Blood Quantum – Why it Matters, and Why it Shouldn’tPosted in Anthropology, Articles, Native Americans/First Nation, United States on 2015-03-03 15:03Z by Steven |
Blood Quantum – Why it Matters, and Why it Shouldn’t
All Things Cherokee
2014-08-04
“You’re an Indian? What part?”
That’s the universal question many mixed-blood American Indians are asked every day. How many times have you mentioned in passing that you are Cherokee to find your conversation interrupted by intrusive questions about percentage? How many times have you answered those questions? Well stop! That’s right — stop answering rude questions.
Have you ever been talking to someone who mentioned that they were part Hispanic, part African-American, part Jewish, part Italian, part Korean, etc.? Have you ever asked them what percentage? Hopefully your answer is no, because if your answer is yes, then you’re rude. It would be rude to ask someone what part Hispanic they are, but we accept that people can ask us what part Cherokee we are. This is a double standard brought about by our collective history as American Indians, and is one we should no longer tolerate…
Read the entire article here.