By Nora Mabie/montana Free Press After nearly two hours of impassioned debate, the Crow Tribe’s Legislature on Wednesday voted down a bill that would dramatically change the definition of tribal membership. The bill, brought by Chairman Frank White Clay, would have revised the tribe’s “blood quantum” standard, effectively making more people eligible for tribal citizenship. Blood quantum, a concept created by White settlers and rooted in assimilation tactics, refers to the fractional amount of tribal affiliation in an individual’s ancestry. The concept is central to individual identity and is also highly controversial. Most tribes nationwide use a blood quantum calculation to determine eligibility for citizenship. Tribal enrollment, in turn, determines eligibility for certain health services, the ability to vote in tribal elections and whether a person can qualify for educational…
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