Native American scholarships?

Would I Qualify For American Native Scholarships?

• I am a direct descendant of an Alaskan Native shareholder (my mom). I have a legit CIB. However my blood quantum is only 7/32 Native (21%). I want to apply for some scholarships but most require me to be at least 25% Native. Am I close enough to be considered part of that margin or is it just a lost cause? BTW I have applied for one scholarship that simply requires that you be Native American/Alaskan. I need one more scholarship to be able to attend college full time.

• Answer:

  Well, being an Alaska corporation shareholder and having enrollment in a tribe is a bit different. If you are a member of Calista Corp., they do have a scholarship for shareholders and descendants - see: http://www.calistacorp.com/golftournament I am not sure which Yupik band has a 1/4 requirement, but Alaska has a more complicated "enrollment" situation than other tribes. Calista Corp is essentially the Native corp. representing a number of native villages and communities which are recognized as "tribes" by BIA. So the community or tribe that you get your lineage might have a BQ, (although I see several communities within Calista that do not have BQ).In any event, they have their own enrollment requirements and you'll just need check the tribe's constitution or enrollment ordinance and verify this. I mention this because you could be a Native corp sharehold and still not be technically enrolled in your tribe...so, you would be considered, legally, a "descendant" in this case and you might still qualify for some general scholarships. Unfortunately, you are going to come up against several factors, including: many non-profit or private organizations that offer Native scholarships do require 1/4 degree. Also the BIA/BIE Higher Ed grant requires 1/4 degree if not officially "enrolled." And those organization that do not have a BQ requirement might still require enrollment status. So, what you are going to have to look for are scholarships open to legal Native American DESCENDANTS. And yes, it is a bummer that you just missed the cut-off, but this is normally the way these scholarships work. You can probably get that Calista scholarship for sure, the others are going to be tougher to track down. But don't give up. I think it is doable. You do have a CIB. That counts for something. EDIT: The Calista Corp. scholarship does not mention a BQ requirement (check link above) and specifically mentions lineal descendants of shareholders are eligible. So, I don't know what she was referring to. This is from their site: Q: "If I am a Descendant of a Calista Shareholder what corporation benefits can I receive? A Shareholder Descendant is eligible for hiring preference, to apply for the Calista Scholarship Fund, and for training/internship opportunities" And again, being a native corp. sharehold is different than enrollment and nowadays, there isn't always a strict 1/4 degree requirement (depends on the corp though) and I don't see anything on Calista about BQ. It looks like they use standard share inheritance protocol, usuing AK laws and ANCSA regulations. It is not uncommon for lineal descendants under a quarter BQ to inherit shares now. You'd just have to check on that status. If you are in fact a shareholder or descendant, I would suggest you just fill out the application and submit it along with the necessary documents. For enrollment with Aniak, you need to contact that tribal office directly and ask them what the requirements are. Here is the main tribal number: Ruth Birky (President) Tel: (907) 675-4349