Tribal question: Who is a Navajo?

The Arizona Republic ^ | Apr. 22, 2004 | Judy Nichols and Betty Reid

[kaktuskid]

The Navajo tribe is considering making it easier to be a Navajo.

A proposal to lower the minimum blood requirement from one-quarter to one-eighth is being debated this week in the Navajo Nation Council, the governing body of the largest tribe in the United States. If approved, membership could double, increasing to more than 600,000 from about 310,000.

[joesnuffy]

Bwahahahaa .....Aparthied....

[SF Republican]

Who is a Navajo? anyone that wants to open a casino and can come up with the fee

[theFIRMbss]

>Who is a Navajo?

Oh, I know this one!
A Nava-jo is a girl
a Nava-john sees . . .

[Semper Paratus]

That remends me:

How Long is a chinaman.

[demnomo]

Actually, the Navajo Nation has a moral and cultural history of NOT wanting gambling venues on their lands. Of course, times they are a changing. Greed and the lure of Indian casino dough is tempting some of the younger Navajo people to abandon this taboo. Several past casino-related referendums have been almost too close to call.

Go here for an interesting article on why the Navajo have historically rejected gambling. (Warning: the article's last paragraph has a bit of the "blame-whitey" tone to it, but the legend of the Evil Gambler is intriguing.)

http://americanindian.ucr.edu/discussions/gaming/articles/ict-dine.html

[truth_seeker]

Better be careful that issues like this don't open a door, for mexican-indians to latch onto US govt. largess, by adopting themselves into the Navajo tribe.

Hopefully the proud Navajos will not let this happen.

[SpaceBar]

This is all about taking advantage of taxpayer funded social program freebies and strengthening the indian gambling monopoly. Nothing more. I contend that the United States is without a doubt the most racist country on earth.

[Jim Noble]

Tribes are already facing shrinking federal budgets that have failed to keep pace with inflation

Why is there ANY federal budget for "tribes"?

[meenie]

Most tribes already recognize 1/8 as being members. It creates a lot more eligible for gubmint payments.

[annyokie]

Sheesh! IIRC you only have to be 1/32 Cherokee to be a member of the Tribe. We have blond blue-eyed "Indians" here in OK who are named O'Brian.

[S.O.S121.500]

Lessee here....34 Million Dollars plus 616 Million dollars equals $650 Million -- divided by 310,000 Navajos works out to about......hmmm.......eh?..........darn.

Looks like $2,096,774.10 per Navajo per year.

I believe I am from this point forward, a blood brother to the Navajo. (should be worth at least one million a year)

For a large charge, look up the name Navajo in an old (NON-PC)Spanish dictionary.

[S.O.S121.500]

Some body catch that decimal point for me.......sheesh.