of indigenous people. We couldn't do it without you. "The systems are so complicated," she explains, "but it's all part of tribes deciding on their own terms, in their own ways, utilizing their own sovereignty [to decide] what approach is best for them.". 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. Just blood tests. For people with disabilities needing assistance with the Public Files, contact Glenn Heath at 617-300-3268. Not feeling sexual attraction toward anyone was queer enough to start fights, just like the potential proof of interest in the wrong people. Watch our event recording to learn more. Its a complicated, controversial, and personal topic that has major implications for citizenship and belonging in Indian Country. Its not uncommon for Native families to have some children who are enrolled and some who arent. The CDIB specifies an individuals blood quantum. Under the sovereign immunity doctrine, Native tribes are protected from suit unless they voluntarily waive immunity or Congress abrogates it. For instance, for the Cherokee Nation, membership was generally determined by kinship affiliations to one of the nations clans. In late 2001, Marilyn Vann, a woman with Cherokee and Black ancestry, applied for citizenship to the Cherokee Nation. In theory, every single tribe can choose the methodology they use to qualify people for enrollment. These laws were enacted by the federal government and state governments as a way to establish legally defined racial population groups. Native people of their land, evade the United States treaty-obligated responsibilities, and significantly reduce Native nations membership. Evidently, among some Indigenous groups, systems of naturalization granted non-kin groups tribal membership. They make fun of her and my uncle because they do not understand enough Spanish or Comanche. Its very important that Native nations consider their power as sovereign nations and their ability to write their own laws and to self-govern., Gabe Galanda sums it up well: Anyone who cares about this country, loves this country, and respects and honors the history of this countrywhether thats an ugly history, a beautiful history, or a combination of bothshould want the Indigenous peoples of these lands to exist in perpetuity. Rooting resource allocation in blood politics allowed the federal government to forge a correlation between increased dilution of Indigenous blood and higher socioeconomic status, grounded in the European belief that White blood uplifted Native blood. Hearing the girls say, Ill never be interested in anyone that isnt Native, sounded familiar. Even though they are my direct descendants and I am a tribal member. 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. Who Decides Who Counts as Native American? Because theres only one way those fractions can go long term without forceful intervention, with or without my womb. In the context of developments such as urbanization, large numbers of Natives are in contact with non-Natives, increasing intermarriage rates. White settlers first imposed blood quantum in the early colonies as a way of limiting the rights of Native people. If you're Native American, there's a good chance that you've thought a lot about blood quantum a highly controversial measurement of the amount of "Indian blood" you have. 2021), http://box2539.temp.domains/~califrp0/blood-quantum-and-the-white-gatekeeping-of-native-american-identity. Blood quantum is the most common requirement used to determine membership among nations. The act ceded millions of acres of tribal lands to the federal government by administering individual allotments. You hear every time a tribe changes over to lineal descent, or that there is a newly recognized tribe, for example, that usually there's a mass group that's interested in joining. Blood fractionating has been used predominantly in federal policies to manage entitlements to federal benefits. TOP 9 why blood quantum is problematic BEST and NEWEST You are wondering about the question why blood quantum is problematic but currently there is no answer, so let Since the U.S. government was giving the Seminole Nation a limited amount of money for the seized land, the Nation naturally wanted to limit the number of people who received funds. Soon enough, relationships become a constant occupation of classmates as well. (If youre enrolled with a particular Native nation and want to switch nations, youll need to unenroll first. But like I said, its not a reality, Fletcher said. African American? And that pisses me off. Lol. This is because if they let too many people enroll, they risk losing federal recognition and tribal property. What many people dont know is that blood quantum laws have been in effect for about three hundred years. 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. Well outline some of the most commonly-held viewpoints here. We should not Taking blood quantum this seriously made me laugh, as did all the imaginary babies. At the time, the federal government required persons to The majority still do. Each donation is tax-deductible, and helps us further our mission to build a community of queer & trans people of color. Its not possible to actually calculate the amount of Native blood someone has. On these rolls, the Dawes Commission assumed three racial categories: freedmen, intermarried Whites, and Indians by blood. Ones racial classification dictated the size and location of their allotment: Full-blood Natives received small parcels of land while mixed-blood Natives received larger, better tracts of land. The Seminoles, for instance, have also employed blood differences to deny membership. However, the Dawes Rolls commissioners only enrolled a small fraction of Native Americans. We can still have tribal enrollments without BQ. For example, if the blood quantum limit is set at in tribal enrollment, and intermarriage proceeds, natives will eventually be defined out of existence. Because they dont want to deal with us anymore. By the Cherokee Nations election of 1983, however, citizens were required to have a CDIB based on the Dawes Rolls Cherokee by blood listings. Blood quantum. Ultimately their decision has to be respected in order to uphold tribal sovereignty. Their policy [2] Professor Capers [], In his provocative essay, Against Prosecutors,[1] Professor Bennett Capers contributed to a now-robust conversation that was on the fringes just a decade ago. They are also the tribes of first contact. And then since there are no more tribes they dont need land for reservations anymore or a separate healthcare system or those casinos they cant legally operate in the state where sovereign land once was. Here's my interview with Elizabeth Rule, edited and condensed for clarity. 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? Blood quantum was initially a system that the federal government placed onto tribes in an effort to limit their citizenship. Such a belief was expressed by individuals such as phrenologist Charles Caldwell, who said that the only efficient scheme to civilize the Indians is to cross the breed.. Meaning that those individuals don't meet the federal Canadian requirements of being a "status Indian," and they also don't have that blood quantum or descendancy from an original enrollee. why blood quantum is problematic. Without doubt, the Cherokee Nation engaged in blatant racial discrimination. All in all, blood quantum limits the holistic meaning of what it means to be Native American. Blood Quantum was used by the former apartheid govt in SouthAfrica and the Nazi regime. When Im referring to a specific tribe, I refer to the tribe by its name. Many Native nations, including the Navajo Nation and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, still use it as part of their citizenship requirements. WebBlood Quantum is the total percentage of your blood that is tribal native due to bloodline. For tribes (like mine) who hold strict requirements for citizenship, the proof of your Nativeness often starts with the fraction included on a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood. Climate Driven: A deep dive into Maine's response, one county at a time; hTmo0+i~wBZZR [ ,RwJ[Z|/D2HN *$_.5#R g+1yQ&tp2&=}gO=*CXx D9*`_!t=xS_nazs(Y BFjQQGl6@A>+%4i#&q7p'.]6y5L atMagCrN8pLQvy?~joZ}2d=U:w}~w%t~[7X{-}QBx{+b\Ldbm\,-_d@aGic(c16ABElem~BJ)D%^)b1*ZrF2B35X;$P!%RHH(h*QVA9