The Indian Card

Who Gets to Be Native in America

by Carrie Lowry Schuettpelz, Review 23 of 2024

“What routinely fails to show up in the textbook is the modernity of Indian-ness. Native people still live and breathe. Still belly laugh and ugly cry, binge watch and cosplay, ride in Ubers and Doordash sushi. Native people walk over the same bones of settler colonialism as everyone else. We’re asked to bring a covered dish to Friendsgiving or to go in on a cabin airbnb over Columbus Day weekend.”

– Carrie Lowry Schuettpelz

This book fills in the gaps where textbooks fail. The Indian Card: Who Gets to Be Native in America is an exploration of the history of indigenous identity in the United States. Lowry Schuettpelz describes both her own relationship with her tribe and the historical context that created it. This book is a satisfying blend of policy description, history, and personal anecdotes. Most importantly, it highlights just how important seemingly small distinctions in rules and policies can have generational impacts, a timely message for those in the US.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.