The social consequences of blood quantum in Native American communities

Abstract

In the United States, many federally recognized tribes use a minimum blood quantum to determine membership. The concept of blood quantum was introduced to Native American tribes by several U.S. federal Indian policies. In recent years, several studies have detailed the impact of blood quantum policies on tribes and offer alternative membership criteria. No studies have analyzed the impact of blood quantum on individual Native Americans. Social decisions like dating, marriage, and family creation are all influenced by minimum blood quantum membership criteria. In this study, survey and interview data from enrolled and non-enrolled descendant Native Americans were used to assess the level of influence blood quantum has on these social decisions. The results of the surveys were statistically analyzed based on gender identity and enrollment status using an independent sample t-test. The study observed no significant difference in how male and female participants felt about the enrollment status of their partners and children. A significant difference in how enrolled and non-enrolled descendant participants felt about their partner being enrolled in the same tribe as themselves was found. The interviews revealed five themes that participants thought were important when considering blood quantum in social decisions. Those themes were: cultural knowledge/inheritance, benefits of enrollment, family involvement in dating, cultural compatibility, and cultural identity. For many tribes, traditional kinship systems and marriage practices require tribal members to marry outside of their kinship groups, sometimes resulting in inter-tribal marriages. One of the biggest issues posed by minimum blood quantum membership criteria is that individuals must look within their own tribe or reservation for a partner to ensure their children will be enrolled. Native American individuals are faced with the decision of either dating within the confines of blood quantum and potentially breaking traditional kinship practices or dating outside the confines of blood quantum and potentially having children who do not meet blood quantum enrollment requirements.