Word: tribalisms
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...they are part of a tribe or if they can prove themselves to be at least one-quarter Native American. Proving that you are of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, for instance, can be as easy as tracing your family tree back to a distant relative on an obscure tribal census taken in 1906. Other Cherokee Nations require a blood quantum—the proportion of tribal blood inherited from parents—of 1/32, while still other tribes demand up to one-half...
...muddled state of Native American identity means Harvard applicants who check the Native American box fall into one of three categories: 1) applicants with tribal affiliation; 2) applicants with no tribal affiliation but a strong association with their Native American heritage; or 3) opportunistic liars...
...cull out those in the third category, colleges like Dartmouth and Stanford require applicants checking the Native American ethnicity box to submit either a copy of their tribal affiliation cards or a letter explaining non-tribal Native American ties. Harvard should co-opt this procedure as well. If the ultimate goal of the College’s admissions process is to create as diverse a student body as possible, the College shouldn’t risk accepting applicants who are neither affiliated with a tribe, nor familiar with Native American identity. Presumably, there are other, similarly qualified Native American applicants...
...identify as such. Racial identity—particularly in the case of Native Americans—can sometimes be just as complicated as religious identity. Taking this into account, Harvard University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions should continue its practice of not requiring a tribal identification card or some other form of proof of Native American identity for students who identify themselves as Native Americans...
...1/64 Cherokee can still register with the Cherokee nation, someone who is 1/64 Lenape cannot register with the Lenape nation. Someone who is 1/64 Cherokee may strongly identify with his tribe, but he also may not; the same can be said for the Lenape. One can be issued a Tribal ID card, however, and the other cannot. This example indicates that the tribal identification card is irrelevant to one’s true identity, as no ID card can prove where a person’s heart lies...