Indigenous Relationships and Colonial Constraints: Unpacking the Impact of Enrollment on Pueblo People’s Reproductive Labor

• In Event: “On the Way to Decolonization”: Building Black and Indigenous Feminist Networks through Decolonial Praxis

Abstract

This paper unpacks themes that emerged addressing the question how do women in New Mexico’s nineteen Native American Pueblo nations navigate tribal citizenship/enrollment policies and the effects these rules have on their political, social, cultural, and reproductive labor within their communities? I examine three emerging themes: gendered expectations, marriage and land, and Pueblo accountability and protocol. The findings demonstrate how place and connection to land are essential for understanding Pueblo belonging, especially for those in the diaspora. As such, gender and place become integral components when considering changes to tribal enrollment policies and Native nation building at large.

Presenter

• Danielle Dominique Lucero, Arizona State University