Navajo 1/8th Blood Quantum??

[Josiah]

I should have probably explained what happened in my other post:

The original problem that brought up the issue about lowering blood quantum was because certain non-enrolled individuals were caught illegally gathering/harvesting on our reservation land for personal profit.

The issue wasn’t about our tribe dying out or theoretical questions about using blood quantum as the criteria for membership.

This was predicated on self-interest & greed…. apparently wild Wisconsin ginseng is especially rare & extremely prized. There is and has been an insatiable demand from the billions of Chinese/Asian consumers. Because of the past over-harvesting throughout the US for hundreds of years, wild ginseng is an endangered species.

The wording of our ancillary roll which gave benefits to people who married into the tribe & to offspring who didn’t meet minimum blood was challenged. Enrolled relatives (of the “thieves”) led the effort to reduce blood quantum so that the above individuals (their family relatives) would be eligible to become tribal members so they could continue their exploitative harvesting business legally and basically unrestrained on tribal land.

This is what started the whole issue.

Regardless of the amount of NDN blood a person has, it is the choices/actions that a person makes that matter and for those to be in keeping with traditional tribal ways and values. That is how I was raised/taught. In my own family, I have a sibling (same parents, same amount of blood) who isn’t NDN I’m sad to say…not in thinking, not in choices, not in way of life. One of my auntie's sayings is, "You are either NDN or you're not." I’ve heard other NDNs say this too. I think there's a lot of truth to that. It’s binary.

Historically & traditionally, we, the Menominee, are Keepers of the Forest. This is our responsibility in life. My mother was active & one of a group of tribal members who were the leaders in DRUMS who fought for Restoration to save our tribe, our ancestral homeland and our way of life. This was how I grew up.

So now, after 10,000+ yrs of continuously living in Wisconsin, the place of our origin as a people, our tribe has to write a law about limits of personal harvesting for tribal members instead of people being guided & living by traditional principles that we only take what we need and that we don’t harm life in the woods & don’t ruin things for the future. If people learned & lived according to our traditional ways, the tribal legislature wouldn’t have to write a law.

We have seen the recent surge in requests for enrollment in a lot of tribes here in Oklahoma most especially with the Cherokees I have been told that upwards of 2000 applications a month is the norm and they are about 4 years behind in backlog. Most are trying to get there Ndn card as they call it for health care or to get housing loans not because they want to connect to long lost relatives lol

[eagleclanriverband]

Couple years back, we had a group of Menominees who backed a referendum wanting to lower our blood quantum to 1/8. It became a big issue & got contentious in the run up before the election. It ended up failing. Then these same folks tried again & lost again. Since then it's quieted down.

I should have probably explained what happened in my other post:

The original problem that brought up the issue about lowering blood quantum was because certain non-enrolled individuals were caught illegally gathering/harvesting on our reservation land for personal profit.

The issue wasn’t about our tribe dying out or theoretical questions about using blood quantum as the criteria for membership.

This was predicated on self-interest & greed…. apparently wild Wisconsin ginseng is especially rare & extremely prized. There is and has been an insatiable demand from the billions of Chinese/Asian consumers. Because of the past over-harvesting throughout the US for hundreds of years, wild ginseng is an endangered species.

The wording of our ancillary roll which gave benefits to people who married into the tribe & to offspring who didn’t meet minimum blood was challenged. Enrolled relatives (of the “thieves”) led the effort to reduce blood quantum so that the above individuals (their family relatives) would be eligible to become tribal members so they could continue their exploitative harvesting business legally and basically unrestrained on tribal land.

This is what started the whole issue.

Regardless of the amount of NDN blood a person has, it is the choices/actions that a person makes that matter and for those to be in keeping with traditional tribal ways and values. That is how I was raised/taught. In my own family, I have a sibling (same parents, same amount of blood) who isn’t NDN I’m sad to say…not in thinking, not in choices, not in way of life. One of my auntie's sayings is, "You are either NDN or you're not." I’ve heard other NDNs say this too. I think there's a lot of truth to that. It’s binary.

Historically & traditionally, we, the Menominee, are Keepers of the Forest. This is our responsibility in life. My mother was active & one of a group of tribal members who were the leaders in DRUMS who fought for Restoration to save our tribe, our ancestral homeland and our way of life. This was how I grew up.

So now, after 10,000+ yrs of continuously living in Wisconsin, the place of our origin as a people, our tribe has to write a law about limits of personal harvesting for tribal members instead of people being guided & living by traditional principles that we only take what we need and that we don’t harm life in the woods & don’t ruin things for the future. If people learned & lived according to our traditional ways, the tribal legislature wouldn’t have to write a law.

[Josiah]

[MENTION=27560]Josiah[/MENTION], Thanks for putting this list together & posting it!

I was reading this old post & I just wanted to add my tribe, the Menominee Nation, above to your listing under the section of minimum blood quantum of 1/4.

Kinda feeling left out & didn't want us to be, aye! LOL! Hey with over 500 federally recognized tribes, I know the list was meant to be exhaustive.

It's interesting to see what different tribes are doing/how they handle enrollment. Couple years back, we had a group of Menominees who backed a referendum wanting to lower our blood quantum to 1/8. It became a big issue & got contentious in the run up before the election. It ended up failing. Then these same folks tried again & lost again. Since then it's quieted down.

I put this list together a while back from another website and I think it has not been updated in a while.
I use it for several arguments I am usually in and the first is of course the old: Cherokees let 1/2000 be a member, which is not really a valid argument since they are one of 19 tribes that don't have a minimum blood Quantum at all! As if that makes Cherokees Less NDN I guess LOL but no that just means they wont have to move the bar lower!! All tribes are struggling with this issue and it has been around for a long time. I know of several tribes that handle it by just making everybody a Fullblood born before a certain date and be done with it. Here in Oklahoma it has become a real problem especially with the intermarrying of the 36 different tribes and while I have not met someone with that many bloodlines I have met a few kids that are 5 or 6 different tribes and have a real problem enrolling in one with the Blood Quantum they have.

I enroll with two different tribes and it is a loophole that was exposed a while back. The thing is both use the same land but have different criteria for citizenship.
One actually closed there rolls in 1907, we are just descendants of those original enrollees. The other put together a Roll in 1947 and use that as there Base roll AND OR the original 1907 ROLL LOL
One allows Absentee Voting
The other only allows in person voting
Neither will provide most services outside the Tribal jurisdiction except Health Services...
Ah yes we live in a complex world

[eagleclanriverband]

I remember at a July 2015 powwow in WA state the MC said he was enrolled Lakota and also Colville Tribe / Arrow Lakes Band? How can you be enrolled in two tribes? Is that even legal?

If what this MC said is true, then I’m thinking that either:
1. Each tribe doesn’t know that this person is enrolled at the same time in the other tribe;
Or
2. Both these tribes would have to allow (have a rule) that it’s okay for tribal members to have dual enrollment at the same time.

Or maybe he was joking???

Since the 1980’s, we’ve had a bunch of Menominees who have been dis-enrolling themselves from our tribe so they can join the Potawatomie (mostly) because of Per Cap….even 1 of our past Tribal Chairman has done this.

So now we have a rule that once you leave, you can’t come back & re-enroll in our tribe. They also jacked up the $$fee/cost to dis-enroll. LOL! It costs a lot more money to quit our tribe than to join.

[Ndnsoldierboy]

The Southern Cheyenne/Arapaho won't allow you to be "enrolled" in more than 1 Tribe , but if you are enrolled with 1 tribe any others that you can prove can be added to a CDIB.

Thanks. I know the Nez Perce will not allow its members to be enrolled in more than two tribes as well.

[wardancer]

I remember at a July 2015 powwow in WA state the MC said he was enrolled Lakota and also Colville Tribe / Arrow Lakes Band? How can you be enrolled in two tribes? Is that even legal?

The Southern Cheyenne/Arapaho won't allow you to be "enrolled" in more than 1 Tribe , but if you are enrolled with 1 tribe any others that you can prove can be added to a CDIB.

[subeeds]

notice cherokeeladyfox's avatar is a twinkie native squaw.........all thats missing is a pet wolf and an iridescent background silhouette of a shaman

Seems she didn't stick around too long. Maybe her red heart changed color.

[Ndnsoldierboy]

Tribes that hold their Blood Quantum at 1/2

Kialegee Tribal Town
Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Mississippi
St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
White Mountain Apache Tribe, of Arizona
Yomba Shoshone Tribe, of Nevada

Tribes requiring 1/4 degree blood quantum (equal to one grandparent) for membership

Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians, of Oklahoma
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, of Oklahoma
Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, of Washington
Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin
Hopi Tribe of Arizona
Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Arizona
Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, of Montana
Navajo Nation, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico
Oneida Tribe of Indians, of Wisconsin
Pascua Yaqui Tribe, of Arizona
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, of Kansas
Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, of Wyoming
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, North and South Dakota
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, of Oklahoma
Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe, of California
Yavapai-Prescott Tribe, of Arizona
Blackfeet Tribe, of Montana

Tribes requiring 1/8 degree blood quantum (equal to one great-grandparent) for membership

Apache Tribe of Oklahoma
Comanche Nation, of Oklahoma
Delaware Nation, of Oklahoma
Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Reservation, of Oregon
Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma
Hooopa Valley Tribe of California
Karuk Tribe of California
Muckleshoot Indian Tribe of the Muckleshoot Reservation, of Washington
Northwestern Band of Shoshoni Nation of Utah "Washakie"
Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, of Oklahoma
Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma
Ponca Nation, of Oklahoma
Sac and Fox Nation, of Oklahoma
Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska
Squaxin Island Tribe of the Squaxin Island Reservation, of Washington
Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation, of Washington
Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation
Upper Skagit Indian Tribe of Washington
Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco and Tawakonie)

Tribes requiring 1/16 degree blood quantum (equal to one great-great-grandparent) for membership

Caddo Nation
Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon
Fort Independence Indian Community of Paiute Indians of the Fort Independence Reservation, of California
Fort Sill Apache Tribe
Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, of North Carolina
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

Tribes requiring 1/32 degree blood quantum for membership

Kaw Nation

Tribes determining membership by lineal descent, Members must be direct descendants of original enrollees.
Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town[26]
Cherokee Nation
Chickasaw Nation
Choctaw Nation
Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Delaware Tribe of Indians
Eastern Shawnee Tribe
Mashantucket Pequot Tribe of Connecticut
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
Modoc Tribe
Muscogee Creek Nation
Osage Nation
Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma
Peoria Tribe of Indians
Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan
Seminole Nation
Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma
Shawnee Tribe
Thlopthlocco Tribal Town
Tonkawa Tribe
Wyandotte Nation

I remember at a July 2015 powwow in WA state the MC said he was enrolled Lakota and also Colville Tribe / Arrow Lakes Band? How can you be enrolled in two tribes? Is that even legal?

[RDNKJ]

Thanks. That makes sense now!

[wyo_rose]

No, but they do lose rights such as voting...and their kids can't be enrolled, unless they move back.

I should have 3 little Sho-Ban grandkids, but they're enrolled down here, because the father hasn't lived there since he was a little boy.

[RDNKJ]

Hi [MENTION=4752]wyo_rose[/MENTION]!

I'd never heard of residency requirements before. I assume that means residency on the reservation? What happens if an enrolled tribal member moves "off-rez?" Do they lose their membership after a time? Just curious.

Interesting! Although, there is quite a bit of difference between the "Tribes requiring 1/4" such as the Navajo tribe, which last I knew had to be AT LEAST 1/4 NAVAJO and they only count the Navajo blood, and the Eastern Shoshone (Wind River), requiring 1/4 of any ferderally recognized native tribal blood, but one parent has be an enrolled member here.

And many tribes have other requirements, such as the Shoshone-Bannock tribe which has a residency requirement, along with blood quantum.

The Northern Arapaho tribe here recently (20 years ago or so) changed their requirement from 1/4 from the father only to 1/4 from any tribe, with the father or mother being enrolled here.

I don't see it on the list, but one of the southwestern tribes has a 1/4 requirement, but 1/8 has to be that specific tribe.

Then there's the tribe where a lot of my cousins got enrolled that has a residency requirement, but blood from any tribe. Hmmm....

[wyo_rose]

Interesting! Although, there is quite a bit of difference between the "Tribes requiring 1/4" such as the Navajo tribe, which last I knew had to be AT LEAST 1/4 NAVAJO and they only count the Navajo blood, and the Eastern Shoshone (Wind River), requiring 1/4 of any ferderally recognized native tribal blood, but one parent has be an enrolled member here.

And many tribes have other requirements, such as the Shoshone-Bannock tribe which has a residency requirement, along with blood quantum.

The Northern Arapaho tribe here recently (20 years ago or so) changed their requirement from 1/4 from the father only to 1/4 from any tribe, with the father or mother being enrolled here.

I don't see it on the list, but one of the southwestern tribes has a 1/4 requirement, but 1/8 has to be that specific tribe.

Then there's the tribe where a lot of my cousins got enrolled that has a residency requirement, but blood from any tribe. Hmmm....

[milehighsalute]

notice cherokeeladyfox's avatar is a twinkie native squaw.........all thats missing is a pet wolf and an iridescent background silhouette of a shaman

[eagleclanriverband]

Tribes that hold their Blood Quantum at 1/2

Kialegee Tribal Town
Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Mississippi
St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
White Mountain Apache Tribe, of Arizona
Yomba Shoshone Tribe, of Nevada

Tribes requiring 1/4 degree blood quantum (equal to one grandparent) for membership

Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians, of Oklahoma
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, of Oklahoma
Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, of Washington
Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin
Hopi Tribe of Arizona
Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Arizona
Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, of Montana
Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin
Navajo Nation, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico
Oneida Tribe of Indians, of Wisconsin
Pascua Yaqui Tribe, of Arizona
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, of Kansas
Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, of Wyoming
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, North and South Dakota
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, of Oklahoma
Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe, of California
Yavapai-Prescott Tribe, of Arizona
Blackfeet Tribe, of Montana

Tribes requiring 1/8 degree blood quantum (equal to one great-grandparent) for membership

Apache Tribe of Oklahoma
Comanche Nation, of Oklahoma
Delaware Nation, of Oklahoma
Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Reservation, of Oregon
Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma
Hooopa Valley Tribe of California
Karuk Tribe of California
Muckleshoot Indian Tribe of the Muckleshoot Reservation, of Washington
Northwestern Band of Shoshoni Nation of Utah "Washakie"
Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, of Oklahoma
Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma
Ponca Nation, of Oklahoma
Sac and Fox Nation, of Oklahoma
Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska
Squaxin Island Tribe of the Squaxin Island Reservation, of Washington
Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation, of Washington
Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation
Upper Skagit Indian Tribe of Washington
Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco and Tawakonie)

Tribes requiring 1/16 degree blood quantum (equal to one great-great-grandparent) for membership

Caddo Nation
Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon
Fort Independence Indian Community of Paiute Indians of the Fort Independence Reservation, of California
Fort Sill Apache Tribe
Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, of North Carolina
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

Tribes requiring 1/32 degree blood quantum for membership

Kaw Nation

Tribes determining membership by lineal descent, Members must be direct descendants of original enrollees.
Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town[26]
Cherokee Nation
Chickasaw Nation
Choctaw Nation
Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Delaware Tribe of Indians
Eastern Shawnee Tribe
Mashantucket Pequot Tribe of Connecticut
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
Modoc Tribe
Muscogee Creek Nation
Osage Nation
Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma
Peoria Tribe of Indians
Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan
Seminole Nation
Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma
Shawnee Tribe
Thlopthlocco Tribal Town
Tonkawa Tribe
Wyandotte Nation

[MENTION=27560]Josiah[/MENTION], Thanks for putting this list together & posting it!

I was reading this old post & I just wanted to add my tribe, the Menominee Nation, above to your listing under the section of minimum blood quantum of 1/4.

Kinda feeling left out & didn't want us to be, aye! LOL! Hey with over 500 federally recognized tribes, I know the list was meant to be exhaustive.

It's interesting to see what different tribes are doing/how they handle enrollment. Couple years back, we had a group of Menominees who backed a referendum wanting to lower our blood quantum to 1/8. It became a big issue & got contentious in the run up before the election. It ended up failing. Then these same folks tried again & lost again. Since then it's quieted down.

[Josiah]

Blood Quantum/ Tribal Enrollment requirements

Tribes that hold their Blood Quantum at 1/2

Kialegee Tribal Town
Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Mississippi
St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
White Mountain Apache Tribe, of Arizona
Yomba Shoshone Tribe, of Nevada

Tribes requiring 1/4 degree blood quantum (equal to one grandparent) for membership

Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians, of Oklahoma
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, of Oklahoma
Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, of Washington
Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin
Hopi Tribe of Arizona
Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Arizona
Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, of Montana
Navajo Nation, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico
Oneida Tribe of Indians, of Wisconsin
Pascua Yaqui Tribe, of Arizona
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, of Kansas
Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, of Wyoming
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, North and South Dakota
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, of Oklahoma
Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe, of California
Yavapai-Prescott Tribe, of Arizona
Blackfeet Tribe, of Montana

Tribes requiring 1/8 degree blood quantum (equal to one great-grandparent) for membership

Apache Tribe of Oklahoma
Comanche Nation, of Oklahoma
Delaware Nation, of Oklahoma
Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Reservation, of Oregon
Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma
Hooopa Valley Tribe of California
Karuk Tribe of California
Muckleshoot Indian Tribe of the Muckleshoot Reservation, of Washington
Northwestern Band of Shoshoni Nation of Utah "Washakie"
Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, of Oklahoma
Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma
Ponca Nation, of Oklahoma
Sac and Fox Nation, of Oklahoma
Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska
Squaxin Island Tribe of the Squaxin Island Reservation, of Washington
Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation, of Washington
Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation
Upper Skagit Indian Tribe of Washington
Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco and Tawakonie)

Tribes requiring 1/16 degree blood quantum (equal to one great-great-grandparent) for membership

Caddo Nation
Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon
Fort Independence Indian Community of Paiute Indians of the Fort Independence Reservation, of California
Fort Sill Apache Tribe
Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, of North Carolina
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

Tribes requiring 1/32 degree blood quantum for membership

Kaw Nation

Tribes determining membership by lineal descent, Members must be direct descendants of original enrollees.
Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town[26]
Cherokee Nation
Chickasaw Nation
Choctaw Nation
Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Delaware Tribe of Indians
Eastern Shawnee Tribe
Mashantucket Pequot Tribe of Connecticut
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
Modoc Tribe
Muscogee Creek Nation
Osage Nation
Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma
Peoria Tribe of Indians
Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan
Seminole Nation
Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma
Shawnee Tribe
Thlopthlocco Tribal Town
Tonkawa Tribe
Wyandotte Nation