Blood Quantum

[Alex Zacarias]

Professor Haslip-Viera gives his opinion on indigenous identity and blood quantum. Start a discussion and invite a friend. www.LostTainoTribe.com

[Anita Pagan]

I agree with Caracoli in that the blood quantum is a trap. It was first used in Europe to determine inheritance and later used to exclude people from political and social positions... to make sure only european descendants remained in power. Here is some interesting reading on the subject.

Blood quantum is also very much in denial of the indigenous traditions of adoption which is not limited to natives within the political boundaries called United States. It's sad to see how many scholars become seduced by the stupid idea that the Caribbean was insulated from the rest of the Americas.

It also denies the individual's right to determine their own identity as opposed as having someone else, an "authority", do it for you.

It also endorses the idea that choosing to follow one of our ethnicities as a life-path is an outright denial of the others that also make up who and what we are, which in fact, it is not. This kind of thinking forces people into a false dilema by making the choices either/or when it is actually either/and.

I am Taino AND African AND European AND American AND Puertorican. Whatever label I choose to use is correct because all of these make me who I am.

The Cherokee, as well as the Seminole, are some of the richest indigenous tribes of the United States. I cannot speak with regards to the Cherokee because there are more than one tribe and band and he doesn't specify which, but the Seminole are local to me.

If what a Seminole friend of mine speaks is the truth, and I have no reason to believe she lies, each tribal member receives aprox. $8,000.00 a month. That $96,000 a year, just for breathing and carrying a Seminole Tribal Membership card. That kind of money is no joke... Needless to say, indigenous people are not above having human weaknesses, so get rid of a few thousand tribal members and there is more flow to split among the tribe.

But what do we get for claiming Taino inheritance? We don't get a dime AND we get a swift kick in the ...! We are made fun of, called Pocahontas or Chief, we're put down as a fake, a Wannabe Indian, we are called American, Puertorican, Cuban, Hispanic, Latino, Hatian, Dominican, Caribbean, Islanders and any other label but the one that we choose for ourselves.... Taino.

[Caracoli]

Taino Ti

Like I said in a previous post I don't entertain the topic of Blood Quantum seeing that topic as a trap to legislate our Indigenous rights away

I subscribe to my peoples standards and not the standards of the "ARIJUNA"

Travel down to the Antillean Island Nation of Dominica and you will find a govt. that recognizes its indigenous people and has set aside a territory for them click here

Despite blood quantum the Carribean Island Nation
of Dominica set aside a territory for its Indigenous people while the rest of the Carribean Nations did not.

Why Not Us ?

Caracoli