Intermarriage Discouraged by Ethnic Group Members Special

Concerned with cultural identity, some Native Americans have come to question intermarriage. Some believe that the Native American culture will disappear as more and more people marry into the greater "white" community or with other ethnic groups.

The Portland Oregonian this week dealt with this issue in an interview with a Northwest Native American, Marcus Luke, who is coaching his young son Aaron, who is only 7 years old, already on who to marry when he becomes an adult. Marcus Luke's advice comes from his concern that Native Americans are in danger of losing their culture because of intermarriage outside the tribe and race. Luke is married to his college sweetheart, Rachel, who is Caucasian. The issue has to do with "blood quantum" or how much does it take to be considered Native American as well as specific cultural characteristics identified with being part of a special community. The question for many different ethnic and cultural groups often deals with identity and issues that involve defining one's membership in a particular group. That is especially important for those groups seeking to obtain special benefits or recognition or as in some cases the pride that comes from being identified with a group with which one has a particular affection or affinity. Lian Fox, Portland, Oregon resident, disagrees with the concept of marrying within the ethnic community in order to maintain cultural solidarity. She says doing that "is going backwards." Her deceased husband was Caucasian and her present life partner is also. She has children who are mixtures of Filipino, African American and Native American so she has no reservations about marrying outside a particular group. This is true even though she is 1/16th Native American, the quantum required to receive Native American benefits as a member of the confederated tribes of Grande Ronde. In her case the minimum requirement for those benefits is 1/16th blood quantum in relationship to a documented ancestor. The Dallas Morning News reported last year that intermarriage is no longer rare nor to be feared, as it has been since the inception of the nation. Asian Americans and Hispanics, for example, tend to marry outside their group 1/3 of the time. The rate of intermarriage increases beyond that among college-educated people. As some individuals have begun to question intermarriage, the trend continues to move in its direction even as "blood quantums" and what constitutes a member of a particular race or ethnic group continue to remain an issue in the changing demographics.