Talk:Indian Register

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I remember reading in Thomas King's book A Native Narrative, published as part of the Massey Lectures series, that the definition of a status Indian was such that over time, over a few generations, no one would qualify under the definition. Does anyone know more about this? -Tubby

Yes - when status Indians have children with non-Indians, those children can only pass on Indian status if they have children with an Indian. If they have children with a non-Indian, those children will not be eligible for Indian status. As Status Indian marry or have children with non-Indians, their eligibility for status is "diluted". Over time (100 years or so) this will lead to a decline in the Indian population.