Urban Indian Community Essay

Choose one of the following two essay prompts. Use complete sentences and write a minimum of 300 words. Cite your supporting information and where it came from.

1. Discuss the US government’s use of a biological definition of American Indian identity based on blood quantum. Why did they institute it, and what has it been based on? How does it compare to the alternate “one-drop” policy historically applied to people of African American descent? How and when did the “one-drop” policy apply to some American Indian people as well?

2. Describe the characteristics of the urban “Indian community” and explain why is it a more meaningful concept in understanding the urban experience than is geographic location. How has the Indian community in urban areas become increasingly diverse and complex?