Keara Moyle, Brigham Young University
Social and Behavioral Sciences
This study explores the concept of identity within Ojibwe tribal membership in the context of the controversial requirements that are currently in place. Over the course of the 2013 spring and summer terms I conducted an ethnographic study on the White Earth Indian reservation of Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) under the guidance and mentorship of BYU Anthropology department’s Dr. John Hawkins and Minnesota State University-Moorhead Anthropology department’s Dr. Erik Gooding. White Earth is undergoing major constitutional reforms as they are trying to declare their sovereignty as a tribe, rather than be considered a band under the current Minnesota Chippewa Tribe constitution. If this constitution passes it will have a direct impact on enrollment numbers, as they will do away with the imposed blood quantum requirements and open enrollment to anyone who is a descendant of a member. Under the current blood quantum requirements, an individual must have one-quarter Ojibwe blood to be an enrolled member in the tribe.
In the tides of a potential shift in membership requirements, from blood quantum to lineal descent, White Earth Ojibwe question what it is that makes them “Indian”. While there is conflicting and at times divisive opinions on the current blood quantum laws as a definition of tribal and individual identity, all members of the White Earth Anishinaabe have a sense of identity that extends beyond the individual self in order to protect and preserve the tribe. This sense of identity comes from “the Indian way” which can be described as Minobimaadiziwin, or “the good life”.