Blood Politics: Race, Culture, and Identity in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma

Description

Circe Sturm takes a bold and original approach to one of the most highly charged and important issues in the United States today: race and national identity. Focusing on the Oklahoma Cherokee| she examines how Cherokee identity is socially and politically constructed| and how that process is embedded in ideas of blood| color| and race. Not quite a century ago| blood degree varied among Cherokee citizens from full blood to 1/256| but today the range is far greater–from full blood to 1/2048. This trend raises questions about the symbolic significance of blood and the degree to which blood connections can stretch and still carry a sense of legitimacy. It also raises questions about how much racial blending can occur before Cherokees cease to be identified as a distinct people and what danger is posed to Cherokee sovereignty if the federal government continues to identify Cherokees and other Native Americans on a racial basis. Combining contemporary ethnography and ethnohistory| Sturm’s sophisticated and insightful analysis probes the intersection of race and national identity| the process of nation formation| and the dangers in linking racial and national identities.