Quotas

Native America does not believe that the BIA or any other government
organization has the right to determine who is or is not Native
American by degree of blood. There is no other group in America that
is ever asked who they are by how much blood. This archaic process
began in 1705 in Virginia as a way of denying civil rights to blacks
and Indians who at that time were assumed to be inferior races. Many
states instituted these laws as a way of deciding who had equal
rights to whites and encouraged people of color to relinquish their
identities so as to be able to enjoy the rights freely given to
others. In this way, it was assumed that Native people would
eventually become extinct through assimilation and intermarriage.
But this did not, and will not, happen. Native people, even through
intermarriage and assimilation will not disappear. Even through
intermarriage and assimilation, Native people still hold tightly to
their culture and their lineage and must be honored and recognized
by their own determination alone, not by degree of blood. The idea
that any government can identify who is Native and who is not by
blood quantum is an out dated and unnecessary ideology that is held
today because of the governments unwillingness to provide services
to people with certain degrees of blood. It is time to do away
entirely with this process. Blood quantum does not determine who and
what Indians are. Only Native societies and /or communities have the
sovereign right to determine who is and who isn't a part of their
nation, tribe, clan, or community. Because it has always been an
Indian value to be inclusive, high numbers of black Indians,
Hispanics and Anglos have been accepted through various means into
many Indian communities, in addition to those who are Indian, with
mixed ancestry. Every indigenous nation had and has a process for
accepting, or adopting outsiders into the fold. From mixed blood
Indians through intermarriage, to like-minded people of other races,
indigenous communities and nations must determine "who is Indian".
It is no mystery that America has financial obligations to its
Indian nations and "certified" Indian people, but these are doled
out intermittently and begrudgingly. Simply put, the fewer
indigenous citizens, the less money will be paid out. And the more
difficult it is to be legally certified "Indian", the less Indians
there will be. Not only is this racist economics in action but it is
also blood quantum genocide. By allowing America to determine who is
Indian, simply because the government doesnt want to be held
accountable, to their word, by meeting their obligations, we allow
the US government to legislate Indians out of existence. No other
group including African Americans, Asians, Latinos need a card to
prove who they are. With this petition, we are declaring that the
only recognition necessary is that of community acceptance and
involvement. This is the right of our sovereignty and self
determination. As with all other people in all other social programs
in this country, the people that should be the recipients of Indian
government programs should be determined solely by need, not by
blood quantum and not by association with reservations.