Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez
At a glance:
- Series: Racial and Ethnic Relations in America
- Categories: Social Issues, Reform, and Protest, Law, Legal History, Courts
- Subcategories: Native Americans, American Indians, Court Cases, Rulings, Appeals, Supreme Court, U.S.
- Curriculum: American History 1951-present, American Indian History
- Geographical Location: New Mexico
- Date: 1978
Article abstract: A U.S. Supreme Court decision deepens the concept of tribal sovereignty and reinforces the sanctity of tribal customs in determining tribal membership.
The Santa Clara Pueblo (New Mexico) passed an ordinance stating that if a male member of the tribe married a woman who was not a member of the tribe, their children would be eligible for membership in the tribe. However, children born of a woman from the tribe who married a nonmember man were not eligible for enrollment in the tribe.
When the tribe refused to enroll her daughter, Julia...
[The entire page is 281 words long]