I don’t know why people are so eager to brag about having Indian ancestors.
My mother was half Choctaw, whom I gather were fairly decent people, but I never felt the least urge to feel proud of the fact that that made me part ‘native American.’
Never liked them. Maybe too many cowboy and Indians movies as a child?
I grew up around Choctaws in Mississippi. Decent enough people.
Not sure it's a matter of bragging. Certainly not in my case. I am 1/32 cherokee and it has been quite a wild ride trying to identify those Cherokee ancestors. But what I have found through my research has been quite interesting.
There were tribes that were pure warrior. They raided and stole and killed...Not a lot different than the Vikings
Not all tribes were the same. Not good to paint with too broad a brush
Most of the people I know brag on being “part Indian”, even if it’s like 1/64th.
I am singular in that I have utterly no Indians in the woodpile.
Total Celt, back to the beginning of time.
There was once a time when I made a living creating “dream catchers” for wannabe Indians.
At first, I made them historically correct, but they wanted pink and purple feathers and jakey beads.
And none of them knew what “dream catchers” really were.
Rather than some floofy, happy spiritual “night light”, they were originally rather “dark” contraptions, functioning as “soul catchers” designed to keep you from getting lost during your ‘astral travels’ and to prevent demons from stealing your soul.
Oh well.
It was money.