{"id":75951,"date":"2019-02-12T15:55:58","date_gmt":"2019-02-12T21:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=75951"},"modified":"2019-02-12T15:55:58","modified_gmt":"2019-02-12T21:55:58","slug":"self-identification-or-tribal-membership-different-paths-to-your-heritage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/self-identification-or-tribal-membership-different-paths-to-your-heritage\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-identification or tribal membership: Different paths to your heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Lu Zhao<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>Medill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"dropcap\">It was a surprise for the 8-year-old girl when she first learned she is a Native American many years ago. Pamala Silas still remembers that day. She had transferred to a new school. Huddling in the chair, sitting beside her younger sister, Pam was introduced by the teacher as an \u201cAmerican Indian.\u201d She couldn\u2019t believe what she heard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat? Why did she say that?\u201d Pam, in her 50s and proud of her heritage, said she harbored as a child stereotypes of Native Americans that, all too often, people saw on TV. \u201cThey\u2019re all naked and crazy!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pam went home and asked her foster mother why they called her an Indian at school.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, you are,\u201d her foster mother said. She took out an encyclopedia, went to the American Indian section and showed Pam a picture of a man with a headdress on a horse. \u201cYou\u2019re an Indian.\u201d <!--more--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are Menominee and you are Oneida,\u201d Pam\u2019s older sister said.<\/p>\n<p>Pam had to write down the tribal names but didn\u2019t even know how to spell them at that time.<\/p>\n<p>Menominee and Oneida are two Native American tribes among 573 federally recognized ones in the U.S. according to a published list from <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2018\/07\/23\/2018-15679\/indian-entities-recognized-and-eligible-to-receive-services-from-the-united-states-bureau-of-indian\">the Bureau of Indian Affairs<\/a><\/u>. Each tribe sets its own requirement for tribal membership. Generally speaking, you can only be a member of one tribe even if you meet the qualifications of more than one Native American nation, according to a <u><a href=\"https:\/\/search-proquest-com.turing.library.northwestern.edu\/docview\/304996930\/?pq-origsite=primo\">research paper<\/a><\/u> by Carol N. Nept\u00f4n.<\/p>\n<p>Pam\u2019s mother is Menominee and her father is Oneida. When Pam was little, her biological mother enrolled her with the Menominee tribe. Now she is an active tribe member and serves as the coordinator of the Menominee community in Chicago. Yet when Pam became a mother, she decided to enroll her children in her father&#8217;s tribe \u2013 the Oneida.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy bloodline is stronger in the other tribe,\u201d explained Pam, now is the associate outreach director for Northwestern University\u2019s Center for Native American and Indigenous Research. \u201cMy father was a pure Oneida but my mom wasn&#8217;t 100 percent Menominee.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wpmf-gallerys wpmf-gallerys-life\"><div id=\"gallery-1\" class=\"gallery gallery_life wpmf_gallery_default gallery_default none gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail gallery-link-post wpmf-has-border-radius-0 wpmf-gutterwidth-5 no_ratio\"><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"0\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9267\u526f\u672c.jpg\" title=\"earring\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"0\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"earring\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9267\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9267\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">The earring is made from gourds with a southwestern design. The scarf is dyed with sunflowers that represents sunshine. (Lu Zhao\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"1\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9255\u526f\u672c.jpg\" title=\"Pam&#039;s office\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"1\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Pam&#039;s office\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9255\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9255\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Pam (right) and her colleague Jennifer Michals stand in their office of the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research at Northwestern University. They decorated the office with Native artworks on the wall. (Lu Zhao\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"2\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9259\u526f\u672c.jpg\" title=\"Pam. website\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"2\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Pam. website\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9259\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9259\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Pam is looking at the website of Center for Native American and Indigenous Research. (Lu Zhao\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"3\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9264\u526f\u672c.jpg\" title=\"thunderbird\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"thunderbird\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9264\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9264\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">A thunderbird tattoo on Pam\u2019s ankle represents the help she received from American, Asian, Native American and African communities, Pam said. The tattoo includes the colors white, yellow, red and black. (Lu Zhao\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"4\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9270\u526f\u672c.jpg\" title=\"Smudging\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"4\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"Smudging\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9270\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9270\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Sage, cedar or sweet grass is used to burn in the shell, a ceremony called Smudging that is practiced by many Native Americans to cleanse themselves with the smoke. (Lu Zhao\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"5\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9272\u526f\u672c.jpg\" title=\"tobacco\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"5\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"tobacco\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9272\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9272\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">The tobaccos wrapped in purple cloths make gifts in Pan-Indian culture. People put tobacco in the water or on the ground when offering prayers. (Lu Zhao\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Jasmine Gurneau, 32, Pam\u2019s younger daughter, grew up with pride in being a Native American. Attending community events, learning culture from an after-school program and doing cultural practices, she knows clearly who she is and hardly feels insecure.<\/p>\n<p>Jasmine said she was usually the only Native student in the classroom growing up and she talked about the differences between other students and herself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe biggest difference is the invisibility,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s just you need to explain that we&#8217;re still around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jasmine was once asked in college whether she lived in a teepee. She answered \u201cno\u201d and explained, \u201cI live in one of the dorms downtown.\u201d A voice in her mind said, \u201cWhat the heck the kind of question is that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, the identity of Native Americans is not that easy to understand, even for Jasmine\u2019s friends.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy are you Oneida?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause my mom is Oneida.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut why doesn\u2019t she practice it (as an Oneida)?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jasmine had no answer. She turned to Pam to ask why.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re always Menominee, you\u2019re always Menominee,\u201d Jasmine once said to Pam. \u201cBut what about you being Oneida? How come you\u2019re denying you\u2019re Oneida?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pam never thought of it that way. So she embraced her Oneida heritage as well. She goes to the longhouse, a type of traditional Oneida building, wears the regalia of Oneida Native dress and respects Oneida culture. But she can\u2019t participate in Oneida politics since she isn\u2019t enrolled in the membership. In this sense, Pam encouraged Jasmine to learn more about the Oneida community as a voting citizen of the Oneida people.<\/p>\n<p>Though she is an Oneida member, Jasmine identifies herself as both Oneida and Menominee. While pursuing a research project with the Menominee community at college, she got more involved in the Menominee community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust because I\u2019m not enrolled in Menominee doesn\u2019t mean that my grandma, my great grandma, my great great grandma weren\u2019t Menominee,\u201d Jasmine said. \u201cYou [don\u2019t] undo the fact that my relatives were Menominee just because of a piece of paper.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She tries to learn the totally different cultures and languages of both her Native communities and pass the knowledge to her children even though they can\u2019t be enrolled in any community.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wpmf-gallerys wpmf-gallerys-life\"><div id=\"gallery-2\" class=\"gallery gallery_life wpmf_gallery_default gallery_default none gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail gallery-link-post wpmf-has-border-radius-0 wpmf-gutterwidth-5 no_ratio\"><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"0\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9319\u526f\u672c.jpg\" title=\"four\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"0\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"four\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9319\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9319\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">A bag of tobaccos (right) is used for prayer and a shell is for Smudging. The cloths of four colors represent four seasons, four directions or four characteristics in different Native cultures. (Lu Zhao\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"1\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9321\u526f\u672c.jpg\" title=\"bead work\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"1\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"bead work\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9321\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9321\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Jasmine enjoys creating beadwork. She made the bead earrings and wore them for her wedding. (Lu Zhao\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"2\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9322\u526f\u672c.jpg\" title=\"medicines\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"2\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"medicines\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9322\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/IMG_9322\u526f\u672c-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">A collection of medicines that Native people use for Smudging. (Lu Zhao\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"wpmf-gallery-item\" data-index=\"3\"><div class=\"wpmf-gallery-icon\"><div class=\"square_thumbnail\"><div class=\"img_centered\"><a class=\" not_video noLightbox\" data-lightbox=\"0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/alfons-gurnwedding-wap_0446.jpg\" title=\"wedding\" target=\"_self\" data-index=\"3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpmf_img\" alt=\"wedding\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/alfons-gurnwedding-wap_0446-150x150.jpg\" data-type=\"wpmfgalleryimg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/alfons-gurnwedding-wap_0446-150x150.jpg\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text gallery-caption\">Jasmine and her husband Jordan Gurneau in their wedding clothes. (Provided by Jasmine)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Jasmine\u2019s husband is Ojibwe but their children don\u2019t meet the blood quantum requirements of any of the three tribes &#8212; even though it is only 1\/64 shy of the qualification to enroll with the Ojibwe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s frustrating to me that it\u2019s a system that was initially imposed by the government, and now the tribes are the ones who are reinforcing it,\u201d Jasmine said. \u201cLike we\u2019re doing this to ourselves now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shannon Keller O\u2019Loughlin, executive director of the Association on American Indian Affairs, explained that blood quantum has been used as part of the determination of membership by some tribes, but it is not used by all Native Nations. For many tribes, people have to prove a 25 percent blood relationship to the tribe to be considered a member.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlood quantum was a racially based classification that the United States, the federal government and probably other colonial governments used against indigenous people in order to assimilate them into the broader society,\u201d O\u2019Loughlin said.<\/p>\n<p>She said that intermarriage is very common in Native Nations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIndian people have been married to each other from different tribes for as long as ever,\u201d she said. \u201cThat doesn&#8217;t make us less Indian because it\u2019s not about race \u2026 it\u2019s about culture and it&#8217;s about a political category.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Though Jasmine feels critical of aspects of the system, she still raises her children as Native Americans and gives them middle names in Native languages. Her daughter\u2019s middle name is Wiishkobi in Ojibwe, which means sweet. Her son\u2019s name Enaemaehkiw in Menominee means thunder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are Oneida, Menominee and Ojibwe,\u201d Jasmine said. \u201cEven though they are not officially recognized by the tribes as citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"featurecaption\">Photo at top:\u00a0Jasmine made their wedding clothes by herself. \u201cYou have to wear it more than once,\u201d Jasmine said to her husband. The arch behind them represents the four colors of four directions, which was made by Jasmine\u2019s mother, Pam. (Provided by Jasmine)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lu Zhao Medill Reports It was a surprise for the 8-year-old girl when she first learned she is a Native American many years ago. Pamala Silas still remembers that day. She had transferred to a new school. Huddling in the chair, sitting beside her younger sister, Pam was introduced by the teacher as an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":546,"featured_media":75975,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,30,675,4559],"tags":[192],"class_list":["post-75951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest","category-public-affairs","category-social-justice","category-winter-2019","tag-promo"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Self-identification or tribal membership: Different paths to your heritage - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/self-identification-or-tribal-membership-different-paths-to-your-heritage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Self-identification or tribal membership: Different paths to your heritage - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Lu Zhao Medill Reports It was a surprise for the 8-year-old girl when she first learned she is a Native American many years ago. Pamala Silas still remembers that day. She had transferred to a new school. 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