How the U.S. Is Eliminating “Native Americans” Without Killing Anyone
You’ve been told that “Native Americans” are the Indigenous peoples of North America. But what you haven’t been told is that “Native American” is a colonial trap—a legal category designed to mathematically eliminate Indigenous peoples within a few generations.
It’s called blood quantum, and it works like this:
Generation 1: Full-blood Indigenous person (1/1)
Generation 2: Marries non-Indigenous → Children are 1/2
Generation 3: 1/2 marries non-Indigenous → Children are 1/4
Generation 4: 1/4 marries non-Indigenous → Children are 1/8
Most tribes require 1/4 minimum to enroll. That means by Generation 4, your great-grandchildren are no longer legally “Indian.”
The tribe “vanishes” without a single death. Land and treaty obligations disappear. Colonial mission accomplished.
The Different Tactics for Different Peoples
While the U.S. created blood quantum for northern Indigenous peoples, colonizers used different systems elsewhere:
- In Latin America: The casta system created “mestizo” as a middle category, gradually erasing Indigenous identity through “mejorando la raza” (see PDF 2)
- In the U.S./Caribbean: Dark-skinned Indigenous peoples were reclassified as “Black,” erasing them completely (see PDF 1)
Different tactics. Same goal: Eliminate Indigenous peoples and divide them so they can’t unite to reclaim stolen land.
The Favoritism Strategy
The U.S. didn’t treat all Indigenous nations equally. They developed a pattern:
“Good Indians” (Got Better Treatment—Initially):
- Lighter skin tone (closer to European appearance)
- Cooperated with colonial authorities (scouts, soldiers)
- Adopted Christianity and European ways
- Signed treaties (even if coerced)
- Smaller populations (less threatening)
“Bad Indians” (Faced Extreme Violence):
- Darker skin tone (seen as more “savage”)
- Resisted colonization
- Lived on resource-rich land colonizers wanted
- Maintained traditional practices
- Refused to sign treaties
The “Five Civilized Tribes” trap: Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole were called “civilized” because they adopted European ways. They still got the Trail of Tears. But the damage was done—other tribes were now “savage” by comparison.
Later Migrations and Land-for-Cooperation Deals
The Northern Migrations
Over thousands of years, multiple waves of peoples migrated to the Americas via Beringia (Bering Strait):
- Original peopling 15,000+ years ago
- Later waves 3,000-1,000 years ago (Inuit, Aleut, some Athabaskan ancestors)
- These groups had features reflecting more recent Siberian/Mongolian origins
- All are Indigenous—later arrival doesn’t diminish that
Colonial Era Exploitation
During colonization, some dynamics created new divisions:
The trap colonizers set:
- “Help us fight these other tribes”
- “We’ll give you land/resources”
- “We’ll protect you from settlers”
- “We’ll recognize your tribe”
The reality:
- Pitted Indigenous nations against each other
- “Land given” was stolen from other Indigenous peoples
- “Protection” was temporary
- Even cooperation didn’t prevent eventual betrayal
Examples:
- U.S. Army recruited Indigenous scouts against other tribes
- Some groups received “better” reservation land (that belonged to others)
- Trading posts favored certain groups
- Created resentments that persist today
The goal: Prevent Indigenous unity by creating hierarchies and conflicts between nations.
Blood Quantum vs. Other Colonial Systems
How It Compares:
Spanish Casta System (Latin America, PDF 2):
- Created 16+ categories for mixed peoples
- “Mejorando la raza” encouraged mixing to “improve”
- Eventually absorbed into “Hispanic” identity
- Gradual erasure through reclassification
Black Reclassification (U.S./Caribbean, PDF 1):
- Binary: Indigenous → “Negro”
- One drop of African blood = no longer Indigenous
- Complete erasure of Indigenous status
- Dark-skinned Indigenous peoples made “Black”
Blood Quantum (U.S./Canada):
- Set minimum percentage (usually 1/4)
- Each generation of mixing reduces it
- Mathematical elimination within 3-4 generations
- Tribes “vanish” through definitions
Same goal, different math: Make Indigenous peoples cease to exist legally.
How This Divides Indigenous Peoples Today
Internal Hierarchies Created:
“Full-bloods” vs. “Mixed-bloods”:
- Tensions over who is “really” Indigenous
- Competition for limited resources
- Families fractured by quantum differences
Phenotype Policing:
- “You don’t look Indian”
- Lighter-skinned people questioned
- Darker-skinned people stereotyped
- Physical appearance used to gatekeep
Colorism Within Tribes:
- Some tribes favor lighter members (colonial influence)
- Darker members face discrimination
- Afro-Indigenous people often excluded
Federal Recognition Hierarchy:
- 574 recognized tribes vs. hundreds not recognized
- Government decides who is “really” Indigenous
- Non-recognized tribes exist but have no legal standing
- Creates competition instead of solidarity
All of this serves colonizers: Indigenous peoples too busy policing each other to threaten the system that stole all the land.
The Boarding School Genocide
From the 1860s-1970s, the U.S./Canada ran boarding schools with the motto “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.”
What happened:
- 300+ languages targeted for elimination
- Children beaten for speaking them
- Thousands died from abuse, disease, malnutrition
- Unmarked graves at many schools
- Survivors disconnected from cultures
The mixing strategy:
- Deliberately mixed children from different tribes
- Destroyed specific tribal identities
- Created generic “Pan-Indian” identity
- Tribal distinctions seen as obstacles
Colorism in schools:
- Lighter children sometimes treated “better”
- Darker children faced more abuse
- Internalized racism among survivors
- Hierarchy by appearance created
Why “Native American” Is a Colonial Category
The Truth They Hide:
- Blood quantum is genocidal math invented by colonizers
- Federal recognition is colonial control over Indigenous identity
- “Native American” separates northern Indigenous peoples from southern “Hispanics” (same people, fake border)
- It excludes dark-skinned Indigenous peoples reclassified as “Black”
- It prevents continental Indigenous unity
A Tohono O’odham person in Arizona is “Native American.”
A Tohono O’odham person in Sonora, Mexico is “Mexican/Hispanic.”
They’re the SAME PEOPLE. The border cut through their nation.
What You’re Not Being Told
The full PDF reveals:
- Detailed history of blood quantum’s invention
- How boarding schools traumatized generations
- The Freedmen controversy (excluding Black Indigenous peoples)
- Why some tribes got better treatment than others
- How later migrations were exploited to create divisions
- The CDIB card (colonial ID to prove you’re “Indian enough”)
- Why the U.S.-Mexico border divides Indigenous families
- How to build continental Indigenous solidarity
- Demanding abolition of blood quantum
- Land Back for ALL Indigenous peoples, not just recognized tribes
But here’s what terrifies colonizers: Indigenous peoples from Alaska to Argentina recognizing we’re all relatives. That “Native American,” “Hispanic,” and “Black” are colonial categories designed to divide us. That blood quantum, casta systems, and racial reclassification are all the same weapon. That united, we could reclaim the entire hemisphere.
📥 Download the Full PDF: “The Northern Separation: How Blood Quantum and Colonial Favoritism Fractured Indigenous Unity”
Get the complete story including:
- ✅ Full history of blood quantum as genocidal policy
- ✅ How later migrations from the north were exploited for division
- ✅ Detailed breakdown of colonial favoritism strategies
- ✅ The boarding school system and forced assimilation
- ✅ Colorism and phenotype policing within Indigenous communities
- ✅ Why federal recognition is colonial control
- ✅ How the U.S.-Mexico border divides Indigenous nations
- ✅ Building continental solidarity with all Indigenous peoples
- ✅ Practical steps to abolish blood quantum and reclaim unity
🔗 Read the Full Series on Patreon:
- PDF 1: “Erased & Reclassified” – How Dark-Skinned Indigenous Peoples Became “Just Black”
- PDF 2: “Mejorando La Raza” – How the Casta System Divided Hispanic/Latino Indigenous Peoples
Understanding all three exposes the complete colonial playbook: Different tactics across the Americas, but all designed to divide one continent of Indigenous peoples into competing, separated groups—all to keep stolen land.
🧮 Quick Math Check:
If you’re enrolled tribal member with 1/2 blood quantum:
- Your children with non-Indigenous partner: 1/4 (still eligible)
- Your grandchildren: 1/8 (NO LONGER ELIGIBLE)
Your tribe disappears in two generations. That’s not preservation—that’s elimination.
The full PDF explains how to fight this and demand change.
🤔 Ask Yourself:
- Why do Indigenous peoples need colonial government ID to prove indigeneity?
- Why is “Native American” separate from “Hispanic” when we’re all Indigenous?
- Why are dark-skinned Indigenous peoples excluded as “Black”?
- Why do we measure indigeneity in fractions?
- Who benefits from Indigenous peoples being divided and competing?
Spoiler: Colonizers benefit. We lose.
Download the PDF to understand how to break free.
Livity Blog | Memory as Resistance
