While the U.S. government maintains that its relationships with federally recognized tribes are strictly political in nature, it simultaneously administers a variety of social welfare programs to some Indians based solely on racial criteria. Indeed, a 1978 congressional survey found that federal legislation contains at least thirty-three different definitions of the term "Indian," a figure that is dwarfed by the various tribal definitions embedded throughout Title 25 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
-Redefining Race: Can Genetic Testing Provide Biological Proof of Indian Ethnicity? by Eric Beckenhauer Stanford Law Review Vol.56:161
October 2003 pg.164
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