Blood quantum is a nightmare concept. It is essentially how much 'native blood' you 'legally' have according to the government.
It is not traditional, it is not cultural, it is not something Indigenous nations ever used to measure belonging.
It was created by colonizers as a tool of erasure. It literally exists so the government could mathematically subtract us out of existence over time.
instead of letting Indigenous communities define ourselves, the U.S. government came in and said, “Your Indigeneity is only valid if we can quantify it like livestock breeding papers.” It was meant to break apart families, stop us from passing on identity and land rights, and eventually reach a point where they could say, “See, there are no real Indigenous people left! So we don't need to think about them!"
It weaponizes nebulous and often finicky genetics against culture, community, lived experience, etc.
It ignores the fact that Indigenous identity is about kinship, belonging, survival, language, tradition, and responsibility to our people.
Blood quantum turns those things into a number. A number designed to shrink until there is nothing left.
Many nations are still stuck dealing with blood quantum rules because of federal pressure and resource control, not because we chose it or approve of it.
And it harms us every single generation. It pits relatives against each other, creates disenrollment fights, and tells half of Indigenous kids they are somehow less real than their siblings because of paperwork.
It also lets the government give a 'good reason' for why we shouldn't have mixed race marriages or 'interbreed' with other races, because then the blood quantum 'goes down' and we may legally not be considered indigenous under the government anymore, which means they can deny us things like certain assistance programs, medical care, etc.
It's literally government mandated eugenics.
In short, it is is a colonial tool invented by the government to eliminate us. Which is why I gag when I say it.
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