The tribes own half the state now. As you probably know, the "tribes" are NOT filled with indians. They're filled with people that are 2% indian and 98% white, a la Elizabeth Warren. Yet somehow have a monopoly on gambling and sales tax. They're like a corporation, but now they own the city of Tulsa and probably the eastern half of the state.
The tribes have the strongest lobby in the state, and the politicians that are supposed to be negotiating for Okie citizens are instead hoping to be chief of the chickasaws some day. People are distracted by the covid/blm/election, but if they weren't they would know to be freaked out by all of this. It's going to be much worse than what people understand. The tribe can issue sales tax to only non-tribe members, and use the proceeds for only the good of the tribe, etc.
It's going to be an apartheid system, and people don't know how screwed we are.
While some federal benefits are contingent on 25% indian blood, every tribe sets the own minimum blood quantum for membership. Most of the ones in Oklahoma simply require that you have at least one relative that was on the Dawes roll.
https://www.powwows.com/much-percentage-native-american-enroll-tribe/
Not sure about fed recognition but one of my best friends growing up is a whopping 1/256th and he is on the rolls. That alone allowed him to score an entire point lower on the ACT and still qualify for a full scholarship.
The tribes own half the state now. As you probably know, the "tribes" are NOT filled with indians. They're filled with people that are 2% indian and 98% white, a la Elizabeth Warren. Yet somehow have a monopoly on gambling and sales tax. They're like a corporation, but now they own the city of Tulsa and probably the eastern half of the state.
The tribes have the strongest lobby in the state, and the politicians that are supposed to be negotiating for Okie citizens are instead hoping to be chief of the chickasaws some day. People are distracted by the covid/blm/election, but if they weren't they would know to be freaked out by all of this. It's going to be much worse than what people understand. The tribe can issue sales tax to only non-tribe members, and use the proceeds for only the good of the tribe, etc.
It's going to be an apartheid system, and people don't know how screwed we are.
i thought you had to have at least 25% native blood to be recognized by the feds. does the state have different criteria, if at all?
While some federal benefits are contingent on 25% indian blood, every tribe sets the own minimum blood quantum for membership. Most of the ones in Oklahoma simply require that you have at least one relative that was on the Dawes roll. https://www.powwows.com/much-percentage-native-american-enroll-tribe/
Not sure about fed recognition but one of my best friends growing up is a whopping 1/256th and he is on the rolls. That alone allowed him to score an entire point lower on the ACT and still qualify for a full scholarship.