"There's more at stake than just my love life!" : The Impacts of Tribal Enrollment on Pueblo Women's Reproductive Decisions

Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. MDT

Online Webinar

Studies of U.S. tribal enrollment practices have traditionally been the domain of legal scholars and anthropologists who approach these issues through juridical-political frameworks that focus on federal Indian policy and constitutionalism, or cultural preservation. In these cases, understandings of Indigenous identity tend to be based on either specific sets of ascribed cultural practices and characteristics, or self-identification. Such frameworks, however, obscure the complex social, political, and gendered dynamics that underlie tribal membership at both the individual and structural level.

Drawing on interviews conducted with Pueblo people over the span of 11 months, this presentation shares stories illustrating how contemporary Pueblo concepts of belonging, like accountability, permission, and protocol, transcend current tribal enrollment practices like blood quantum and lineal descent. These practices significantly impact Pueblo women’s reproductive choices, resulting in generational legacies that hold long lasting implications for the future of Pueblo communities. Grappling with questions like, "I wonder how many babies are born because of blood quantum rather than love?" and "I want an enrolled child, so I can't leave him,” this presentation presents a brief overview of current approaches to tribal enrollment in some of New Mexico’s Pueblos and how Pueblo women navigate these structures as they create families. 

This webinar is suitable for lifelong learners from high school students to adults; this lesson is free.

_______________________________________________

Upon registration, an automatic e-mail will be sent to the e-mail address you provide. This e-mail will contain a link for the presentation along with connection instructions. Please double-check your address on the following registration page, and check your junk folder if you have not received an acknowledgement within 30 minutes of registering.

If you expect multiple people to watch the webinar on your device, enter how many will attend with you in the quantity box; otherwise, enter 1.

Please consider making a donation when you register for the webinar to support Crow Canyon's mission.