Mixed Race Studies

“Native Voices on Mixed Race” at the Mitchell Musem of the American Indian

Native News Online.net
Grand Rapids, Michigan
2014-02-07

Native News Online Staff

Local Native Americans discuss the legal, cultural, & social boundaries of Native American status

EVANSTON, ILLINOIS – There are over 30,000 American Indians living in the Chicago area, all of whom identify or hold status with different tribal nations across the country. But how is tribal status preserved in bands, and how do the rules differ from tribe to tribe? How do individuals maintain their American Indian culture when they or their children no longer qualify for membership? What are the difficulties culturally blended families face as they create new traditions, on and off the reservation?

The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian hosts a panel discussion on these varied perspectives of American Indian identification on February 13, 2014 from 6:00 to 7:30 at the Mitchell Museum in Evanston, Illinois…

Read the entire article here.

Cultural Identities: Mixed Blood

Mitchell Museum of the American Indian
3001 Central Street
Evanston, Illinois 60201
847.475.1030
September 2013

With the influx of immigrants from throughout the world, the United States has been called the great melting pot. But how has this played out for the original people in America? Explore how American Indian peoples from multiple cultures and races identify themselves, pre-European contact and today in our new exhibit Cultural Identities: Mixed Blood, opening September 28th 2013.

In the exhibit, curator Melissa Halverson highlights how American Indian history from pre-European contact to the present shaped the current debates over tribal membership and cultural appropriation and discusses the many way in which a mixed race or mixed culture person can identify themselves. The exhibit reviews historical family unit structures, including slavery and adoption, the impact of treaties, assimilation campaigns, and the U.S. government’s introduction of blood quantum. Finally hear about today’s controversies from tribal members, as well as those no longer qualified for membership.

Consider the many facets of identity from government allegiance, religious beliefs, living on or off reservations to legal rights and genealogy. The exhibit includes unique pieces from the museum’s collection including a U.S. government ration card from 1886, a Cochiti nativity scene, a Navajo beaded Chicago Bulls hat, and a beaded pipe bag pictured above. Come learn about the importance of self-identification and how history and culture affects the way you identify yourself.

For more information, click here.