ᏔᎵ ᏱᎩ ᎢᏯᏓᏅᏖᏘ

CDIB Cards were created by the BIA. Most ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ (ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ were one of the exceptions) did not have a membership role until recently. They already knew who was or was not in their tribe. There were no "benefits" outside ᏧᏂᏴᏫ or ᏍᎦᏚᎩ given "benefits".

When ᏗᎧᎸᎬ ᎠᏁᎲᎢ ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ made treaties with the colonial powers, we exchanged land for various things including trade goods, supplies or military assistance. Community leaders needed a running count of their populations because that's how the colonial powers kept tabs for paperwork.

For ᎣᏥᏣᎳᎩ, one of our last treaties (but not the last by any means) was the treaty of ᎠᏤ ᎢᏦᏛ. It was that paperwork that enabled the ᏕᎨᏥᎢᎸᏍᏔᏂ in 1838. Those Eastern immigrants to Indian Territory were slated to receive annuities and provisions both on the trip and after ᏗᎨᏥᎢᎸᏎᎢ. Head counts were necessary, and so that system was maintained to receive the governmental annuities and other "benefits" as promised. We didn't want to share that with outsiders and the government did not want to pay us any more than necessary, so both sides clung to the lists of members.

Even at the time of allotment, when our land was split up among our ᎠᏂᎨᎳ, we needed a list if people to receive land. The ᎠᏂᏒᏃᏱ knew that and tried (but largely failed) to avoid enrollment. Tribal citizens reviewed individual allotments and that was the last roll for ᎣᏥᏣᎳᎩ (the Dawes roll).

Simultaneously, ᏭᏕᎵᎬ ᎠᏁᎲᎢ ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ were forced on reservations and received annuities as well; so they needed head counts but the Feds realized that they also needed a way out of their fiduciary responsibility - so they decided, those of less than 1/4 Degree of Indian Blood would not be legally ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ. They thought that we would all either breed out or develop genetically poor populations through inbreeding. In the long term, the Blood Quantum system would take care of the "Indian problem".

ᎣᏥᏣᎳᎩ don't have the blood quantum issue legally because our system superseded the government's plans, but the roll numbers themselves are jealously guarded by the penny pinchers and bean counters. The Feds still give us money but not by head count alone, there are other parts to the equation. The number of citizens is a factor but the number of citizens that are eligible (via income guidelines) within a tribes jurisdictional boundaries are what determines most federal monies. So, even without blood quantum limits, the Feds have found a way to limit us. We are one step closer to mainstream status every day.

If we cannot justify our differences with ᎢᏯᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ (ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ, ᏗᎧᏃᏩᏛᏍᏗ, ᎢᏯᏛᏁᏗ, ᏧᏬᎯᏳᎢ) then how can we claim to be ᎣᏥᏴᏫᏯ? The blood quantum system is a weak (and non scientific) leg to stand on but we don't really have that anyways - not among ᏂᎦᏓ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ. So they have us fighting loosing battles on all sides.

Their goal is to escape the "Indian problem" but we are actively aiding in our demise. However, if we maintain (regain?) our ᎢᏯᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ - this includes our ᏗᎧᏃᏩᏛᏍᏗ ᏍᎦᏚᎩ ᏗᎦᏚᎯᏃ, then we will always be ᎣᏥᎦᏚᏩᎩ even if the Feds disappear. We can recognize our own and it has no thing to do with cards or blood quantum. - 2 ᎢᏯᏓᏅᏖᏘ