![]() How did people know that those original enrollees had "full blood quantum"? So the quantum is a fraction of blood that is derived going back to the original enrollees of a tribe who were counted on Census rolls, and then their blood quantum was documented, and usually those original enrollees had a full blood quantum. So the way that blood quantum is calculated is by using tribal documents, and usually it's a tribal official or a government official that calculates it.īut really it's a mathematical equation. The federal government, and specifically the Department of the Interior, issues what is called a "Certified Degree of Indian Blood," and that is a card similar to an ID card. Here's my interview with Elizabeth Rule, edited and condensed for clarity.īlood quantum simply is the amount of "Indian blood" that an individual possesses. "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 what approach is best for them."Īs we explored blood quantum in this week's episode, we thought a primer of what, exactly, this system is and how it works - or doesn't - might be useful. She's a doctoral candidate at Brown University who specializes in Native American studies, and also a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. "I use the term 'Colonial Catch 22' to say that there is no clear answer, and that one way or another, people are hurt," says Elizabeth Rule. So why keep a system that's decreasing your tribe's rolls and could lead to its demise? 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. 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.īlood quantum minimums really restrict who can be a citizen of a tribe. Code Switch Love And Blood Quantum: Buy In Or Die Out?Īnd how tribes use blood quantum varies from tribe to tribe.
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