Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 3, 1 March 2023 — Blood Quantum was Imposed on Indigenous People to Limit Rights and Benefits [ARTICLE]

Blood Quantum was Imposed on Indigenous People to Limit Rights and Benefits

Requiring a blood quantum to determine whether a person is "native" is a device that has been used for more than 200 years to limit the rights of lndigenous people by reducing the number of people who ean qualify for specific benefits or services. Establishing a blood quantum for lndigenous people is a long game played to ensure that eaeh successive generation will have fewer individuals who ean qualify for said services. It is a way to eventually erase lndigenous people. Blood quantum as a tool for defining membership within a group is not an lndigenous concept. According to the Native Governance Center, an lndigenous-led nonprofit dedicated to helping Native nations strengthen their governance systems and capacity to exercise sovereignty, blood quantum is a controversial subject with major implications for citizenship and belonging. The Center's website states that, "Blood quantum is a concept created by white settlers that refers to the amount of so-called 'lndian blood' that an individual possesses. Blood quantum appears as a fraction and is 'calculated' based on an individual's family tree...a stand-in device for lineage imposed by the U.S. federal governmentto disempower lndigenous people and separate them from their lands, resources, culture, identities, languages, and futures." Ascribing a blood quantum requirement to define a people group is "rooted in eugenics" and is without scientific basis, according to the Center. In America, the concept dates back to the 18th century when blood quantum was imposed by white settlers to limitthe rights of the lndigenous people. However, blood quantum did not play a role in determining Tribal citizenship until the lndian Reorganization Act of 1934 was passed -just13years afterthe Hawaiian Homes Commission Act established a 50% blood quantum to be considered a Native Hawaiian. For more information visit: https://nativegov.org/resources/