Herbie Post #1

An awesome podcast episode was published in NPR’s Code Switch today. The podcast description is “Race and Identity, Remixed.” This episode dealt with the topic of “Quantum Blood” a major issue in Native American community. To determine how “Indian” someone is, the U.S. government calculates your quantum blood based on dilution of other races on your last pure blood ancestors. Based on your blood quantum, you can be denied tribal enrollment and the host of benefit that come with it. A host of problems plague the practice and it’s almost universally hated. How can you prove everyone the government said was pure blood, was pure blood? What about people the government didn’t include as pure blood but were? Yet it’s persist, because no one can answer the most important question blood quantum raises. What does it mean to be Native American? Some of my ancestors were part of the Pueblo of the Cochiti as well as other tribes. I don’t know their exact blood quantum requirements, however there’s a strong possibility I meet enrollment requirements. At the same time, children of actual tribe members may be excluded simply because their mother or father dilutes the bloodline a little too much. Are they any less Native American than I am? How can someone who might be the language of the tribe and know its most sacred tradition be considered any less part of the tribe than I am when I know literally nothing about my people?