MISSION — The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) is considering whether to lower its tribal enrollment blood quantum requirement from one-quarter to one-eighth.
The CTUIR, made up of the Cayuse, Walla Walla and Umatilla tribes, has seen a decline in membership in the past four years.
According to the CTUIR Enrollment Office, in 2022, the CTUIR had 3,232 enrolled members. Enrollment dipped by one member in 2023 to 3,231. However, the decline became more noticeable in 2024 when enrollment fell to 3,206, before slipping again in 2025 to 3,193 members.
Under the current code, applicants must show at least one-fourth combined Native American blood quantum to qualify for enrollment in CTUIR.
Now, tribal leaders are weighing whether that threshold should change.
The CTUIR Board of Trustees (BOT) plans to hold a work session with the Enrollment Office to review whether to amend the enrollment code. Tribal leaders have not introduced a formal proposal or set a timeline for a vote, but discussions are expected to begin in the coming months.
The CTUIR has hired consultants from Taylor Policy Group Inc. (TPG), based in Hyannis, Massachusetts, to conduct a population study and provide data research as CTUIR leaders evaluate a possible change.
According to the company’s website, Native nations use TPG’s research for internal decision-making, negotiations, tribal policy development and contested proceedings. The firm also specializes in natural resource economics, gaming policy, impact analysis, economic development strategy, taxation and governance issues involving tribal corporations.
Elfrina Lubrin, CTUIR Enrollment administrative office manager, said the BOT is scheduling a presentation with the TPG to brief members on its findings.
Lubrin said the group also plans to present the study to the General Council. Tribal leaders are not seeking motions or votes at that meeting, she added, describing it instead as the first step in sharing information with tribal members as discussions move forward in the coming months.
“We hope to create an education campaign after meeting with the BOT to help summarize the research for tribal members,” Lubrin said. “We hope to include graphics and implication examples so they can come to the June (17) General Council meeting with some understanding and any questions they may have.”
After the work session, the BOT will forward all information to the General Council, which will present the consulting firm’s analysis, data, statistics and graphs to the community. Any proposed amendment to the enrollment code would likely require community input and approval through the tribe’s established governance process.
Lowering the blood quantum
The concept of blood quantum dates back centuries and was later used by the federal government to define and limit Native rights and land ownership, according to the Native Governance Center. Over time, it became embedded in federal policy and, in many cases, tribal constitutions.
Across the U.S., tribal enrollment standards vary, with some tribes lowering blood quantum requirements and others relying on ancestral lineage. The issue has been widely discussed and debated in Native American communities.
The CTUIR last revised its enrollment criteria in 1993. The enrollment requirement in the CTUIR Constitution Article IV, “Members,” states that tribal membership includes:
- All persons of Indian blood whose names appeared on the official census roll of the CTUIR as of July 1, 1949;
- Have a parent or grandparent who is an enrolled member of the CTUIR; and
- Possess at least one-fourth degree of Indian blood from a federally recognized tribe within the United States.
However, Section 2.05 of the CTUIR Enrollment Code, titled “Dual Enrollment,” states, “no person may be enrolled in the CTUIR if that person is enrolled in another federally recognized Indian Tribe within the U.S.”
The CTUIR Enrollment Office processes enrollment applications and relinquishments, issues Certificates of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB), tribal identification cards and traces family genealogy.
In addition, the office maintains records of tribal members and their addresses for mailings and announcements, as well as demographic information on tribal members and reservation residents for use by other departments and outside agencies.
The Enrollment Office also administers several tribal member benefits, including quarterly gaming distributions, minors’ gaming trust accounts, elders’ pension and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) plans and the tribe’s burial assistance program.
Lubrin said there are multiple scenarios that TPG was asked to research regarding changes to enrollment criteria, so impacts on services and tribal programs will vary.
“This will be a long, detailed process if the General Council wants to determine what options, if any, they would like to put to a vote,” Lubrin said. “It will take a lot of conversations. If they decide on what options to vote on, it could possibly be placed on the November 2027 election ballot. Again, it will be the General Council determining what and when.”
Other Tribal Nations’ enrollment requirements
Across Indian Country, tribes are working to prevent population decline while working on preserving language and cultural traditions. Each nation takes its own approach, but enrollment policy remains the heart of tribal sovereignty.
The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation in north-central Oregon, which includes Wasco, Warm Springs and Paiute tribes, uses a one-quarter blood quantum requirement and a one-eighth adoption standard for certain cases.
The Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho requires a minimum of one-quarter Nez Perce blood quantum for enrollment.
Other nations have moved away from blood quantum entirely.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, based in western Oregon and representing more than 30 tribes and bands historically removed to the Grand Ronde Reservation, has more than 6,000 enrolled members.
As of January 2025, it updated its enrollment criteria. Applicants must now demonstrate Grand Ronde Indian blood and descend from a biological parent or grandparent who was an enrolled member.
In 2013, citizens of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota voted to replace a one-quarter blood quantum requirement with a lineal descent system, a change aimed at addressing long-term population decline.
Among the largest tribal nations in the country, the Cherokee people include more than 450,000 enrolled citizens across three federally recognized governments: the Cherokee Nation, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Each maintains its own enrollment system.
The Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma relies on direct lineal descent from individuals listed on the Dawes Rolls. The United Keetoowah Band, also in Oklahoma, requires documented descent from the Dawes Rolls and a minimum one-quarter Cherokee blood quantum.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina requires applicants to trace lineage to a direct ancestor on the 1924 Baker Roll and maintain at least one-sixteenth Cherokee blood.
The push to reshape enrollment policy is expected to take months to years, as CTUIR leaders and citizens discuss how potential changes would affect their dividends, scholarships, hunting rights, elder services and other benefits.
For now, the question remains open: whether adjusting the enrollment threshold could strengthen the community or redefine it in ways that reach far into the future.
