Part Indian

I am only part Indian, but all of me is confused. A couple of weeks
ago, Indian Country Today ran an editorial that discussed the
opportunities for education and employment available to Native
American youth today. The piece also talked about how Native
communities should do what they can to support the endeavors of
their young people, and how young people in turn should do what they
can to support their communities, tribes, and nations. While such
noble assertions are all well and good, they often fail to include
and take into account an often-overlooked group of people: those of
mixed blood, especially those not tribally enrolled and tied to
reservation communities. One can essentially relegate such people to
the status of the unwanted stepchildren of Indian Country. The
label "mixed blood" can carry a number of different meanings.
Throughout Indian Country, the phrase commonly refers to a person
who can trace his or her lineage to at least one American Indian
group and to at least one other non-Native nation. Mixed bloods may
or may not be enrolled in federally-recognized tribes. Those who
cannot claim tribal enrollment likely have awareness of their Native
American heritages, but are unable to fully document their
bloodlines. Due to issues such as tribal enrollment and
certification of Indian blood, Native Americans represent the only
group of people in the United States who must provide proof of who
they are in terms of national origin. Mixed-bloods have fewer
support systems Usually due to lack of tribal enrollment, many mixed
blood people do not have access to the same support systems that
those who are tribally enrolled do. For instance, many tribes across
the country provide scholarship funds for qualifying enrolled
members who pursue higher education. People who are not enrolled,
even those who can trace their bloodlines to that tribe, need not
apply. Many colleges, universities, and private organizations also
provide higher education money for qualifying students who are
tribally enrolled, or who can document their Native heritages if
they are not enrolled. Some schools, such as the University of
Minnesota-Morris, even offer tuition waivers for tribally enrolled
students. Unfortunately, students are not tribally enrolled are
unable to take advantage of such support systems. They must compete
for the same financial aid and other resources as everyone else.
Need to address injustices One can understand why eligibility
requirements need to be imposed on such scholarships and other forms
of assistance. If the scholarships bore no such requirements, they
could easily be granted, sometimes fraudulently, to non-Indian
people. Doing so would defeat the purpose of providing such
education assistance to Native Americans. Denying even some
assistance to mixed-blood peoples who are legitimately linked to
Native communities perpetuates the American tradition of statistical
and demographic genocide that has been in place since the beginning
of the reservation era. One cannot deny that Native people and
tribes are facing tough times and need their young people to go out
into the world, educate themselves, and return to apply what they've
learned for the benefit of their communities. At the same time,
mixed-blood people deserve support, too, so that they also can honor
their roots and serve the People. Acknowledgment, understanding, and
tolerance are the first goals that Native America needs to achieve
in addressing injustices that mixed bloods face every day. Life will
be better for all of us when Indian Country abandons the "us and
them" mentality and extends a hand in friendship to mixed bloods.



Here are some addresses for you to follow and learn a bit more about
the People.

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/jesuit/marquette.jpg
http://www.mountainsofstone.com/_borders/French-Canadian.jpg
http://www.reenacting.net/friends/clabert.html
http://www.mohicanpress.com/images/g2kmorningglow5.jpg
http://www.ems.sioux-city.k12.ia.us/emspics/preservation/MVC-
008B.JPG
http://www.veltd.net/valmin/imgvalmin_10/images/9899.jpg
http://jbtank.com/indians/saca.jpg
http://www.eiu.edu/~wow/sacboat.jpg
http://www.american-native-art.com/publication/ottawa/foto/ottawa-
fur-trader.jpg
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/abpolitics/alberta/images/fur/IMG019_sta_
fur_trader_canoe.jpg
http://www.sdhistory.org/mus/ed/e-fur-Trader.JPG
http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/hfs/images/furtraders.jpg
http://www.sarbreenar.com/citizens/images/mermedac150px.jpg
http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/athome/1700/voices/daniel/trap
port.htm

http://www.turtletrack.org/Issues03/Co03222003/CO_03222003_FurTradeHi
story_1.htm
http://webs.lanset.com/brennan/trapper5.jpg
http://www.matoska.com/catmain1.htm
http://www.furtrade.org/