Blackfeet Nation Membership Criteria Still a Matter of Huge Debate
Blackfeet tipis. Photo by Bob
An effort to update the constitution of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana is being bogged down by debates about membership criteria and transparency.
The proposed constitution does not address enrollment at all. It maintains the one-fourth Blackfeet blood quantum standard in the current document.
But critics contend that portions of the proposed constitution open the door to change the criteria because it uses words like "citizen" rather than "member." A former tribal court judge even believes it would allow non-members to run for public office.
“You don’t have to be enrolled to run for the legislative or executive branches. This appears to be something more than simply a drafting oversight," Dawn Gray told The Great Falls Tribune.
Critics also say the document was drafted without enough input from the membership. They question why a prior tribal council voted to move forward with the effort before waiting for a new slate of leaders, who were sworn in last month.
“We want positive change, but we don’t want non-members and descendants making these decisions for us,” Gabe Grant told the paper.
The tribe has submitted the proposed constitution to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for input. Supporters are hoping to schedule a Secretarial election sometime in 2017.
The current constitution was first adopted in December 1935, The Tribune reported. It's been amended over the years but the governing structure has not seen any major changes.
If the new constitution is adopted, the Blackfeet government would be separated into executive, legislative and judicial branches.
Read More on the Story:
Blackfeet constitutional reform effort draws criticism (The Great Falls Tribune 8/19)
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