Members of the Three Affiliated Tribes will have another opportunity to define what makes coming generations eligible to be an enrolled tribal member.

A second general election to set out a legal definition could be held this fall, if enough members register to take part in one. Registration is taking place now.

The tribe voted last year to change membership criteria to lineal descendency rather than a longstanding requirement of blood quantum, but the question will be asked again.

Tribal chairman Marcus Levings said many people told the council the original voter turnout of less than 1,800 was too small to justify such a sweeping change.

Levings said the council decided to bring the question back to make sure the question is well understood and well answered this time around.

"It's complicated, but it's important that we get people's wishes," Levings said. He said the question is a "big deal" for tribal members. He said it's especially difficult for people who can read about their ancestors in "history books," but who no longer qualify for membership because they lack sufficient blood quantum.

The upcoming election would ask voters to decide if they want to stick with lineal descendency, which requires that they be a child of an enrolled member. The other option would be eligibility based on blood quantum, in this case, whether they are one-eighth Mandan, Hidatsa or Arikara.

The blood quantum would be changed from the past. It was formerly measured as one-fourth, with at least one-eighth blood Mandan, Hidatsa or Arikara and one-eighth another federally recognized tribe.

Levings said he hopes for an outcome that means "the more enrolled members the better."

He said the tribal council received about 500 enrollment applications after the change, and he estimated some 400 would have met the blood quantum requirement.

These are called "secretarial elections," because they must be called by the Department of the Interior secretary.

The department has authorized the Bureau of Indian Affairs to register voters and to hold an election if 30 percent of eligible voters are registered.

Registration information is available at 672-4707.

(Reach reporter Lauren Donovan at 701-748-5511 or lauren@;westriv.com.)