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honeydove · Jul 13, 2012, 12:47 PM

I have a friend who is 17 years old & a native American, she is dating a guy who is also native American but he is 21 going on 22.. is it different for natives? Or the same. Could they possibly get married & be OK. Please help me they are miserable being separated.

JudyKayTee · Jul 13, 2012, 02:05 PM

It's impossible to know without knowing which State.

What tribe (because in my area it matters if you are asking about a Native American marriage or one recognized by the State)?

AK lawyer · Jul 13, 2012, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by honeydove

... is it different for natives? Or the same.? ....

Is what different?

"Dating" is, to some people, code for sex. We are frequently asked this by people who are really concerned about the "age of consent" which would make sex legal and not "statutory rape". In this sense, it would depend on the state or country you are in.

I assume you are in the U.S. because the term "native American" is not used much in Canada (or Latin America, as far as I know) to describe aborignal people. In the U.S. criminal laws don't depend (any more) upon the color of your skin or your ethnicity.

Originally Posted by honeydove

... Could they possibly get married & be ok.? ...

Again, it depends on what state you are in. Some require parental consent for a minor to marry.

Fr_Chuck · Jul 13, 2012, 03:23 PM

They can date all they want, if the parents will allow it, it is sex they can not do( depending on the location) Do they both live on reservation under Indian law ?