Blood Will Tell reveals the underlying centrality of "blood" that
shaped official ideas about who was eligible to be defined as
Indian by the General Allotment Act in the United States. Katherine
Ellinghaus traces the idea of blood quantum and how the
concept came to dominate Native identity and national status
between 1887 and 1934 and how related exclusionary policies
functioned to dispossess Native people of their land. The U.S.
government's unspoken assumption at the time was that Natives
of mixed descent were undeserving of tribal status and benefits,
notwithstanding that Native Americans of mixed descent played
crucial roles in the national implementation of allotment
policy. Ellinghaus explores on-the-ground case studies of
Anishinaabeg, Arapahos, Cherokees, Eastern Cherokees,
Cheyennes, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, Lakotas, Lumbees, Ojibwes,
Seminoles, and Virginia tribes. Documented in these cases, the
history of blood quantum as a policy reveals assimilation's
implications and legacy. The role of blood quantum is integral
to understanding how Native Americans came to be one of the most
disadvantaged groups in the United States, and it remains a
significant part of present-day debates about Indian identity and
tribal membership. Blood Will Tell is an important and timely
contribution to current political and scholarly debates.