Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You adopt a new policy stating that new tribal members must prove descendancy and have at least 1/16 native blood.
This is the real-life decision that Brent Merrill's tribe made. "The policy has changed over time," says Merrill. "Before, when the tribe was getting started again, tribal members were all welcomed."
With the swelling number of tribal members, the policy had to change to be more in line with other tribal bands. Merrill agrees with this decision, although he says it was a tough call for the council. He says that the tribe needs to be able to continue to provide services for all its members.
The situation affects him directly. "I'm 1/8, and my children are 1/16," he says. "That means if they marry in the community, their children won't be tribal members."
But he says family concerns can't get involved in politics. "Council members have to be able to dissociate personal feelings and think about what will benefit the tribe as a whole," he says.