By Roberto Wheaton

Native American Grant Project Math Department California State University, Fullerton

To understand the historical significance of how Mathematics plays a role in tribal identification.

To make connections with real life stories related to blood quantum mathematics.

Investigate the population dynamic growth rates.

Create a formula for tribal extinction.

Session Goals

I cut myself into sixteen equal pieceskept thirteen and fed the other threeto the dogs

Excerpt from "13/16," a poem by Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian Sherman Alexie

Self EvaluationSelf EvaluationThink about your own ancestry and create three pieGraphs to represent your history

You

Native Americans are the only ethnic group that has to prove actual bloodLines to be considered an Native AmericanNative Americans are the only ethnic group that has to prove actual bloodLines to be considered an Native American

What is Blood Quantum?“Blood quantum” refers to describing the degree of ancestry for an individual or specific race or ethnicity..

Used in 1705 by Virginia to limited colonial civil rights of Native Americans and persons of half or more Native American ancestry.

How was it used for Native Americans in the United States?

Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 used to establish which individuals could be recognized as Native American and be eligible for financial and other benefits made from sales of land.

History

Native American Population 2.9 million (2010 US Census)

Did you know over 150,000 people identified as Blackfeet in the US 2010 census. Only16,000 are actually enrolled members of the Blackfeet Nation

Is Native Identity Is Native Identity more than a drop of more than a drop of

blood?blood? Examples of tribal enrollment cards

To be considered for To be considered for Tribal enrollmentTribal enrollment

Requires minimum blood quantum ¼ Blackfeet

Original Members: All persons of Indian blood whose name appears on the official census roll of the Blackfeet Tribe as of January 1, 1935.

Descendants: All children born prior to August 30, 1962 to any blood member of the Blackfeet Tribe maintaining a legal residence on the reservation at the time of such birth. (For enrollment purposes, all blood members of the Blackfeet Tribe are considered legal residents of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation if they are away from the reservation for purposes of employment, education, health, or induction into military service.)

Descendants: All children having one fourth degree (1/4) or more of Blackfeet Indian blood born to an enrolled member after August 30, 1962.

Dawes Dawes

Act=Allotment=Fractionation Act=Allotment=Fractionation

1907 – 1908 – The first allotments were made on the Blackfeet Reservation.

Approximately 2,656 individual Blackfeet tribal members received allotments.

1911 – Surplus lands to be opened for sale were estimated at 156,000 acres.

1911 – Children born after the middle of the year were allotted 80 acres.

1934 – Of the 1,785 eligible voters, 994 voted in favor of tribal organization

under the Wheeler- Howard Act, commonly known as the Indian Reorganization

Act.

Is the practice of creating reservation land based on population. Land identified as reservation land in treaty was allocated to members. Adults were allotted 160 acres. Single less then 18 years of age were given 80 acres and children 40 acres. Excess land not allotted in the boundaries of the reservation were sold off.

Ba

How much acreage was allotted to the first 2656?How much acreage was allotted to the first 2656?

Original and Present Original and Present landland

1.5 million acres

Present Reservation

Original Reservation

Imagine what life would be for the Blackfeet if they retained their originalLand?

Predict the Predict the consequences consequences

of Fractionation of the of Fractionation of the value of land?value of land?

What do these numbers What do these numbers

represent?represent?

StoriesStoriesIs it possible to be 100 % Native American but not eligible for enrollment in a tribe?

Is there a mathematical model that can beUsed to

Brief Timeline1700s and 1800s: Living in Canada1837, 1845, 1857, 1869-70: Smallpox epidemicsPrior to 1850: moved west and south to the Rocky Mountains and the Missouri River areas They raided the camps of the Crow, Assiniboin, Cree, Kutenai, Kalispel (or Pend d'Oreille) and Flathead tribes in search of horses 1855: Treaty (Lame Bull's Treaty)1865: Treaty at Fort Sully involving the Blackfeet Band of Sioux, often mistaken for the Blackfeet Tribe1870: Colonel E. M. Baker attacked the Blackfeet winter camp on the Marias River in Montana, killing 173 men, women and children and taking more that 140 prisoners.1877: ceded land in Canada1880s: settled on reservations in the United States and Canada1886: ceded land1888: gathered to Blackfeet Reservation1895: ceded land1907-1911: land on the Blackfeet Reservation was allotted to individual members of the tribe1935: Adopted Constitution and By-Laws

Example of Timeline for Blackfeet for tribal enrollment.

Population PredictionPopulation Predictionbased on current based on current

enrolledenrolledpopulationpopulation27% of Blackfeet are 75% degree

Future of Native Future of Native American Tribes usingAmerican Tribes using

Blood QuantumBlood Quantum

Extinction ?