Story Published:
Mar 3, 2010
Story Updated:
Feb 26, 2010
DENVER – With the advent of an increasingly urban, multiracial country, it’s possible that Indian America will slowly be transformed as well, perhaps following a controversial trajectory toward inclusion in an ethnic American identity.
Or, as some speculate, there may be a return to and reinvigoration of tribal communities and lands, where green energy, state-of-the-art minerals extraction, or other social and economic changes could enhance Native nations far from the diversity of urban centers.
Either way, issues of enrollment and blood quantum will be around, like familiar but sometimes tiresome relatives who nonetheless play a key role in a family’s survival.
In fact, Census figures show that nearly 70 percent of today’s Native population lives off-reservation, primarily in cities, and both on- and off-reservation it is a young population with a median age of 28. Whether rural or urban, it is disproportionately beset with high rates of alcohol- and drug-related crime, diabetes, heart disease, family violence, and youth gangs and suicide.
Yet already-limited federal dollars for American Indians in crime prevention, housing, social programs, and health care go primarily to reservations, where Native identity has clear historical roots and federal trust responsibility may be more firmly cemented.
Otherwise, attitudes toward Natives may be influenced by the fact that we may be U.S. citizens and also citizens of separate nations, subjects of federal trust responsibility, and members of a federally defined ethnic minority group all at the same time, giving rise to confusion.
At times, it seems to come down to a conflict between racialized and political identities.
For example, the last administration unsuccessfully tried twice to eliminate the entire Urban Indian Health Program for off-reservation Natives based on a rationale that serving urban Indians would be primarily race-based, giving them preference over other ethnic groups or running the risk that Indians who were not from federally recognized tribes might be served. The proposal ignored existing federal regulations and court rulings concerning Indian health care and other services that don’t require living on or near a reservation and that define “Indian” more broadly.
A more recent issue, discarded because of its threat to tribal sovereignty, would have stressed blood quantum in an indirect – though misguided – attempt to narrow tribal membership and subsequent access to IHS services. One Indian health spokesperson noted that “Using blood quantum is part of a conservative ideology to limit the federal government’s responsibility regarding Indian people. It’s not just an ‘Indian issue’ – it’s about that trust responsibility.”
Groups like One Nation United, which claims 500,000 members in 39 states, decry tribal sovereignty and federal trust responsibility, praise anti-sovereignty court rulings and deplore such actions as the Environmental Protection Agency’s giving tribes control over air and water quality standards in tribal areas. The group’s newsletter cites an article contending that if one is of greater than 50 percent non-Indian ancestry, one should not be considered “Indian” for legal purposes.
In Colorado, a reporter wondered, “How much Indian blood do you have to have to get the free tuition?” during a dispute involving a college’s reimbursement for Native out-of-state tuition.
The answer was that in this case free tuition for Native students of federally recognized tribes stems from a century-old, federal-state agreement concerning land acquisition, and that the tribal nations themselves determine membership based on varying degrees of lineal descent or, in some cases, simply descent from proven ancestry.
Conversely, some ethnic studies departments are blurring the lines between Native, Asian, African, and Latino/a groups, despite dissent from the students involved. “They’ve tried this before, but with the economy as it is, they’ll probably succeed this time,” said a University of Colorado Denver staffer of the possible consolidation of departments there.
The policies of at least one federal agency in recent years underscored the sometimes confusing nature of political and ethnic considerations.
A Department of the Interior agency analyzed the effects of its major actions on Indian trust assets – lands, hunting rights, cultural resources, and others – but also placed those considerations within the framework of a general discussion of possible disproportionate impacts on poor and/or ethnic populations that had no inherent government-to-government relationship with the U.S.
Although sovereignty and anti-discrimination concerns are sometimes lumped together, a 1974 Supreme Court ruling said the relationship of the U.S. to tribal nations and their citizens is a political, government-to-government one, not one based in anti-discrimination policies directed at ethnic groups’ interests.
If there is an inexorable pull toward urbanization and ethnicity, cultural continuity and revitalization may have a key role to play even off-reservation.
For example, about two-thirds of Chickasaw Nation tribal members live outside tribal lands in south-central Oklahoma, but there has been a conscious effort by the tribe to create a citizenship that transcends borders, in part by drawing members back to various cultural events, but also by sending culture to outlying councils.
At one meeting of an out-of-state citizens’ council, a Chickasaw ethnobotanist displayed slides of plants on tribal lands that had various medicinal and other properties, but the underlying theme was, as he said, “We are just as much Chickasaw as we always were – we just express it in a different way.”
“Say, ‘I am Chickasaw,’” he told attendees.
“Chikasha saya,” they replied.
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Notoweega said on Saturday, Apr 3 at 7:46 AM
Blood Quantam? Percentage? Does the general public really believe that First Peoples saw each other in terms of color? Our greatest concerns were, "are you a human being?" Even under adoption once a candidate was excepted into the tribe, they became a full member of that tribe. What is the blood quantam to be calssified as "White" or even "American"?
40573004Coyote said on Saturday, Mar 20 at 9:43 AM
A Romanian European woman in Chicago training to become a teacher told me that American Indians are not going to be able to regain their languages because there's NO MONEY to be made knowing and using them. I told her, some will learn or relearn for song and giving thanks, but it will have to start with the young, I couldn't explain to her that the struggle is underway inside and across borders that Colonizers set.
39645941rezrat said on Thursday, Mar 18 at 4:35 PM
a native is at least 1/4th native, if a person is not that, then i don't know what thay are,,i am 13/16th native and have a letter from the BIA too show it,,
39552749resis_tanz68 said on Tuesday, Mar 16 at 3:04 PM
Ironically quoting a "founding father" who got the idea from us Onkweohnwe-true human beings-"either we hang together, otherwise we will hang seperately!" Benjamin Franklin just paraphrase what the Peacemaker has spoken b4 the coming of Europeans. Talking about history coming full circle....just a thought...Danitoh!
39406916rodney richardson said on Monday, Mar 15 at 10:49 PM
The federal government would love nothing more than see Native people merge into the mainstream and become another "race in the crowd." Everyone who lives in the USA needs to keep in the forefront of their minds that--you walk on Native American Indian Soil! All other races are intruders.
39294526Question for Of the Wind said on Sunday, Mar 7 at 2:49 PM
Are you talking about the "Rainbow Tribe"? LOL If so, that's NOT what we're talking about here. ;o)
38830241Of the Wind said on Sunday, Mar 7 at 12:26 AM
A new race will be born. Not of skin color, but of the hearts of humanity. All people of like souls will come together and the Earth will be healed. Do not let hate enter your hearts. For the world will be changed by love.
38809004ski said on Friday, Mar 5 at 2:16 PM
then they look at me an laugh an tell me to prove it the nerve of some people to take advantage I guess that is why they are so empty in there heart an soul these people are not happy no matter what they have
38740541ski said on Friday, Mar 5 at 1:33 PM
i work with a person that is from Great Britain he told me today he put in for a grant an claimed Indian status just to try to get a grant I do believe we should put limits not everyone should be able to claim this status it will put the people that are out of line to receive any grant that they deserve ive also talked to some people that claim working on indian land that have measured markings with trees or rocks they have told me that all they did was move the trees an markings to benifet them not right they take advantage of our resources that our people have fought so hard to protect
38737379Navajo said on Friday, Mar 5 at 11:14 AM
The rez is my refuge from white, black, yellow people; amongst people that are brown and talk like me. If enrollment is opened to any mixed race claiming Indian heritage, my refuge will be no more. I vote NO to lowering or eliminating blood quantum requirements. Saalam Alakam!
38726854Anonymous said on Thursday, Mar 4 at 11:57 PM
YEARS OF ASSIMULATION,YEARS OF FORCED CULTURAL ASSIMULATIONS FROM FOREIGN,OUTSIDERS,FOR OVER 500 YEARS.THAT CULTURAL EXTENSION IS STILL WITH US,WHETHER IT BE THE INFLUENCE OF THE MEDIA,GOVERNMENT,OR REP OF,OR INFLUENCED WHILE LIVING OUTSIDE THE RESERVATION.THEIR INTENT IS SUBLIMINALLY WELL KNOWN,TO ATTEMPT TO USURP YOUR AUTONOMOUS STATE AND IF THEY COULD THEY`LL ATTEMPT TO TAKE YOUR RESOURCES FROM YOU.OR YOUR LANDS,DEPLETING THE LANDS OF RESOURCES LEAVING THE LANDSCAPE BARREN,UNINHABITABLE.LIKE THE OUTSIDERS DID FOR OVER 500 YEARS.LET`S WORK TO MAKE IT HABITABLE.IT`S OUR COUNTRY.IF ALL THE TRIBES WORK COLLECTIVELY ONLY A GOOD RESOLVE WILL COME OF IT.YOU KNOW THE ISRAELI`S TOOK A BARREN UNINHABITABLE LAND AND ACCOMPLISHED THIS FEAT.AFTER FOREIGN OR OUTSIDER OCCUPATIONS AND INVASIONS.EVEN AFTER ALL THEIR TRIBES SUFFERED,THEY WORKED COLLECTIVELY TO OVER COME THE OPPOSITION AND OBSTACLES IN THEIR WAY.THOUGH THEIR OPPOSITION STILL EXISTS.THEY CONTINUED IN SPITE OF IT.THEY RESTRUCTURED.
38707009Anonymous said on Thursday, Mar 4 at 11:18 PM
I AM SORRY I MISPELLED A ORG.IT`S NARF NOT FARF.ADDING TO BELOW COMMENT.GET A GEOLOGISTS REPORT.WATER A FILTERING STATION.WHO CAN HELP,CAN WE GO OUTSIDE AND SEEK HELP? FOR DEVELOPEMENT OF AGRICULTURE,WATER DESALINATION PLANT A FILTERING PROCCESS.I KNOW OF ONE COUNTRY WHEN I VISITED THERE YEARS AGO,BUT I AM SURE THERE MAY BE OTHERS.WHO HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE.BUT THIS COUNTRY HAS BEEN DOING IT FOR ALMOST A CENTURY.IT HAS WATER FILTERATION AND DESALINATION PROCCESSERS,THEY HAVE AGRICULTURE AND AQUACULTURE PROVEN TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE.AND THE EQUIPMENT THAT WOULD BE NEEDED.NOW THE NAME OF THE COUNTRY IS ISRAEL.MAYBE TRIBAL MEMBERS COULD SPEAK TO THEM,OR A NARF REPRESENTITIVE AND TRIBAL MEMBERS HAVE THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL SHOW YOU AROUND,LOOK AT THE VARIED OPTIONS THEY OFFER TO TURNING YOUR HOME THE RESERVATIONS INTO A BETTER INVIRONEMENT.LET`S NOT MAKE INDIFFERENCE A WAY OF LIFE.
38705469Anonymous said on Thursday, Mar 4 at 10:56 PM
LET`S TAKE STOCK OF WHAT WE HAVE.WE HAVE THE REZ,WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT IT IS OUR PLACE OF DWELLING.LET`S DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT,AND TOGETHER WE`LL MAKE THE MOST OF IT.ONE STAPLE WE KNOW FOR SURVIVAL,FOOD AND WATER.LET`S CONCENTRATE ON THE FOOD.WE COULD LIVE ON THE OUTSIDER DOLES.BUT THAT`S A DEPENDENCY,ADDICTED FORM OF FALSE SECURITY.WE COULD PRODUCE OUR OWN.WE FARM A LARGE AREA WITH THE MEMBERS INVOLVED.WE COULD EDUCATE THE MEMBERS TO OPERATE AND MAINTAIN AGRICULTURE EQUIPMENT.WE COULD SEEK HELP IN DOING THIS FROM THE GOVERNMENT,OR WITH HELP OF F A R F.OR THROUGH DONATIONS.HAVE A TALK WITH CASINO`S ON RESERVATIONS.WE NEED A BASIC EDUCATION ON THE RESERVATIONS,FOR YOUNG AND OLD.BUT PRODUCTION IS IMPORTANT.HELPING IN THE DEVELOPEMENT OF FARM CROP IS A COLLECTIVE EFFORT ON MANY ABLE MEMBERS OF THE RESERVATIONS.WATER FILTERING OR DESALINATION AND BOTH NO DOUBT,IS CONTINUED LIFE EXPERIENCE FOR SURVIVAL.OUTSIDERS POLLUTING OF UNDER GROUND STREAMS,RIVERS,LAKES,THE AIR THE TRIBE BREATHES.
38704621james looks twice said on Thursday, Mar 4 at 7:48 PM
A good start would be not to blame anyone. Our cultures have shifted to accepting handouts from the days of treaties. Rations=commodities/donated foods. allotments=grazing permits/land permit/stipends/tribal clothing/housing/GA checks. How will we ever stand on our own with these handouts. Our tribal elders are the first in line and we look to them for wisdom and council.
38696254cb in nd said on Thursday, Mar 4 at 4:24 PM
Interesting article on how we define ourselves and let others define us.
38682751Re: Burntfinger and CDIBs said on Thursday, Mar 4 at 3:33 PM
I don't have one but I do have tribal enrollment paperwork from my (federally recognized) tribe. As I understand it, CDIBs are the US Government's way of documenting "how much" Indian you are and is inclusive of all of your tribal heritage. A "race card" if you will. However, a tribal enrollment document (card, letter, certificate, etc.) is proof of citizenship in a tribal nation, similar to a passport issued by governments across the world. You can't get one unless you're a citizen. I know some tribes require a person to get a CDIB before they become enrolled but some tribes, like mine, do not. My tribal enrollment card is not a "race card" but a "citizenship document" - something I'm very, very proud of.
38678989LBM said on Thursday, Mar 4 at 3:14 PM
A questions and a few comments: Is the "trust responsibility" to tribes or individuals? I'm reservation born and raised but was urban for college and work. Now I'm back living and working on the rez. As an urban (a term I really dislike), I didn't expect anyone to take care of me but myself - it was part-and-parcel of moving off of the rez. Was I "owed" anything by the US Gov. during that time, I don't think so but maybe I was.(Refer to my question above.) As far as Urban Indian Centers go, they can be good resources for urbans but I see them trying to become/pretend to be Tribes and teach these 2nd and 3rd and now 4th generation Urbans how to be NDNs: Culture(s), Language(s) and Tradition(s). It's a Pan-Indian mess and really not the role of these urban centers, in my opinion. Another commenter wrote about the previous article in this series, "Annihilation by Integration" and I think this article speaks directly to that.
38677489Online NDN said on Thursday, Mar 4 at 10:38 AM
Prediction: In a couple of years, with municipal defaults, another market crash, and dwindling tax revenues, congress will revive the "one quarter Americn Indian Act" passed in 1987, update it to the "one-eighth American Indian Act', and we will have a new national definition for an American Indian regardless of any sovereignty concerns...they will simply declare "force majuer" or act of god. Those of us who are left will have to work harder to learn our languages and our cultures. This is the turning point...this is the fork in the road.
38654754mona said on Thursday, Mar 4 at 10:37 AM
as a mom and grandmother i know that by the definition of the us gov and my own nation,perhaps my own grandchildren may not be eligible for access at INH or school scoolarships i also find that "colonized thought"is very much a why we are so divided.many only accept the law that was imposed upon us through the daws act of the 1800,or perhaps they claim only matriarchal linage as the "traditional" way to recognize whos a real ndn able to recieve benefits. how can we the most resiliant people be so divided??what are we going to do for future generations?pretty soon if we cant dig deep into our ability for harmony and peace the colonizers will have won the colonizers will have conqured us thru this kind of division .please remeber in most of the americas they dont even have goverment acknowlegement of their "redman status" once we start using their(colonizer) goverments to define laws that affect our children they start to use that as against us,inability to govern oneself ,reunify peace
38654636Billy said on Thursday, Mar 4 at 9:22 AM
This is extremely true , in Florida the blacks are rushing in to marry Seminole's to cash in on tribal moneys! in new your the Islanders are doing same thing to Mohawk's an other tribes all over the us and Hawaii! we told the tribes but were asked to leave and not to come back to them ever again! thepeople don't understand what is takeing place as long as there friends get them booze or dope!
38649411N D N I M said on Thursday, Mar 4 at 12:32 AM
Today's generation needs to learn well enough from history to not let it repeat itself...now that we live in this information era...we have the opportunity to allow the past be our vehicle to change the future as it presents itself in every issue we face today.Time to fight the power with logic and keep an open mind w/the wisdom our grandfathers have left us. Through balance and harmony we have always succeeded in life...tools in the game of life!!
38637351Two Feathers said on Wednesday, Mar 3 at 11:06 PM
The unjust and the unjust Act might seem to be the same, but they are not, for the unjust is that which is determined by law, for instance it is illegal to steal a deposit, but the unjust Act is the actual doing of something unjustly. In the same way the just and the just Act are not the same, for the just is that which is determined by law and the just Act is the actual doing of good deeds....................Aristotle The Dawes Act...........................A nation that passes an unjust Act, need I say more.
38633746Stacey said on Wednesday, Mar 3 at 10:04 PM
But we are not a single voice. What is good for the Chickasaw will not be good for the Navajo. Even among the Navajo there is disagreement over what is good, acceptable or even historically accurate. Having some generic "NDN" identity helps no one, especially the most those who need the most federal assistance. A generic Indian identity would hurt those who still have their languages, live on their homelands and do carry on their traditions.
38630819Burntfinger said on Wednesday, Mar 3 at 8:42 PM
A good start would be to renounce the US imposed constitutions, US approved elections of US approved candidates. oh, yeah, rejection of our Jew card (CDIB). What is the difference between that and the ID cards and yellow arm bands that Jews were forced to wear? Independent nations? HA! As long as we accept our "dependent nation" status our masters will continue to forge the chains that we willingly put on.
38627046Haida303 said on Wednesday, Mar 3 at 7:49 PM
These are exactly the issues that we need to be talking about, and exactly the reasoned and emotionally centered approach that we need to talk about them.
38624289Indian Survival said on Wednesday, Mar 3 at 2:53 PM
We need to work together to: [1] protect sacred and historic sites [2] revitalize the native languages in all people [3] revitalize the cultural ceremonies on our original soil [4] protect cultural property from fraud and abuse [5] return NDN people to the homelands from an exile in OK [6] reunify the all fragmented tribes in one govt to be unified and strong [7] help other fragmented INDN communities reunify; this is how we fight back!!! By not fighting each other, speak with a single voice
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