Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Institutionalized Racism

 ... is alive and well in the blood quantum, as brutal as it ever was under slavery.  It purports to be about blood, about genetics. But it's not.  It's really about who was on a particular list the government once made.  Someone could be "pure" Native American from any of a number of branches whose ancestors refused to enroll, and not qualify for any tribe.  It's not really about genes.

It's about submission.

You can see why we argue about this all the time.

EDIT 2/11/18: I should mention that I have detailed some Terramagne examples of tribal membership and related issues in several poems.  "Sheltered and True" features a discussion of Chippewa-Cree tribal currency and membership qualifications. "Lateral Moves" describes the manner in which Fireheart (who is primarily Inuit and Anishinaabeg) gains a brother-in-law.
Tags: ethnic studies, networking
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  • 1 comment
fayanora

fayanora

February 11 2018, 11:09:14 UTC 3 years ago

I've read before about the problems of the freed slaves or children of slaves among NA populations. It sucks.

My character Dalia Ravenstone is half Navajo, half black, but looks all black. I have to wonder if she'd be denied tribal membership or not. And also I wonder if her younger sibling Chooli would be allowed membership, since zee looks Navajo where Dalia doesn't.