# In Native American Culture, Is Marrying Outside the Tribe Frowned Upon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 1, 2013, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-native-american-culture-is-marrying-outside-the-tribe-frowned-upon/675246 "2013-12-01T23:39:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-native-american-culture-is-marrying-outside-the-tribe-frowned-upon/675246/1 "2013-12-01T23:39:11Z")
DISCLAIMER: Look, I _get_ that there are dozens if not hundreds of Native American tribes, and hundreds if not thousands of clans, communities, and otherwise within those tribes. So there is singular Native American culture, so to speak. Having said that-- if a Navajo woman were to marry an Apache dude, should either expect pushback from their communities? How about if a Cherokee dude married a white woman? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-native-american-culture-is-marrying-outside-the-tribe-frowned-upon/675246/2 "2013-12-02T00:49:51Z")
It might depend on the family more than the tribe/nation. On my spouse’s side of the family the Cherokees didn’t seem to mind marrying whites and vice-versa, but then they’re Eastern Band Cherokee, not part of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, and are more assimilated than, say, people living on the Navajo reservation or in one of the Hopi pueblos out west. It’s not like the various tribes didn’t intermarry from time to time before the Europeans showed up. To further complicate matters, some groups, like the Cherokee and the Seminole, allowed outsiders to become part of their group in the equivalent of immigration/naturalization and others require you to be born in the group to be a member. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-native-american-culture-is-marrying-outside-the-tribe-frowned-upon/675246/3 "2013-12-02T01:32:09Z")
I work in a city that calls itself the “Indian Capital of the Nation”. Intertribal marriage happens all the time here and no one bats an eye at it. Indian to non-Indian is just as common as well. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-native-american-culture-is-marrying-outside-the-tribe-frowned-upon/675246/4 "2013-12-02T04:06:59Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > It might depend on the family more than the tribe/nation. On my spouse’s side of the family the Cherokees didn’t seem to mind marrying whites and vice-versa, but then they’re Eastern Band Cherokee, not part of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, and are more assimilated than, say, people living on the Navajo reservation or in one of the Hopi pueblos out west. > > It’s not like the various tribes didn’t intermarry from time to time before the Europeans showed up. > > To further complicate matters, some groups, like the Cherokee and the Seminole, allowed outsiders to become part of their group in the equivalent of immigration/naturalization and others require you to be born in the group to be a member. My mom showed me a paper for my great grandmother granting her permission, signed by the chief, to marry a white man. She was Cherokee (Oklahoma). ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-native-american-culture-is-marrying-outside-the-tribe-frowned-upon/675246/5 "2013-12-02T07:06:52Z")
Could be - like I said, my spouse’s background is a different group of Cherokee than the ones in Oklahoma. Interesting, though - was it written in English or Cherokee? ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-native-american-culture-is-marrying-outside-the-tribe-frowned-upon/675246/6 "2013-12-02T08:09:04Z")
I had a roomie who was half Indian. His mother was one I don’t remember - Walk of Tears tribe. According to him, inter-tribal warfare was constant - and a large part of the reason was to abduct (or at least rape & run) women NOT of the same bloodlines - they knew at least enough to avoid prolonged in-breeding. If this is true, I’m guessing any woman showing up wanting a hubby would be most welcome (Hey! we got one without anybody dying!). If a male showed up, well,maybe if they had just lost a prolonged war and needed more warriors. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-native-american-culture-is-marrying-outside-the-tribe-frowned-upon/675246/7 "2013-12-02T09:54:21Z")
Pretty much comparable with any other tribal culture I guess. I lived in West Africa for a number of years and some tribes were known to be fiercely protective (Ebu, Hausa) and some (most) not at all. There were surely all shades in between. Marrying a European would have been a major coup. Primitive African tribes would have raided neighbours for women and goods, they would also take slaves. Was there any slavery in Native American culture? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-native-american-culture-is-marrying-outside-the-tribe-frowned-upon/675246/8 "2013-12-02T11:48:07Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Could be - like I said, my spouse’s background is a different group of Cherokee than the ones in Oklahoma. Interesting, though - was it written in English or Cherokee? Well, we’re talking 25 years ago so the details a little vague, but I’m pretty sure it was written in English. I have no idea what was actually on it though. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-native-american-culture-is-marrying-outside-the-tribe-frowned-upon/675246/9 "2013-12-02T13:24:04Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Primitive African tribes would have raided neighbours for women and goods, they would also take slaves. Was there any slavery in Native American culture? Sure was. When the Europeans started importing Africans for the purposes there were Natives who happily bought some, as well as the usual sort of thing they had had going for millenia before. > [@Shakes](#): > > Well, we’re talking 25 years ago so the details a little vague, but I’m pretty sure it was written in English. I have no idea what was actually on it though. Since Cherokee uses a different “alphabet” (it’s actually a syllabary) the difference should be pretty obvious. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-native-american-culture-is-marrying-outside-the-tribe-frowned-upon/675246/10 "2013-12-03T01:20:05Z")
There was a Cherokee (IIRC) Chief who had it both ways: Not only was his tribe obliged to follow orders, but he also had a plantation with black slaves. (Yes, he went with CSA). Don’t know how his tribe treated him after he blew the wealth. Aside from the birch-bark canoe, were any other sailing vessels built? The legend is that the cone-shaped leaf of the cottonwood tree was the origin of the Tipi - somebody had to have see a curled up maple leaf floating down the river and gotten the idea of placing a pebble on it, thereby discovering the principle of at least a cargo-hauling raft. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-native-american-culture-is-marrying-outside-the-tribe-frowned-upon/675246/11 "2013-12-03T01:51:47Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Aside from the birch-bark canoe, were any other sailing vessels built? In addition to the birch bark canoe there were dugouts and [plank canoes.](http://www.native-languages.org/images/canoe5.jpg) There were [bullboats](http://www.native-languages.org/images/bullboat1.jpg), which are similar to European coracles. The Dene not only built rafts, they built rafts with _canoe docks_ on the sides. From California down through central and south America people built reed boats. The Arctic people built single-person kayaks through larger boats on up to boats large enough to hunt whales. Central and South America also had a few examples of sailboats, which were essential reed boats with crude sails mounted on them. They were not capable of tacking. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-native-american-culture-is-marrying-outside-the-tribe-frowned-upon/675246/12 "2013-12-03T22:41:13Z")
I guessed it! The bullboat looks like a curled-up leaf - must have been a bitch to navigate any kind of current in a round, rudder-less tub.