Posted on 05/31/2012 4:04:17 PM PDT by No One Special
Many wonder why we Cherokees are so insistent on Elizabeth Warren coming clean about her false claims of Cherokee ancestry. This is not a political issue to us. We don’t care if Elizabeth Warren is a Democrat, Republican, or an Independent. We do care, though, if she goes around claiming to be Cherokee and has tried to benefit from that claim. Some people might not realize there are only three federally recognized Cherokee tribes in the United States, but there are more than 200 groups who fraudulently claim to be Cherokee tribes. While the federally recognized tribes have very specific criteria their members must meet in order to be enrolled or registered, there is no consistent criterion for membership into the fraudulent groups. Many members of these fraudulent groups base their claim of Cherokee ancestry on the same thing Ms. Warren bases hers on…family lore.
Though some might argue Ms. Warren is only one individual and therefore her claim cannot possibly cause harm to the Cherokee people, we would remind you that each of the fraudulent Cherokee groups are made up of individuals. Alone, none of these people would be harmful, but together, they are. In 2010, one fraudulent Cherokee group planned a march on Washington DC in an attempt to have the federal recognition of the three legitimate Cherokee tribes removed because those three tribes would not allow fakes to enroll or register with them. Like Warren, these individuals believe that family lore is all that should be required to claim Cherokee ancestry. 1987, a fraudulent Cherokee group in Ohio stood over the graves of the repatriated remains of Indians, while pretending to be Indians themselves. Like Warren and her contributions to the Pow Wow Chow cookbook, those fake Indians bastardized our traditions by doing things that were not representative of true Cherokee culture. From 2002-2005, a fraudulent Cherokee group in Arkansas, along with several school districts, was involved in defrauding the US government out of monies intended for real Indian students. Like Warren in her “checking the box” to further her career, these people did the exact same thing, “checked the box”, in order to try to benefit from it.
We have researched Ms. Warren’s ancestry in the line she claims to be Cherokee through, as well as researched the collateral lines connected to that family. There is absolutely no indication of her having anything other than Caucasian ancestors. Though Ms. Warren’s ancestors did move into the areas that later became Oklahoma, they arrived at the same time many other non-Indian families arrived – when the land was going to be opened up and they thought they could get free or cheap land from the Indians. Ms. Warren’s ancestors were not Cherokees and neither is she. We, as Cherokees, cannot allow Ms. Warren to continue on with her false claims. If we allow someone as high profile as her to get away with it, then everyone else will expect a free pass as well.
The authentic Cherokee tribes are made up of descendants of those listed on either the Dawes or Baker Rolls. Those rolls include the names of citizens who stayed with their nations; helped clear and farm their nations' land; helped build their nations' businesses and schools; participated in their nations' governments; and defended their nations in times of war and unrest. Through their loyalty to their nations, those Cherokee citizens paid the price for their descendants to have the right to call themselves Cherokee today. No one else has that right; not the individual walking down the street, not the members of the fraudulent tribes and certainly not a person who is running for the United States Congress. It is time for Ms. Warren to come clean and tell the truth. Until she does, we will not be silenced.
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Huzzah.
I’m glad they aren’t laying down on this. I also suggest they look at the political party that’s using their name and heritage for political gain. Because Warren is but the result of Democrat/Liberal ‘at any cost’ philosophy.
She is not the first Democrat to pull this ‘personal gain on the backs’ or even ‘blood’ of others and she will not be the last.
Scalp her.
There’s some “lore” in my husband’s family that one or two of them may have been Indian. Plus in researching my dad’s family, I came across something that made me suspect that maybe there was some Indian blood way back. But even if that is a fact, we are no more Indian than Elizabeth Warren who probably has zero Indian blood in her. I think to claim yourself as an Indian you should at least be one fourth. Warren should come clean and admit she lied, but she won’t because the media will cover for her lies and then excuse them when she’s found out.
I saw the Cherokee genealogist, Twila Barnes, on Fox today and was a little bit disappointed. When asked what difference it makes really, she stumbled around a lot and said that it just wasn’t right that someone could misrepresent themselves as Cherokee. I have sympathy for her, but I don’t think she answered the question very well.
For me, the bottom line is this: is the candidate prone to telling the truth or repeatedly lying. Native American bloodlines aside, does Elizabeth Warren tell the truth? Obviously not.
On one hand it is easy enough to be confused. I live in Oklahoma. You can’t toss a cat without hitting someone who either is or claims to be part Cherokee. My mother, who was from Texas, said she was part Cherokee all her life and she really believed it. Family lore. (I had my DNA tested and it turns out our Indian blood is real, but it is Cree, from Canada, not Cherokee.)
But Elizabeth Warren, when confronted with the truth, continues to lie. Something I’m pretty sure my mother would not have done.
In the end the “proud of my heritage” box-checking is only a symptom. The problem is that she lies. (I refuse to use the word “disingenuous.” Do we really need one more politician who lies?
I don’t think Warren is anymore Cherokee than I am, but I think these “authentic” Cherokee are probably a bit full of it too. They claim that only the people on their list are real Cherokee and everyone else is a fake, but there’s no way they could really know everyone who is walking around today with that ancestry, no matter what historic lists they have. They can say everyone else doesn’t meet their standards for membership in their tribe, but calling everyone else fakes and imposters is presumptuous.
A lot of tribes are kicking out “authentic” Indians now, and then saying they are “fake”, so the remaining tribe members can keep a bigger slice of the casino money. Other people have set up entire fake tribes just so they can get in on the casino game, and gotten official government recognition, just like the “authentic” tribes. Plus, anyone who has done geneologic research will know how hard it is to be 100% sure of any family tree if you go too far back.
It all just highlights how silly it is of us to provide benefits on the basis of something like ancestry. Who’s to say I am not 1/32nd black and deserve affirmative action? If I check that box on the application, how are they going to verify it, or do they bother at all?
Well, that has a lot to do with why we left Europe centuries ago, among other reasons.
Just think of all the people she's offended and taken advantage of along the way.
She offends me, and even before the Cherokee thing. The first time I heard her speak, I knew what she was, a person who congenitally dislikes most all people. Inotherwords, she’s the perfect Marxist.
Cherokees in Oklahoma were slave owners before the Civil War. Following emancipation, those former slaves were accepted into the tribe. If I remember correctly there was even a black who was elected principal chief one time. After the tribe was awarded big dollars for the right of way for the Arkansas river navigation through their lands and their casino started making big money, it was decided that the descendants of the freed slaves were no longer part of the tribe.
Also, my wife’s first husband’s family is on the cherokee rolls and some are red haired and blue eyed. As far as I know there isn’t any minimum percent of blood to be a member of the tribe.
So basically, I'm just another G.Zimmerman.
the entire concept of a “cherokee Nation” a “Navajo nation” is total nonsense. Who the hell cares if her greatgrandma was 1/32 Cherokee. She has an educational background and experience which should be her entire resume’. As soon as we eliminate all the nonsense concerning Indian “nations” the better off we will all be. If you want to experience total disaster as far as a ethnic group is concerned...visit an American Indian reservation. It is so depressing that it almost defies reality. Laziness, drunkeness, lack of motivation, filth, depression...name it, it is there. Everyone does nothing but sit around for the communist check to come in. When it is payday, the bars and liquor stores thrive. The kids, meanwhile, get whatever is left over. Enough is enough. Eliminate all the “nations” close all reservations and assimilate everyone into main stream society....can’t make it????then you fail
I’m about as much Cherokee as Miss Warren, having some copies of geneologist’s notes compiled by my aunt. However, coming from a blonde/red-head family of English, Irish, Welsh and Scots ancestors, it was a big surprise. Kind of an interesting footnote.
I’d no more claim to be part of the Cherokee tribe than I would say I was part of some Highland clan.
Oh ... wait ... no federal goodies for British descendents.
All I can figure is that Lizzie must own stock in shovels. She just CANNOT STOP!!
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