SAN CARLOS COUNCIL CONSIDERS AMENDING ENROLLMENT CODE
At its Special Session of March 23, 2023, by Motion Nos. 093- and 094-2023, the San Carlos Council approved certain amendments to the Tribe’s Enrollment Code, and the Council sought public comment on a proposed change to the qualifications for enrollment under Section 200 – namely, whether to enroll all children descending from a member of the Tribe.
Under the current system, only those children born to resident members of the Tribe, and all children of one-fourth or more San Carlos Apache blood born to non-resident members, may enroll into the Tribe. Thus, one-quarter blood quantum has been the deciding factor for enrollment eligibility.
Upon request by the council, in September 2022, the Enrollment Committee (Louis Sprengeler Wesley, Marthalene Polk, Josette May, William Belvado, Josephine Williams, Bonnie Rustin, and Elliott Talgo) reviewed 5 enrollment options to consider. These were in addition to the base roll established in 1954 and included:
- Lowering the blood degree requirement to 1/8;
- Keep the current 1⁄4 or more San Carlos Apache blood
degree; - No blood degree requirement – descendancy only;
- Reset all members blood degree to 4/4; or
- 1⁄4 total Indian blood degree.
Chairman Terry Rambler said, “An increase in population will lead to increased revenues from P.L. 93-638 program funding, and additional gaming device rights. Correlatively, some costs will increase, such as education, social services, and public safety, but these would largely be offset by increased revenues.” Chairman Terry Rambler continued, “Descendancy changes the nature of membership. Historically, “Indian blood” affects identity, relationships and whether or not members – or our children – may become a citizen of the Tribe.” “Blood quantum was a system that the federal government placed onto tribes in an effort to limit citizenship,” Chairman Rambler continued. “In doing so, the federal government hoped that over time, less and less qualify, the population ultimately decreases, and the federal government rids itself of its legal duties to uphold treaty obligations and trust responsibilities.”
Chairman Terry Rambler said, “With descendancy, the nature of tribal affiliation changes to ancestral relations. It becomes a means for survival. With descendancy, a tribes’ numbers and capacity increase in order to survive and perpetuate the tribe. Ultimately, the choice of how to define membership in the Tribe is based on sovereignty – the choice of blood quantum or descendancy is the Tribe’s sovereign right to determine.” Under the Article III, Section 1(c) of the Tribe’s Constitution, the Council has “the power to pass ordinances, subject to review by the Secretary of the Interior or his authorized representative, governing future membership, loss of membership, and the adoption of members” by the Tribe.