Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan has tightened its membership requirements.

Members must have an ancestor on one of the tribe's four base rolls and they must possess at least one-quarter Indian blood. But the tribal constitution never defined the meaning of "Indian blood."

So the tribal council voted 6-5 to state that "Indian blood" means blood only from the "Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan." Blood from other tribes will no longer be included.

"It's just changing the fundamentals of who they are, without even a vote of the people," attorney Paula Fisher told The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun. She estimated that 1,000 people could lose their membership if the blood quantum criteria is applied retroactively.

Get the Story:
Tribal council tightens requirements for membership (The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun 11/7)

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Saginaw Chippewa Tribe resumes disenrollment process for elder (8/22)