Choctaw Blood Quantum

 

The Dawes Roll application process for the Mississippi Choctaw differed from other Native tribes. The Dawes Commission set up offices throughout Mississippi. It began interviewing applicants because the Choctaw didn't have many records, while other tribes-maintained records and census rolls to verify applicants. The Commission judged applicants based on their appearance or ability to speak the Choctaw language. Many Choctaws were denied based on the Commission assessment versus their family's lineage. In 1934 the United States applied the concept of Blood Quantum under the Indian Reorganization Act using the formula: Half of the combined degree of "Indian Blood" an individual's parents possess to limit Native American citizenship. To be enrolled in the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians today, you must be able to prove one/half-blood quantum.