The Benefits of Becoming Indian
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GOING NATIVE IN AMERICA
The Benefits of Becoming Indian
By Jörg Blech
In the United States a growing number of white people are discovering
their Native American roots. Some are doing so for financial gain, but
most are just looking for the meaning of life.
A few weeks, Betty Baker was still just a white housewife. But now the
woman, with her piercing blue eyes, goes by the name "Little Dove"
--and has jettisoned her apron for an elaborate deerskin dress.
"I am an Indian and I've sensed this my whole life," says the
48-year-old Baker, who lives in a wooden house on the edge of the small
town of Pinson, Alabama.
Five years ago, after her parents told her that her family probably had
some Native American ancestry, she assembled documents and birth
certificates and last September was accepted into the Cherokee Tribe of
northeast Alabama. The cultural neophyte is now zealously learning the
rituals and dances of her newly discovered ancestors.
But she certainly isn't alone. Little Dove is just one of thousands of
people in the United States who are becoming Indians. The government's
official grouping of "Native Americans" is an extremely fast growing
minority: between 1960 and 2000 it grew by 640 percent. More than 4
million Americans now describe themselves as Native American, which
cannot be explained by the birth rate alone. Much of the growth is due
to people like Betty Baker changing their ethnicity.
Most of these new Indians have pale skin, some are even blond, and
almost all were considered white before. Others point to high cheek
bones, brown eyes and straight, glossy hair in their families as
unmistakable signs of Indian ancestry. The self-described 'half bloods'
may still live in their old homes, but their free time is now taken up
by organizing powwows and walking around in costumes like those
straight out of old Western movies.
Financial benefits
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But the benefits of racial identity aren't the only ones Indian
converts are after. The Indian identity has attracted some poor
Americans for the access to university scholarships or free health
insurance that comes with it. Potential income from casinos. Indian
tribes are allowed to have gambling on their reservations, as long as
the tribe is recognized by the US government. A loophole that was
originally intended to help many Native Americans out of poverty and
deprivation has developed into a huge business. The gambling income
nationwide amounts to over $18 billion annually and much of it is
distributed among the members of the tribes.
One of the biggest casinos in the world -- with 40,000 visitors a day
-- is run by the Mashantucket Pequot near Norwich, Connecticut. Since
gambling was established in 1986 the number of Indians living there has
increased tenfold -- and each week there are new applications.
According to Joyce Walker, the administrator of applications, "People
say: I've just found out that I'm an Indian, and want to know how I can
get my cash." Meanwhile the Mashantucket Pequot have made their entry
requirements tougher and demand proof of blood ties. They and other
tribes recognized by the state insist that they alone can decide who
they accept and who they don't. Even those who turn up with DNA proof
can be rejected.
This doesn't seem to be putting off these "wannabe" Indians. If they
are not accepted by the established tribes many simply found their own.
While there are only three recognized Cherokee nations (two in Oklahoma
and one in North Carolina), for example, there are now more than 240
tribes from Alaska to Mexico that have been attempting to gain
government recognition for years. So far without success.
A sense of belonging
Circe Sturm of the University of Oklahoma believes these second-class
Indians are often simply enjoying themselves. The anthropologist has
interviewed more than 70 people who changed ethnic groups about their
motivation. She doesn't believe that most of them are just after the
money. Many are frustrated and are looking for some kind of meaning in
their lives. "If being white is just an empty plate," she says, "then
being Indian is a gourmet buffet."
A Indian casino on a reservation in California.
Zoom
Stephen Locke
A Indian casino on a reservation in California.
Many of the converts connect the indigenous existence with ideals such
as equality between the sexes, more democracy and a romantic affinity
with nature. The anthropologist found that two things were particularly
attractive to the pale-faced Indians: the spiritual rituals and the
idea of belonging to a group. An increasing number of Americans want to
experience those pleasant feelings -- and that is causing some unrest
amongst Indians. In order to escape an invasion of outsiders, even many
of the newer tribes are trying to seal themselves off from further
claimants.
Little Dove's husband Steve Baker is a mechanic and also feels like an
Indian. He wears moccasins and a loin cloth, goes to the folklore
meetings and wants to be accepted into his wife's tribe as "Running
Bear." However, this isn't likely to happen anytime soon. The once so
modest hobby tribe in northeast Alabama has swelled to 4,000 Cherokees
and is now re-examining its integration policies. Until further notice,
no new Indians will be accepted.
Bill Hansen
http://AmericanIndianDNA.com