<p>I'm not native but I once worked for a few years for the Native American Studies Department of a large western flagship state U so I have some small knowledge base in this area. I think different tribes have different requirements for tribal enrollment as far as the percentage of native blood called for. East Coast Tribes have generally been in longer contact with Europeans during colonial times often with more inter marriage. They might require less tribal inheritance to become enrolled, I've heard of tribes that require as little as 1/16th which would qualify you in those cases. For some of these tribes there is an advantage to adding members-for example-if they are trying to reestablish tribal recognition for the entire tribe (many tribes were unrecognized during the 1950s) more members helps their cause. On the other hand if they have reestablished the tribe or never lost tribal status and there are tribal benefits that are being distributed on a per capita basis they could be leary about Johnny Come Latelies who might seem to be wanting to cash in. </p>
<p>Lots of people don't realize how very different the individual tribes' circumstances, politics and cultures are. Whatever you are doing for college, if you have an interest in this part of your heritage you should contact the tribal council and find out what their process is for establishing tribal membership, and if that is not possible at this point, you should be in contact with the tribe to learn more about you great great grandmothers and their culture. If you fit their requirements for tribal enrollment and can establish membership and are genuinely interested in the culture and establishing an affiliation, then it may be ethically OK to check both boxes. Otherwise I think just using it as part of an essay topic, provided it has had some real impact on your identity, is as far as you can ethically go. Most, but not all, Indians I know in the west are not thrilled by the "my native great great grandmother" story, particularly when it is pulled out to cash in in some way. Their histories are incredibly painful. On the other hand-tribes that are trying to reestablish themselves, whose members were scattered or unrecognized decades or even generations ago are eager to trace any and all kin. You need to talk to your tribe to find out where they are at with all this. My guess is that on one level or another they will be glad for your interest provided it is real. Sorry this isn't a simple answer but you really aren't asking as simple a question as you think you are. The bottom line is-you are asking the wrong people by posting this on this board-you need to contact your tribe and talk to the council or the elders, the tribal historian or whoever they point you to to find out more.</p>
<p>I don't know what band your Grandmothers belonged to but here is a link to the constitution of a band of Abenakis in Vermont. There are a number of bands with presence on the web. Good Luck in your efforts to reconnect.</p>
<p>Erlinda - great post. I think it is sad how jag's ancestors were persecuted by Europeans and probably strongly discouraged (if not forbidden) from being culturally Native American. They assimiliated and inter-married with the newcomers to North America. A few generations forward, their descendant may not even be allowed to pass as one of them, but this time by the tribe itself.</p>
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father's great great grandmother was Abanaki Indian, and my mother's great great grandmother was also Abanaki Indian (simply a coincidence). This would make me 1/32 on BOTH sides of my family. I have recently been informed that the fact that I am 1/32 qualifies me as able to put "American Indian/Alaskan Native" on my college application.
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[quote]
BTW, if both your parents' great-great grandmothers are Native American, wouldn't that make you more like 1/16 (your father would be 1/16 and your mother would be 1/16)?
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<p>your parents great great grandparents are your great great great grandparents, and you have 32 great great great grandparents. two of them are native american, so that makes you 2/32 native american = 1/16.</p>
<p>It's impossible to say how the Abenakis would react to someone in Jag's circumstances seeking to establish tribal membership. One thing I did learn from working in the Native American studies department is that it is a huge mistake to make a general statement about Native people based on your experience with a single tribe. Every tribe is different. And it goes without saying that every individual in a given tribe is also different. Jag-contact the tribal council if you are serious about this. If nothing else you will learn a lot.
The Abenakis have a pretty extensive web presence. You may be able to answer some of your questions on their site.</p>
<p>Let the colleges decide. Tell them you're 1/32 Native American. Tell them you don't have a tribal card. Tell them you've never done anything associated with your NA heritage in your life. If they choose to grant you URM status, then no one should have any qualms about it.</p>
<p>you are so right.
I'm not going to lie and say that I am involved with my Abaneki heritage or pretend any of that. I'm going to tell the truth, and if they don't accept my qualifications, hopefully they will accept me for my grades and extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>By the way Jag-the spelling is Abenaki-according to the BIA and the tribal web sites I saw.</p>
<p>I hope you are interested in learning more and reconnecting with the tribe. At least one band I saw is trying to reestablish tribal sttatus so they might welcome people tracing down their native heritage. Maybe the desire to get an edge in college admissions could lead you to a very interesting history, where you have personal ties. My daughter is 1/8th Jewish-her Grandfather and his relatives were refugees from Nazi Germany. We are not a Jewish family but her personal connection to the holocaust has made her more sensitive to human rights issues and fired her interest in government and politics. You will gain personally if you try to learn more about this part of your background. Getting a liberal arts education goes beyond playing the admissions game, as I'm sure you realize.</p>
<p>but am I? I didn't think you could add the two together. Isnt it like you add 1/32 and 1/32 and divide by two. That would still make 1/32. Ah, so confusing! Anyways, if anyone knows anyone who knows anything about Abenaki involvement in the Virginia/NC area, let me know.</p>
<p>no, you are 1/16. try thinking in simpler terms: if two of your grandparents were chinese, you would be 1/4 + 1/4 = 1/2 chinese. you add them. dividing wouldnt make sense. </p>
<p>its like i said in my other post,
[quote]
your parents great great grandparents are your great great great grandparents, and you have 32 great great great grandparents. two of them are native american, so that makes you 2/32 native american = 1/16.
<p>On one of these links they talk about the different spellings of Abenaki-it can be spelled Abnaki Wabanaki Abanaki etc. It means Eastern People or People of the dawn. The name and tribe is mainly found in Northern New England and Eastern Canada but one of the articles says at one time it was used to describe all the Eastern Algonquin speaking coastal people from Newfoundland to Virginia. If you know where your great great great grandmothers were born you might be able to look at a tribal map and figure out which Algonquin speaking tribes lived near there. There was also some movement out of New England to the Ohio River and into Oklahoma Territory after colonial times. Your relatives may have been part of a dispersal from the NE. There are also some geneological links below. One of the articles I skimmed mentions forced sterilizations of Abenaki people, that could further explain your 1/16th heritage-people were trying to survive by assimilating and intermarrying. That also bodes well for your possibilities of establishing a tie if you can find the right people to connect to. If there was forced sterilization in recent times folks are likely to welcome people of Abenaki descent finding their way back into the fold. </p>
<p>The Abenaki's fought fiercely to retain their lands-they have a very interesting history based on my quick skimming. I hope you will want to learn more regardless of its impact on your application.</p>
<p>I think if 2 of your 32 ancestors are from a certain tribe, the amount of that blood in you is 1/16th. I also have seen the fraction 1/16th as an important number in securing financial aid from some states.</p>
<p>"tyler09, people like me? I apologize for having native american in my blood and trying to use every advantage that I can to get into the ONLY school that I want to get into. And secondly, if the rule is 1/32, then how is this "cheating the system" or lying? The colleges set the rules, not me or anyone else. They are the ones who established this number and I just want to use it to my advantage. If I really need a tribal ID, then I guess I'm out of luck but I really don't think that is the case."</p>
<p>First off, i will say that i have no respect for you as a person. Yes, maybe if you were black, hispanic, or native american, it would be acceptable to use that factor as an advantage. But don't play that "Im native american bull *<strong><em>" when you really arent. If someone has to ask how to use their 1/32 native american heritage, clearly they are not true native americans. You share no relation to native american culture, and thus, by trying to use a thing like this to your advantage, you are simply being on of the jerks who *</em></strong>s over the rest of us whites by claiming to be something you are not.
That being said, i have no problem with the advantages that are reaped by other races, since they do serve to help people who might be at a disadvantage racially or economically. But people who try and abuse the system lack integrity and honesty.</p>
<p>And you MUST be a registered tribe member for any advantages. But you don't even count as a Native American. Obviously, you are white, given that you seem unable to justify your 1/32 heritage native american as being part of your culture. You come strictly from the "American" Culture, not tribal culture.</p>
<p>And by your reasoning, then i am hispanic. So i should apply as hispanic right?
Uhhh, no. Im fifth generation, white American, with the exception of my dark skinned, hispanic portugese grandpa, who makes me 1/4th portugese.<br>
Portugal being one of the 4 kingdoms of the iberian peninsula that the Romans classified as "Hispania". Although portugese later adopted the term "Lusitanic" to describe their race. </p>
<p>So i have a right to apply as hispanic, as I can easily justify it with my grandpa's last name, rodriguez. But I choose not to because
1. Im white
2. My culture is white</p>
<p>I talked to the college admissions people the other day and had a long conversation about my native american heritage, and they said they were interested in the fact that I wanted to learn more and become more involved in my heritage. Although I have decided not to put "Native American" on my application(due to the fact that I would have to provide paperwork which would take time that I simply do not have right now) I would really like to get connected with others of Abenaki blood. So, if you are or know anything else about the heritage or any groups that are still around that I could get in touch with, please let me know :)</p>
<p>And if you're going to post something rude, or anything of that nature, just save your time and go somewhere else because it's pointless. :) Thanks!</p>
<p>I'm really glad you are going to investigate your heritage more. The links I posted should help you get started with both the Abenakis and native history in Virginia and North Carolina. I've known quite a few Indian people in my life and have really cherished those relationships. There is a tremendous amount to learn and I'm sure you will find it extremely fascinating. If you can take a Native American Studies class at University, they can be wonderful. Dartmouth was founded as a college for Indians so if you are applying there and are lucky enough to get in, I'm sure they will offer something.Dartmouth is also near Abenaki lands so it would be a good base for investigations. A good book of general interest for getting to know Indian ways of thinking about the world is the book "Touch the Earth." It may be out of print but you can probably get a used copy on Amazon. It is a book of Native American Treaty Oratory. Oratory was HUGELY important to many tribes and how one spoke was very important. So these speeches are both historic documents and often beautifully composed and expressed. I wish you lots of luck in tracking down your native roots.</p>