NETT LAKE — Children are already being left out.
That was the stark message delivered at a packed community meeting last Tuesday as Bois Forte band members tackled the difficult challenge of blood quantum, the federally created metric for tribal enrollment that has quietly fractured Native tribes for generations.
If nothing changes with the one-quarter blood quantum standard for band membership, half of the Bois Forte enrollment could vanish from the tribal rolls within the next 50 years – not because they moved away or gave up their heritage, but because they weren’t “Bois Forte enough” on paper.
A study by the Wilder Foundation showed how stark the difference could be without a blood quantum requirement. If enrollment were based on lineal descent – anyone directly descended from a Bois Forte member listed on the 1941 Minnesota Chippewa Tribe rolls – Bois Forte’s membership could double or even triple by the year 2100. Blood quantum does the opposite. It subtracts people generation by generation, until even the most culturally grounded children are left out.
“We have families where parents are enrolled but their children cannot even enroll,” said Tribal Chair Carlos Hernandez. “Even though those children were raised in our culture, if we keep the status quo, projections show our population could decline steeply over time.”
The issue isn’t just arithmetic. For many in attendance, it was personal, painful, and deeply entangled with history.
A federal formula for identity
Blood quantum, the requirement that a person possess a certain fraction of “Indian blood” to qualify for enrollment in a tribe, was not created by Native nations. It was a tool of the U.S. government, first implemented in the late 19th century to define Native identity through federal eyes.
Under the Dawes Act of 1887, government agents began assigning fractional blood status to individuals on tribal rolls. These “blood quantum” listings determined eligibility for land allotments, inheritance rights, and future enrollment. The deeper impact was mathematical assimilation – with each generation of intermarriage, the blood fraction would diminish, and eventually, tribal identity would disappear on paper.
The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 encouraged tribes to adopt formal constitutions, and the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, of which Bois Forte is a part, was formally organized in 1936. The MCT constitution set the blood quantum threshold at one-quarter “Minnesota Chippewa Indian blood.”
Now, decades later, that historical distinction is disqualifying children of interband and non-Native marriages – and forcing tribes to decide how to define identity on their own terms.
A conversation long overdue
The intent of the gathering was to focus primarily on whether Bois Forte should begin recognizing Red Lake blood toward meeting its one-quarter Bois Forte blood quantum requirement. The idea is simple but potentially transformative: allow Bois Forte children of mixed Red Lake heritage to qualify for enrollment in the tribe their lives are rooted in.
The conversation isn’t new. Tribal leaders and community members have raised the issue repeatedly over the years, but it rarely moved beyond discussion. Now, the tribe is actively weighing a change that could reshape the future of its population.
One of the central issues behind the proposal to recognize Red Lake blood is how interband relationships leave children locked out. Under current rules, a child born to a Bois Forte parent with 25 percent blood quantum and a Red Lake parent with no Bois Forte lineage would be considered only 12.5 percent Bois Forte, and therefore ineligible for enrollment. No enrollment, no entitlement to the services that come from tribal membership.
That’s true even if the child was born, raised, and rooted entirely at Nett Lake, living the culture, speaking the language, dancing at the powwows.
“You’ve got the most Indian child in the room and nobody wants them,” said tribal council member Shane Drift. “That’s hard to swallow. But yet, we want that child to carry the same tradition, the same knowledge. And when that knowledge is gone, what do we have left?”
Voices from the
community
The discussion, which lasted roughly an hour and a half, drew comments that urged caution, while others demanded action. But nearly all expressed deep concern about the future of their families, their identity, and the tribe itself.
Several speakers shared personal stories that cut to the heart of the issue. Some had children who spent their entire lives on the reservation – growing up here, going to school, taking part in cultural events – only to find out they couldn’t enroll as band members. For those families, the realization hit hard, especially when their kids got old enough to ask why they were left out. In more than one case, the barrier came down to a parent from Red Lake – the child’s Ojibwe blood not counting under the current rules.
And not surprisingly, the comments moved beyond the Red Lake question. Some pushed for full elimination of blood quantum altogether.
“We’re all Native American, right? We’re all Indians,” one speaker said. “Why do we have to have blood quantum to prove that we’re Native? We have to prove we’re Indian. And that to me is just appalling that we have to do that.”
Others noted that the burden of proof is often skewed by inadequate documentation. Parents and grandparents alike expressed such frustrations.
Another alternative suggested was to lower the band’s blood quantum level to one-eighth. The Wilder Foundation projections indicated this scenario has the potential to almost double the number of eligible enrollees by 2098 over current membership levels.
Looking ahead
The meeting succeeded in giving Bois Forte community members meaningful input into deliberations about blood quantum. Those present from the tribal council had a common message – this is a decision that will ultimately be made by the band members, and not the council.
That would mean putting it to a vote, and multiple speakers offered suggestions for how to increase turnout. Fewer than 400 band members voted in the recent tribal chair election. More face-to-face advocacy efforts, educating members about the issue while enrolling for various services, and online voting were all suggested as ways to get out the vote.
In his remarks, Hernandez set a tone of seeking unity throughout the process.
“I know our members have differing views on the topic,” he said. “Our people want change and to reclaim the aspect of self-determination. I support moving in that direction, but carefully and with full community input. We need an inclusive dialogue where everyone’s voice is heard and respected. My priority is to do what is best, to do what is right for our nation, protecting our identity, ensuring our survival and keeping our community united. Whatever the outcome, we will move forward together with respect, humility, and a shared commitment for our people’s wellbeing.”