Recognition Odysseys: tribes pushed to "distance themselves from blacks" (Tunica-Biloxi, Jena Choctaw, Clifton Choctaw; 20th century)

SUMMARYRecognition Odysseys: tribes pushed to "distance themselves from blacks" (Tunica-Biloxi, Jena Choctaw, Clifton Choctaw; 20th century) [Connections: Louisiana (deep), Nov 5, 2026]

RECORDA review of Brian Klopotek's Recognition Odysseys: Indigeneity, Race, and Federal Tribal Recognition Policy in Three Louisiana Indian Communities (Duke, 2011), in American Indian Culture and Research Journal 37:1 (2013), says Klopotek argues anti-Black racism pressured tribes to "distance themselves from blacks and from Native individuals with African ancestry" (p. 191). It says he examines "shifting racialized identity categories imposed from federal and state governments." The Tunica-Biloxi and Jena Band are federally recognized. The Clifton Choctaw are state-recognized only, and their federal effort "remains unresolved."

PATTERNThe recognition system rewarded nations that cut ties with relatives of African ancestry. Those relatives were pushed toward the "Black" side of the line

LENS (WW9)The system made nations disown their own relatives to be recognized. Those relatives were the ones renamed Black

OPENRead Klopotek's Clifton Choctaw chapter for specific denial reasons and school classifications

SOURCESAICRJ 37:1 book reviews (eScholarship); Recognition Odysseys catalog entry.