Crow Tribe considers legislation to redefine membership

Crow Tribal Chairman Frank Whiteclay has proposed legislation that would redefine tribal membership by granting all existing members 100% Crow “blood,” according to Montana Free Press.

Under current policy, members must have one-quarter Crow ancestry to enroll. Whiteclay said the change would “break a cycle of lost enrollment” and strengthen tribal identity. The tribe currently has 14,289 enrolled members, a decline of more than 300 since 2020.

Tribal Secretary Levi Black Eagle was quoted as saying the proposal, which will be discussed by the Legislature in January, aims to use “the leeway we have within that system and flex our sovereignty.” He said blood quantum limits personal choice and belonging.

Jill Doerfler, an American Indian studies professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth, said tribes using blood quantum “have an expiration date,” because the system reduces eligibility over generations.