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.
