NO FRACTIONS HERE: NAVIGATING BLOOD QUANTUM-BASED COLORISM SETTLER IDEOLOGY WITHIN TRIBAL COMMUNITIES

Abstract

In this paper, I study the practices of Tribal blood quantum within tribal communities from an Indigenous perspective, focusing on an internal community concern regarding blood quantum and its impact on Native people, tribal communities, and the next seven generations. Looking from the lens of how Indigenous peoples view tribal membership enrollment and Native American blood quantum from the perspective of Indigenous people. Using a mixed method approach with a survey and interviews, I identified a trend of emotions that affects tribal citizens' cultural identity, kinship, and sense of belonging, coining the term Blood Quantum-Based Colorism (BQBC). Acknowledging, understanding, and criticizing blood quantum settler ideology will be vital to our future generations and tribal sustainability. Throughout my paper, I use the terms: Native, Indigenous, and tribal interchangeably and intentionally.