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Tribal leaders, Native politicians, researchers and activists all piled on a heavy helping of backlash when Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren revealed her DNA results. Her attempts at having the last, scientific word followed years of insults by Donald Trump, going back to even before he was elected president, mocking her decision to claim Native heritage. She has her defenders, but Warren managed to inflame one feud while trying to settle another. Why is there such sensitivity toward DNA ancestry?
Guests:
Dr. Kim Tallbear (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate) – Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience & Environment and Associate Professor at the University of Alberta
Norbert Hill (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin/ Mohawk/Cree) – former director of Education for Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and
co-editor of “The Great Vanishing Act”
Doug Kanentiio George (Mohawk Nation) – vice president of the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge
Break 1 Music: Northern Lights Are Dancing (song) Lisa Muswagon (artist) Buffalo And Rabbits (album)
Break 2 Music: Little Earthlings (song) The Jir Project Band (artist) Sun Child (album)
DNA is part of the puzzle. Ms. Warren was in no way claiming citizenship but proving in part she has Native American blood. For some, this is the path they must take. Now she must do the research to complete the puzzle.
Unfortunately some of us wrestle with proving our ancestry because we either didn’t listen to our elders or our family did not do a good job in making sure we knew our Native American heritage.
We didn’t listen or even take the time with our elders. I have made it a very important part of my life to spend time with my elders to listen to our family stories and the Mvskoke way of life.
We can not forget our history because what we see today is what the colonizers used to divide us.
I hope Cherokee Nation retracts their comment and take the time to help Ms. Warren research her family history. She could very well be the first Native American President of the United States!
This is a great conversation to have number one Elizabeth Warren to me has no connection to us I see her as an ally not a relative and there is a difference between a relative and an ally a relative is anyone who has a connection to the tribes whether they are tribal citizen or not that is not Elizabeth Warren she is never claimed to be a tribal member but it does make me sad that they have blowing this out of proportion and ignored real Native American issues maybe this will bring up the phony Indian tribes that are all over this country claiming to be the real ones where you have entire groups pretending to be Cherokee Choctaw Sioux and other Indian nations and this is actually hurting the real ones.
Elizabeth Warren appropriated Indigenous identity for political gain. She made this about her and not in a way that lifts up actual Native voices. The way in which she broadcast her personal news was a political move that was wrong and damaging towards how the broader US populations perceive what it means to be Indigenous.
While I think it was fine for her to research her family history to corroborate family lore with DNA evidence, it is not okay to then use this as fodder for her spat with Donald Trump. I think we have to realize she is using Native American identity to suit her purposes.
She may claim she has never used Native American identity to gain advantage in getting hired for a position, and that all her employers perceived her as white. She may not have done so in the past, but she sure has now.
What she did shows she is tone deaf towards Native American issues of identity and survival and hasn’t done the work – meaning she hasn’t developed a good relationship with Native American tribes and people. She hasn’t recognized she has a responsibility to engage this sensitive issue in a thoughtful and good way. She failed and needs to make amends and work on that relationship.
secretary of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma Chuck Hoskin was very deceptive in his assertions of Cherokee Nation citizenship.Notice how he never mentioned the path to this modern citizenship was a positive genealogical connection to a grandparent or great grandparent on the Dawes census roll taken from 1898-1906.This census also called the” final census” also determined who was willing to relinquish Cherokee Nation citizenship for U.S. citizenship and an allotment of what was the Oklahoma Cherokee nations land base.Needless to say there was a resistance to this- most were full blood Cherokees many of which were Keetoowah Cherokees.
I lived there for two years and met full blood Cherokees who could not enroll under those terms.
It’s so ironic that those who’s gave up their citizenship including Chuck Hoskin family created in 1975,well beyond the IRS or Indian reorganization act can enroll in this make shift tribe and go public denouncing people who cannot,in a rude and inconsiderate manner.
There is nothing legitimate about the Oklahoma Cherokee Nation inside far as it’s history also.Their leaders were diplomates and commissioners for the Sovereign Cherokee nations National Council led by Chief Pathkiller,Chief Glass,Chief Dick Justice,Chief Black Fox and 30 other first class Chief’s that are located ad such on the treaties and official correspondences.
In 1809, they were propositioned to seek new lands west of the Mississippi.In 1817 following relentless squatting and lack of adherence regarding this issue,of which the selected diplomates : John Ross,Charles Hicks,Richard Taylor and others sought redress for,the Cherokee Nation agreed to this land exchange and immigration to the Arkansas Cherokee Nation treaty.
When most migrated to these lands the future Oklahoma leaders- Ross and co. Went to Washington with Cherokee agent Meigs and entered into an unauthorized treaty that restructured the 1817 treaty.These guys ceded approx.3 mil.acres surrounding the Cherokee Nation.Art.3&5 of the 1817 treaty stipulated that all Cherokee citizens who agreed to remain east receive a 640 acre allotment and all who migrated remain a Cherokee citizen.This Ross group ,in this treaty of 1819,discontinued the immigration program and they some of their families were the only ones to receive an allotment.This made them I.S. citizens.All of this was under the watch of Agent Meigs,Supt of Indian Affairs Maj.Gen.Andrew Jackson,Sec.of War and head if Indian Affairs John C.Calhoun.They were fully aware who the Cherokee Nation leadership was and who the subordinate s were.
They allowed this to take place.The Ross group organized a self appointed Constitutional Convention and Election and the rest is history.
The Arkansas Cherokee enacted laws against the sale or exchange of our lands for any lands.They never surveyed our lands that would create a western boarder.We sent a delegation in 1825 and 1828.We refused their offer.Thie treaty of 1828 is a fraudulent treaty,that created the Oklahoma Cherokee territory- only one Chief and his subchief agreed and moved to the very protected area around Ft.Smith.
This reasoning concerning communities that are Cherokee are somewhat convoluted.The 14 counties of Oklahoma Cherokee Nation are dominated by whites,its like 50 to 1 Cherokee of any blood degree Speaking of blood degree,the average in the the Cherokee Nation is 1/32 by blood out if 300,000 Cherokees enrolled approximately 50 percent are 1/32 or less with only approximately 10,000 full bloods scattered in most cases with high concentrations in Tahlequah and Kenwood,most are United Keetoowah Band Cherokee citizens.
This whole thing with Elizabeth Warren and her Heritage has been going on for 6 years and it’s gone completely out of hand this all started with her race with Scott Brown and his commentary on her Heritage and how he said that she was using her Heritage in order to get into law school ever since then you’ve had people that have commented on her native heritage including President Trump
while forgetting about actual natives who are struggling everyday to make their lives better or they’re ignoring real Native American issues like being funny tribes all over the America claiming to be Cherokee or any other Indian nation that I can think of these guys are the bigger problem and nobody wants to talk about these phony bands pretending to be the actual tribes I would like to see Native America calling do an entire episode on the funny Indian tribes and how to call these guys out.