Vizenor Concordance: On FAMILIES

“The lists of pretendians are punitive and not a serious measure of more than the fascist federal arithmetic that determines the blood quantum or degree of “Indian blood” for enrollment and services provided by the federal government.  The circulation of pretendian names is punitive and pernicious because it is based solely on federal blood quantum records and does not consider any variations for errors or recognition that many native families never “enrolled” their children as members of federal reservation.” (2.4)

“A more humane practice would consider a native presence based on blood relations and families, not on the arithmetic deceptions of federal agencies that would rather reduce the number of natives for any reason, such as the aberrant arithmetic reductions of indian blood to show that natives are closer to civilization. The miscalculations of navigation and simulations of indians with an absurd dose of serviceable blood is the grand puppet parley of shamanic mockery.” (2.4)

“The sworn delegates to the White Earth Constitutional Conventions discussed the various measures of native standing and services and rather than perpetuate the punitive arithmetic degrees of blood, ratified an article in the Constitution that “Citizens of the White Earth Nation shall be descendants of Anishinaabeg families and related by linear descent to enrolled members of the White Earth Reservation and Nation according to genealogical documents, treaties, and other agreements with the government of the United States.”” (2.4)

“The Preamble proclaims that “The Anishinaabeg of the White Earth Nation are the successors of a great tradition of continental liberty, a native constitution of families, totemic associations.  The Anishinaabeg create stories of natural reason, of courage, loyalty, humor, spiritual inspiration, survivance, reciprocal altruism, and native cultural sovereignty.”” (3.3)