美国国家公共电台 NPR--Chippewa Tribe members in Minnesota consider whether to continue blood quantum

Chippewa Tribe members in Minnesota consider whether to continue blood quantum

Transcript¹

As tribal² nations debate what it means to be Native American, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is considering removing a rule that requires members to have 25% tribal blood.

ASMA KHALID, HOST:

In Minnesota, the Chippewa tribe is weighing whether to change what is known as a blood quantum rule. It requires enrolled³ members to have at least 25% tribal blood. Tribal nations are grappling more often with that question as they consider what exactly it means to be Native American. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Kraker reports.

DAN KRAKER, BYLINE⁴: Sarah Agaton Howes' family is a melting pot. Her mom is Norwegian. Her dad is a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, one of six Chippewa or Ojibwe bands that make up the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. She's a member, but her children are not. They only have one-eighth tribal blood.

SARAH AGATON HOWES: And so my kids can't be enrolled here. And so what that means for them is that even though they're raised here, they grow up in our culture that they aren't going to be able to vote or feel a part of, you know, our community in the same way.

KRAKER: Beginning in the 1930s, the federal government pressured tribes into adopting constitutions that included blood quantum to decide membership. Jill Doerfler, chair of the American Indian Studies Department at the University of Minnesota Duluth calls blood quantum a colonial fiction. Federal officials had no way to accurately⁵ determine what percentage of Native blood someone had.

JILL DOERFLER: So they did some scratch tests on people's chests.

KRAKER: In which they would look at the color of someone's skin after they scratched it.

DOERFLER: They took some hair samples. They did some head measurements. That was the basis for blood quantum.

KRAKER: But now some tribes, including the Minnesota Chippewa, are starting to reconsider blood quantum. Nearly two-thirds of members now support getting rid of it. Gabe Galanda, a Seattle-based Indigenous⁶ rights attorney, says those conversations are being driven by families whose children and grandchildren don't qualify for enrollment⁷.

GABE GALANDA: And therefore, they are worried about their own family's legacy⁸ and what might happen to their family and ancestral lines if their children cannot be a part of their community.

KRAKER: Galanda says about 70% of tribes around the country still have blood quantum requirements. But last month, members of the Sealaska Native Corporation in Alaska voted to eliminate blood quantum. And many of the country's largest tribes, like the Cherokee Nation, have moved to what's known as lineal descent, where membership is open to anyone who can show their ancestors were enrolled. But Galanda worries that not enough tribes are making similar changes.

GALANDA: They are not yet awakened⁹ to the fact that blood quantum, by its original colonial design, will mathematically eradicate¹⁰ us.

KRAKER: Research commissioned by Minnesota Chippewa Tribe officials found that if no change is made to its blood quantum requirement, their population would decline 80% by the end of the century. But tribal president Cathy Chavers says some citizens of bands that distribute casino revenues through monthly per capita payments don't want enrollment expanded. She says others worry that more tribal members would stretch already limited funding for housing and other programs.

CATHY CHAVERS: It'll take away some of the services because more tribal members may be eligible¹¹ for services. But we don't get increases in funding.

KRAKER: Sarah Howes says she'd gladly give up her monthly payment from the Fond du Lac Band if it meant her kids could be tribal members.

HOWES: My thing is, like, I think, what would our ancestors think of us if they were looking at us and were saying, oh, we don't include these kids because we're worried about our $400? I mean, I think they would be ashamed of us.

KRAKER: Like many tribes, the Minnesota Chippewa are looking at blood quantum through new eyes.

For NPR News, I'm Dan Kraker in Duluth.

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1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

3 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

6 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

7 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

8 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

9 awakened   

v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

11 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。