Who can Identify as a Native American?

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What’s the deal with “Pretendians”? Tai Leclare and experts dissect what it really means to be Native-whether it’s blood, initiation, or just a claim. This episode digs deep into the complexities of identity and last names in Indian Country.
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[@amparocruz951]

Great video, genuine question tho, what about Latin American immigrants? So Many are straight up indigenous and know exactly what their indigenous culture is, could they also be considered Native American or does “Native American” in this specific topic only apply to natives of the US? I’m an indigenous Ñuu Savi (Mixtec) from Oaxaca Mexico myself, but my indigeneity is often not acknowledged by Americans who just see me as “Latino” (a colonial term), and in the US census im often confused on what I should put, if I should put Native American or not because Latinos are often told to pick white, but I am not white nor am I mixed, but I’m also not a member of any native US Tribe, this goes to show how colonial racial categories are so harmful and confusing! Thank you for this video.

[@GrimmDelightsDice]

Big same. This has always deeply confused me (and saddened me when I've seen it implied we're "less indigenous" somehow)

[@alexsilva9536]

I feel you lil brothers n sisters

[@yannickbaroue]

As a Latin European I never understood how people living in the Americas could be considered as Latins. Native Americans colonized by the Spanish were not colonized by Latin Europeans but by Iberic Europeans. Latin people and Latin culture are originally from the Italian Peninsula. Is it referred to the Latin/Roman languages such as Portuguese or Spanish languages?

[@GrimmDelightsDice]

@@yannickbaroue It's called Latin America because of the group of colonizing languages, not the specific cultures. Spanish, Portuguese, and French are considered "latin" languages, and were the languages spoken in colonized central + south America. It was actually a "marketing term" popularized by Napoleon and originally referred to any parts of America which were predominantly French or Portuguese speakers. The first Latin American conference was in Quebec, so pretty far removed from the central + south American label it now covers. It's 100% about colonization & language, and it was Europeans that originally labelled Latin America "Latin" so take it up with the French.

[@MiguelQ]

Hi there. My paternal grandpa was Inca. My maternal grandma was half English. So I get what you are saying. I also contract with the Government, and when they ask "are you Native American" they are specifically referring to "federally recognized tribes". For example, the Chinook Indian Nation is not recognized, so it would not be marked as "native American"... but to be honest... Who is going to challenge that? Just keep in mind the purpose of the form you are answering and answer accordingly.

[@WelfareChrist]

I'm Hawaiian, and nearly all of these issues are here in some form as well. When it comes down to it bloodline has always been very important to the Hawaiian people, but really I think it's a question of who is perpetuating the language and culture. There are so many non-Hawaiian academics at the University of Hawaii who have done a lot to help preserve parts of our culture we would have otherwise lost.

[@carolinematusevich889]

The late Robert Schacht was one of them. I believe he last worked at UofH. I worked under him at Northern Arizona University as a research assistant during my undergrad years.

[@omggiiirl2077]

Yes but Prince Kuhio himself said a drop of Hawaiian is Hawaiian. Because of our situation with potential genocide, it is beneficial to accept every Hawaiian.

[@jessc2725]

@@omggiiirl2077 As a Kiwi Aussie, I can affirm that most Māori I've met consider blood quantum irrelevant due to whakapapa. As long as someone had a Māori ancestor, they're always a part of them, so they are Māori. There's also an Indigenous Australian saying "no matter how much milk you add to coffee, it's still coffee". It's in protest against the Stolen Generation. In the 60s, the Government abducted many Indigenous Australian kids and assimilated them into White society so that their descendants would look white, to "breed out the black". Horribly ugly stuff. I'm proud that my fellow Australians have said "no" to this and recognise someone's Indigenous heritage, regardless of their appearance.

[@omggiiirl2077]

@@jessc2725 yes, agreed! That's why when he says DNA doesn't make you native American, when indigenous American people have been isolated long enough to have their own haplo group, I want to snort scoff and laugh. I found what he said to be so dismissive and false I wanted to vomit. because he doesn't tell how the five civilized tribes owned my ancestors. And that they raped a lot of black women, and those children were either part of the tribe or kept enslaved. He also doesn't tell that even though Lincoln freed black enslaved people, but those same tribes refused to and kept their slaves and marched them along with them on the trail of tears. He doesn't tell about all those people who were half Black being recorded as 'colored' or 'negroe' on the census because of their phenotype. And the one drop rule working in a negative way. Isn't that crazy? For us in the Pacific one drop anything means you are one of us, it takes no explanation. but everything is screwed in the USA. One drop of Black in the past means you're Black, which now a lot of he younger crowd are rejecting. But indigenous are trying to say that DNA markers showing the ancestral markers for native American doesn't mean you're native American is the wildest thing in the world! What that actually means is that an ancestor is hidden and that the person must find them. I actually found out I was descendant of two tribes doing an ancestry test. But what he said was a bit disgusting.

[@auntiebobbolink]

Thank you for your words! I have found that the values of Aloha, especially as taught by Pono Shim, have given me the values I try to live by. I've been very fortunate to have experience with true hula, I'm trying to learn the language, I've read a lot about the history and appreciate the work of Keanu Sai and my car runs on Hawaiian music. None of that makes me a Hawaiian, but I'm grateful for the values and enjoyment it's brought to my life. I deeply believe it's those values and the values of indigenous people on the continent are the only hope in saving this planet and humanity!

[@diannalocke997]

I am a member of the Cherokee Nation. I can trace my family through the Dawes Roll. I truly do not understand why people want to be something they are not. In today's society, you can not just look at a person to determine if they are Native. Your video does a great job explaining this unique situation. Wado

[@septemberwilson1163]

What would I do if I have a family member who has ties to Nanyehi Nancy Ward? My cousin 7 xs removed married her daughter.

[@wolfmantroy6601]

MONEY! Here in AK 1/8th blood and you hit the freebee lottery.

[@wicked_cool7]

What about the people from Latin America? Our culture comes from indigenous roots even though most don't belong to any specific tribes. I believe being native is in the culture and the blood.

[@realbeautyness25]

Yeah people paid money to get on the Dawes roll too and if your skin was dark you were forced to identify as Negro

[@Somebody-g3i]

A lot of white people are told they are part indigenous. My mom told me we were part indigenous and that we had an ancestor also on the Dawes roll. I was never told their name. A DNA test showed I was 99% European and 1% Ashkenazi. This has nothing to do with your experience, but there are a lot of confused white people who believe that they have indigenous ancestry when they do not. That probably adds to the bigotry of who looks indigenous and who doesn't based on looks alone.

[@dudewrapsupreme]

it's crazy how much work people will go through in order to label and separate us.

[@fantasticvoyage2989]

Word! 🙌

[@steveboy7302]

Lol separate when we're we ever one people

[@PrettyEyeZ.1007]

It's insane. $ seems to have people trying to take our identity. But don't want the MMIWC problems or help us with it.

[@wicked_cool7]

Yeah, man. The people of Mexico and other parts of Latin America are Native Americans of no tribe. We are our own tribe.

[@Whitewolf1827]

@@wicked_cool7technically the term native american is wrong aince to call us that wed have to be born after the continent was named n we werent. We have been here since the ice age and no we are not one tribe only

[@matt-603]

My only beef with some Native American in the USA is that they act like native tribes do not exist in Latin America. My family is Zapotec, my parents know the language, sadly I do not. I was raised to just know Spanish and second language English but I know our culture and we have our traditions, yet I say that and get backlash. I look native, have native blood and culture outside the USA. Just a different part of America that my ancestors are from.

[@Luci_S]

Naw, you're native alrright. They were just being jerks about it. As long as you know who you are it's all that matters.

[@charmagne2102]

Tbh, dont be upset about them. Its honestly the US government structure that refuses to recognize that there is diversity within Native peoples of the Americas.

[@janrobertbos]

GOOD point!!!

[@grben9959]

Devil's advocate here. Why should they care? Everyone has ancestors native to somewhere. Your family heratige is entirely separate from the history within the USA border and the continuing cultural and legal impacts of the treaties between subsets of the indiginous population and the new nation that supplanted their territory.

[@bamboosho0t]

There's definitely a "gatekeeping" atmosphere in America around Native Americans.

[@nicholesise7697]

I was told by my family that we have native american ancestry. This made me so proud when I was younger but now that I am older and wiser it makes me understand that some of my actions in my life have been insensitive to nataive people. I still hold on to admiration and respect for all indigenous people and their culture. I consider myself an ally.

[@chrisaguilera1564]

It still astonishes me to this day that the guy from those old 70's anti-litter ads wasn't a Native American either.

[@raymondricci5323]

Yeah, he was Italian.

[@GeorgeWashingtonLaserMusket]

I mean he looks like a tanned European so it's kinda obvious. Natives don't have the bone structure of a European usually.

[@wolfsmith2865]

@chrisaguilera1564 yeah, Iron Eyes Cody. I met him when I was very young at an L.A. county fair.

[@MoxieLaBouche]

@@raymondricci5323 Sicilian, no less.

[@carolinematusevich889]

Espera De Corti was American born to both an Italian and Sicilian emigrants in Kaplan, Louisiana in Vermilion Parish, where he was likely influenced by both Cree and Choctaw growing up. I guess we can say that he had stolen heritage, but the fact that he fooled so many, for so long, shows that he admired the indigenous people so much, he wanted to be part of them, and to represent them. But how he represented them was in a stereotypical way that white mainstream expected from Natives, in how they spoke and behaved. Also, most Natives lived either on reservations or purchased tribal land up through the 70s-80s, so most white people never even meet a Native American up to that time. I'm glad that Kevin Costner worked with the Sioux Lakota to get it right, so that Hollywood learned how to be respectful of our Native Americans and their history. Because if someone didn't get it right in 1990, Hollywood would likely still be exploiting them, and fewer Natives would be working in Film and TV production.

[@tauntingeveryone7208]

I am about 1/32 Cherokee but I would not call myself native American because I lack the culture and heritage for me to consider myself Native American. My grandmother was probably the last one in the direct family that would be considered a Native American. When she was young, she did live on the reservation but her mom eventually took her family out east. My only first hand account of my past was hearing stories from my grandmother about the reservation when she was growing up. However, due to leaving there as a young child, she really did not have that much connection to her heritage too. When she and her mom left her mom also decided not to pass down any traditions. The only left of my ancestry is just some knickknacks that my mom has. It is sad that a lot of people are playing Indian but I also see it as some people trying to claim their heritage back from force assimilation a lot of natives went through. Still, they should not be taking benefits for Native Americans.

[@SkyeID]

I agree. My great-great-great grandmother was Native American. I didn't grow up with that culture. Who am I to claim that heritage when it's so far back in my ancestry?

[@carolinematusevich889]

I agree. My uncle was Cherokee. At least half, or close to it. But like many Cherokee, regardless of Band, they became so assimilated, that once you moved off the rez, they threw their heritage out the window. And it's the tribes from the east coast who became the most assimilated, because no laws were on the books yet to create reservations that acknowledged their sovereignty. And not all tribal people lucked out with that as there were white people already living on their ancestral lands. My uncle was also the original Uncle Ruckus. I moved away from him when I was 9, and I was always confused by him. Turned white every winter, and dark brown every summer. I would ask my cousin every 4th of July who that man was, which she would laugh and yell at me, that was her father. And it seemed it was always at summer BBQs that he would slip racial slurs while he was drunk. Seriously confusing. 🙄

[@AsrielKekker]

​@@SkyeIDyou don't need to claim any heritage and say you're native but just realize you're making the decision that her culture and experiences died with you. You don't need to say you're native or anything extreme but at the very least respect that part of your family story by doing research on beliefs she may have held and the struggles of her tribe, don't you think she's owed some thought?

[@jasontrevorhaye]

People claiming native are ashamed of their actual heritage and romanticize native culture

[@tommygamba170]

Everyone is Cherokee. But the East Coast tribe was never that large.

[@VILEPAINTS]

Mexican but worked under a Navajo boss, he looked at me as a younger brother and always opened a shift by saying “It’s a great day to be indigenous!” We should all be inclusive enough but there are limits… Mexicans and Apaches..

[@Gwen-x6d]

Native tribes in what always mixed.

[@olivegrove-gl3tw]

funny thing was I met two girls in high school who were native american, always bragging about it and brought it up all the time, saying being being native american made them more in touch with the earth and stuff like that, but yet I looked more native american, both my parents are from Mexico

[@VILEPAINTS]

@@olivegrove-gl3tw my boss looked real indigenous I can pass for white at times but I’ve seen blonde pale girls brag about their great grandmother being Cherokee, in tuned with nature but never used a mortar and pestle (mocajete) 🤣

[@KY_CPA]

I have native ancestry (Mayan) but given poor records & deaths of grandparents/great grandparents at young ages, and immigration to US changing names to Americanize them, our family has lost that connection along the way. So over just a couple generations all of that cultural connection was sadly lost. I deeply appreciate the insights in this program, frank discussions, & knowledge the show provides!

[@mlee-w664]

Well, the good thing in your case is that Mayan is a culture that is alive and well, with millions of native speakers. You may not be able to reconnect to direct lineage, but you can still learn your culture and language.

[@sarahmihuc3993]

Yes, you should learn more if you want to! I'm not Maya but spent time working with Maya Guatemalans on language revitalization. There are resources available in English and more in Spanish for learning your language, and for figuring out which group your family came from - google a map of Maya languages if you already know where in Guatemala/Mexico your family is from. If you don't know an exact location but do know the region, you can look at "language families" within Maya languages - most languages within the same family are very similar and can understand each other, so any of those languages would be a place to start. For example, in the K'iche family both K'iche and Kaqchikel speakers can understand each other, I can attest that with the basic Kaqchikel I learned while there I was able to chat with K'iche people too when we visited their city. As for the rest of the culture, there are some great books on ancient Maya culture, history, and religion available in English or Spanish although a lot has been lost due to being suppressed. The Popol Vuh is a good place to start, although a bit boring to read in parts, and is mainly about Guatemala (it is K'iche). I've also seen that there are some pretty good genealogy records from Guatemala on FamilySearch these days, available for free. Guatemala especially has had a lot go on in the past 50+ years with regard to indigenous Maya losing their culture (through genocide), so it's important to preserve and connect to it if you're interested. There are also a lot of Maya in the US these days, so there might be a community near you depending where you are. I hope all that helps. I'm also in the process of reconnecting with indigenous heritage from one grandparent from a Native American nation, not Maya... Just an ally to the Maya community.

[@nunyabiznez6381]

Something similar though perhaps not quite as extreme happened with a major branch of my Irish ancestors. I only recently discovered there are some records in some archives and some census records and with DNA I have been able to contact and reconstruct much of what I thought was lost forever. There are a huge number of people with Mayan DNA in the United States. I don't know if many are interested in doing so but you may find through DNA testing cousins you might not be aware of who may have more knowledge of your ancestors than you do. At least that was my experience with my Irish relatives. I was able to connect with three cousins in Ireland who made some connections for me that when combined with archival records helped me go back over 250 years. Please don't give up on finding your ancestors. Also, while more recent records might not be perfect, When the Spanish were in New Spain they did keep a lot of records. It may still be possible to trace backwards further than you think. Also don't discount oral history. I have found out that much of the oral history passed down in my family that I thought was more myth than truth turned out to be the other way around.

[@ozzyc5122]

Mayan from which part? I don't know if you've actually looked but Mexican records are CONSIDERABLY more in tact than US records. Mexico has over 90% of their birth, death, and marriage records intact and they go back even further as it's an older country than the US. I know it's easy to think your family comes from too humble beginnings to have been recorded but that is not the case with Mexico. You can easily get to the first indigenous people in your family tree in the records and it will tell you where they lived and you'd know you're part of that group.

[@cesarzavala6327]

Yeah. It's called being Hispanic. Almost every Mexican and Central American has "native ancestry". The culture is easily available to experience especially in the US. And It's Maya. Not Mayan. Read a book.

[@comradeeyebot]

As a very pale, Anglo looking, Native, this was amazing. I know who I am, who my family is. I have two tribal recognitions and three roll numbers. My grandfather help set up Indian Ed in CA. My mother dances at powwow and my grandmother loves fry bread and makes dream catchers (Yes, we are Ojibwe). That being said, I'm only "The Native" as long as I am in a room with other non Natives. I never lived on a rez. I never experienced rascism because of how I look. I have never had my drinking water being poisoned right in front of my eyes. So when there is someone who is Native in the room, I sit down and shut up.

[@georgiac91]

As Māori, I love how many indigenous cultures have fry bread!

[@njp4321]

Well said. My mother is quarter Choctaw, through my grandfather's mother, who died when he was 6 years old, and that side of my family maintained no connections with our Choctaw relations after my great-grandfather remarried a few years later. Meanwhile my father is Cherokee, born on reservation to two Cherokee parents, but he and my mother never married, and he abandoned me before I was two years old. I've never met him or anybody from his family. Physically I completely pass as European. I've lived almost all of my life in California. I had no education into the native cultures I descend from, I've never faced racism, etc. I fully support native peoples getting everything they can, whether they be mainland or islanders. But I will never claim to speak for Natives, I'll just do what I can to help them be heard and respected.

[@gyllenspetzfamily7993]

Don't let anyone tell you that you are not native enough.

[@snickerswo1f519]

Real

[@schoolingdiana9086]

@@njp4321”Quarter Choctaw” is white man’s science. Any Native ancestry makes you Native. Period.

[@KriZtiaN17VL]

As a Mexican, when I found out that I was 60% American Indian or Native American, it completely changed my perspective on life. And I'm very grateful to Professor Mackey for giving those of us who don't know the opportunity to take a step back. I think knowing that I have 60% Native American DNA and only 20% Iberian gave me the opportunity to reject whiteness. For all the whiteness that exists that allows Mexicans to erase indigenousness, knowing that I can at least be an ally is all I really want. Because indigenous culture and identity has been all but erased, but most of all history has been taken away from many Mexicans. And maybe indigenousness is a way to find out where we come from and who we really are, even if it is not what we expected. Thank you for this video. I find myself now very conflicted on what my identity is. So I want to do the work to be sure what I can and cannot be.

[@Xcelerate1]

Hey Im from Borinquen and all of us Latinos are all indiginous and we dont need no ones approval lol

[@francinebacone1455]

I like what the professor did by bringing up the concept of "humility". Pretendians don't seem to have to struggle with humility the way I seem to do. I was kidnapped from Canada and raised by my white American mother. I cannot put into words the wounds I have from having these connections torn from my identity, family, land & communities. It hurts me so much I can't speak sometimes, just tear up. Luckily, I found my way back to Canada, my father and some of his family. I've met a few too many people who take up space in Indian Country, yet have no direct connection and no concrete explanation about what that loss is and how traumatic it is to bear over a lifetime. When I encounter people who take up and claim this connection and it becomes clear that they really do not... it hurts. It's real trauma. I have so much anger, hurt , enragement that comes up. I really don't know what to do with it. I don't feel entitled to walk into just any Native space and be accepted, I am shocked by the gaul of the 'pretendians' who feel that they do. It is really hard to be there and share any calmness and patience I can muster in regards to such people. It makes it difficult to connect sometimes in the few instances I find a place where I can get involved. I feel so unsafe and its very hard for me to process it and stay calm and like a rational reasonable human being. Its a mess! Hey, Indian Country? What do you do about the enragement of identity being taken away? Where is a safe place to process this trauma.... because I'm watching the pretendians coming out to Native places to process their own 'stuff', but it makes it feel so threatening to show up and be vulnerable as a sorta whiteish looking Indian who was enculturated by an entitled white lady. The rage endangers my own humility and I can feel deeply shamed by that. Thanks.

[@auntiebobbolink]

Thank you so much for sharing your story! I know some of that enragement and deep hurt, from other causes. Unfortunately I don't have any solutions for you, but as a non-native who has received a lot of acceptance from native people, I know healing is possible. That healing reduces the hurt and rage to manageable proportions. I'll never be native, I'll never know the language or traditions, but I've recovered my humanity because of the gracious acceptance of wonderful people. I hope that same peace and healing will be yours! I'm so sorry and so angered at the terrible wrongs that have been committed which have hurt so many. That awareness is slowly growing, but it doesn't really help individuals who have been so deeply harmed. It's clear from your words that you are a good person who just wants what we all need....true belonging and a healthy sense of who we are. Your honesty is a great step in that direction. I wish you well and, knowing that's not nearly enough, wish you people who will connect with you.

[@carolmoore1038]

And yet you seek to disenfranchise other people who have been displaced. I don't need acceptance from anybody no matter what their color. I accept myself. I am valid and the way I live is valid. And yes rejection hurts but only if you require acceptance

[@Hollylivengood]

Thank you. We need to hear that. I'm white, I'm sorry. There's a guy here in Tennessee who is a well known engineer for this company who has built most of Chattanooga. Kind of a friend, so I know that he also had been taken away from his family and adopted out...actually sold by the state, it was a thing until the '60s. He had to make his way back to his parents, and collect his siblings. He's pretty rich now, and he can do that. But like you were saying, the trauma is so intense, it sneaks up. This man is rich now, and has influence here. But at a family get together, the grand kids were playing in the sun and he about lost his mind about them getting dark. Really lost it, they need to cover up, they need to stay close, they needed for any reason, to stay close to him at all times. Because that's how he got taken as a child, his teachers noticed how dark he was, and asked what his ethnicity was, and social services were at their door soon after. There's no way to fix that. Thank you for sharing your story, and I'm really sorry.

[@Ketowski]

@@Hollylivengood Well put. Thanks for weighing in with another similar story.

[@Ketowski]

@@carolmoore1038 It doesn’t sound like the OP us seeking to promote disenfranchisement. If you’re able have a sense of identity, good for you. Please don’t dump on others who haven’t had the makings of the same. Their voice is important for their own reconciliation journey. Even if it’s inky finding some way to reconcile their own sense of self.

[@cubinican1218]

As a Caribbean person, "we know the language or know why we don't," really hit and helped me further empathize with y'all. 💜

[@lindaemory709]

My father's mother was full blood Diné but, passed away when I was 5. My dad never talked about her (he said it was painful to) or her side of the family. So, I always felt like I was missing out on some heritage. We were raised Mexican. I wish I could have had more time with her, heard her stories and who her family was. She left reservation in the 40's and married my grandpa and moved to East LA. Cecilia Alvarez was her name and her father was Domingo. That's all I really know. So now I'm trying to learn about my heritage more.

[@denisecrookshanks3892]

it can be a beautiful and sometimes painful journey but worth it .

[@Burgerzaza]

This topic is very close to my heart because I'm Cherokee and Choctaw by blood quantum but phenotypically I'm white. I've benefited from native programs all my life, but my great grandparent's, the people I actually get my heritage from, gave up their culture to join the jehovahs witness, and so I was robbed of my tribal culture because of their decision to distance themselves. I've always felt very insecure about my place in the nation, plastic cards aside. I wasn't raised on the rez, my family wasn't that different from white families barring a few superstitions I was surprised to find had tribal roots. For a while I tried too hard to feel like I deserved my identity by learning the language and cultural traditions, and trying work hard for the nation, then I kinda gave up, feeling like I was kist there to fill up a spot on the census and i didn't have a right to that heritage. But after doing some soul searching and research on native history, I think I've reached that middle ground where I can accept that I just am, and giving up that piece of myself is letting colonization win, and that there's no singular way to be or look Indian. I still do research on the history and culture of the nations, but now it's out of a desire to learn and connect with my heritage rather then prove something. Something I didn't know was how pretendians were making me feel less native by publicly leaning into stereotypes and denyingal actual natives opportunities to speak and share their experiences. Thank you so much for making this video, this is a very important topic and I'm grateful to hear some kind of confirmation I'm on the right track, and learn more about how other people experience being native

[@Eniral441]

I really feel you on this. I am also Cherokee (my grandmother on one side) and Choctaw (my grandfather on the other side). My Cherokee line left the tribe because of tragedy. (The father passed away, so the townspeople accused the eldest son of a murder he didn't commit and hung him without a trial to gain their land and mineral rights. The mother and her sons moved to Oregon, leaving the only daughter with an English aunt.) They really didn't hold onto much. My Choctaw line left the tribe either around removal or shortly after and remained in Mississippi before moving to Louisiana. They held onto their language and a lot of their culture, which my dad passed to me as best he could while living in the Rockies (far from the fishing and hunting community he was from). Pretendians and the backlash of that has caused me to be wary and doubt my own place at times. I am not card-carrying and don't benefit from it. I just want to know my heritage and to be able to be who I am.

[@lanapapas]

You are white

[@willt2036]

Every 'Cherokee' I've ever met is white.

[@PhaseSkater]

A white person taking advantage of native benefits due to small blood percent? That’s called a 5 dollar Indian and that’s more sick than being a straight up genociding colonizer. I’m 1/8th creek/muscogee but I would NEVER LEECH of native benefits because I’m still mostly white and refuse to steal cultures and resources

[@SilkeFauve]

@@Eniral441 You have a right to express every bit of your heritage and should not be judged by the degree of blood you possess. If you can trace your line to a Choctaw on the Dawes roll, you can apply for membership in the tribe. I am a member of the Choctaw tribe of Oklahoma, whose values are Faith, Family, and Culture, although I do have other lines of native heritage (Chickasaw and possibly Algonquin and Iroquois, as well as several indigenous Mexican tribes). The rest are European "tribes." We are fortunate souls to bear the epigenetic imprint of our native histories along with their painful record of imposed disadvantages because our struggles have made us stronger.

[@DD-wx3ho]

I am blonde, blue eyed and 12% Native American per Ancestry, which includes 3% Manchurian and Mongolian subset, and DNA does indeed graph what part of the USA is my Native lineage. I found my Birth Family, and my Mother was born on the Cheyenne River Reservation and I am Lakota Sioux. I have already been told I am not enough Native to be welcomed, which is too bad, because our family is drastically shrinking, and I seem to be the only one who thoroughly enjoys and has time to study and write out our ancestry, ALL my ancestry, including my European Lineage. Maybe my Birth Mother was right hiding her pregnancy and secretly giving me up for adoption, something not even her siblings new for 55 years when she told them on her deathbed, because she knew no one would welcome me because I am ‘too white’. Well, I’ve had a WONDERFUL life with my adopted family, so I thank her for her courage in giving me up.

[@mopes2713]

I'm half Nicaraguan and Costa Rican heritage from Central America. I took a DNA test and came out 51% Spanish, Portuguese, Jewish, Italian. But the remaining 49% was completely Indigenous from Nicaragua, as well as Indigenous to Panama and Costa Rica.

[@Wwasgud]

Your Castizo

[@RyanESmith-wf4cu]

Still a decendant of conquistadors. My ancestors never slaughtered natives, but I bet you are darker than me. .

[@royfajardo586]

That’s like the Costa Rican version of my Mexican heritage. I have 48% Native American, 52% Spanish, Filipino, and Jewish. I just identify as a mestizo to keep the culture alive.

[@RyanESmith-wf4cu]

@@royfajardo586 Conquistadors! If I cannot shrug off the horrors of my forefathers neither can you.

[@Wwasgud]

@@stardust86x Castizo is like mestizo. Except Mestizo is more leaned towards native while Castizo leaned towards spainard. These we’re terms used by the spainards to separate the ones who had more euro in them, and perfered to have mestizos over full indigenous blood and castizos above mestizos

[@Rhadgar]

The "Playing Indian" phenomenon is interesting from a transnational perspective, because it's definitely something that I've seen from settler rhetoric across the Americas. A classic example is Simón Bolívar rhetorically aligning himself and his cause with that of the indigenous people killed or enslaved by Spain, even though he was a wealthy white man with no connection to any of the communities he alludes to, and it's debatable how much his revolutionary project did to improve the lot of indigenous people in South America.

[@JurassicLion2049]

The same sort of hypocrisy occurs in Mexico. For every conflict they wanted Indigenous people to support causes & fight. But wanted the caveat of everyone, regardless of race, identifying as Mestizo, even if you werent mixed race. And today Mexicans will try & argue that racism doesnt exist even when Indigenous & black Mexicans are treated like garbage & when white & lighter skinned Mexicans are who get promoted most in media. I still remember when Yalitza Aparicio, whose hella Indigenous, was being considered for best actress & several Mexican actresses - who were white or fit the Mestizo definition - said truly racist shit about her & called her ugly. Its a problem across Latin America.

[@nastatchia]

​@@JurassicLion2049 Or when everybody said to Yasnaya Elena that "we are all indigenous"... Same people who won't hesitate to call them "pinche indio" when organizing because there's no water in Tukyo'm. Mexico is top notch racist. Colombia is very much too. And definitely, Simon Bolívar had no good impact on Wayuu, Kogi, Arhuaco and Wiwa nations as far as they tell me. I would say that Ecuador and Bolivia differ, though the decolonial struggle is far from over in all of America.

[@norahe1953]

@@JurassicLion2049 this part bc I recognize the same thing in Mexicans. There are a lot of indigenous Mexicans but aren’t as quick to acknowledge the ongoing oppression against indigenous peoples in Mexico

[@Rastaferrari829]

@@nastatchiathe “we’re all indigenous” trope is just as ridiculous as people saying “we were all slaves once” 😂😂😂

[@andiehernandez1995]

And Bolivar was racist. He was okay with the slavery of African folks.

[@abc-dj3dx]

I am mixed Indigenous. Not a member of any tribe except my family. I don't want free money or recognition. But, when I identify as mixed Indigenous don't act like you're entitled to question me. That is a "Western" mindset.

[@BlindMellowJelly]

lol that western mindset was forced upon you by the Spanish. Genetic research already listed you all as Africans with Asiatic traits. Your use of the word Indigenous is in fact a western mindset....lol

[@SaidNoOne11]

Exactly. I’m half but I don’t look for approval for brag about my heritage for money or pity.

[@wicked_cool7]

Yes, being native is in the blood, or else anyone could identify as native. Even if you don't know the culture, your DNA and body behave according to those instructions in your indigenous DNA. We can always learn the culture or start our own.

[@HoneySnowflake]

😔 Pretendians told my ancestor she was not allowed to claim her or her children as Indigenous due them being biracial(Black and Indigenous). Here I am about 150 years later trying to piece it all together. Great video ❤

[@JoshJones-37334]

Cherokee?

[@lmccampbell]

things that never happed for 500 alex

[@Kaede-Sasaki]

Dna can tell you if you're native american as much as it can tell you if you're japanese. Whether or not the community accepts you is a different story. Be proud of your roots, regardless if the roots accept you. And if ms warren has native dna, then she is part native, just as if she had part scottish dna she would be part scottish. Lastly, doesnt western culture accept identity based on belief (eg trans)? Even if the person in question had no native dna but still identified as a native would they not accept them? Would they deny accepting a trans? Consistency, please. Thank you for reading all the way. Best of luck to all 😊

[@Kaede-Sasaki]

Error 404

[@Kaede-Sasaki]

Disappearance protection

[@carolyperez8075]

As someone who can trace their ancestry to both tribal peoples of Mexico and to the Cahuilla of California and was always told that I was Indian by my family. I still feel the angst of not knowing my tribal traditions because it was lost to us because passing as white was safer and more prosperous. My family once owned (Spanish paperwork /Dons) much of what is now Los Angeles, yet we were also Cahuilla. I have always put on my papers that ID me as Native American but I also check the box for White and Latino. My Husbands family were slaves of the 5 Tribes in Oklahoma and became Freedmen. But they were also Tribal people from central Mexico. Identity is hard. Especially when someone made the choice to leave that community and it affected all their descendants. I have both ancestry and blood, and so do my children, yet we're sadly removed from our culture. Although I have been trying for many years to learn it-to reconnect with my tribe, ancestors and my past. In California, reservations operated differently from reservations in Oklahoma. People were not confined to reservations.

[@RTristanBanks]

Happened to me too. My family bailed into the kentucky mountains during the trail of tears, so we're not on the dawes roll. My grandfather was born from native parents but because we weren't attached to a tribe anymore, it's meaningless as far as the gov't and tribal laws are concerned.

[@christinesmith1499]

Take your kids to a pow wow.

[@Phil-o1f]

A lot of cahuila ppl don't know anything about that culture either. The family might have remained in the same place for a long time, so they are enrolled but not any less assimilated 😅

[@SinclairCraig]

I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and you know God loves us so much, So where are you originally from? I am Sinclair originally from Germany but currently living Texas

[@distanttwinkle3508]

One time I was having my teeth cleaned. The hygienist asked if I had Native American or Asian relatives. She asked because of the shape of my teeth. It was a really interesting conversation. Years later I took a dna test and it showed 38% for Native American. I wish I could find out more but it’s many generations back.

[@martinmaldonado1498]

I’m 34% indigenous American and just now found out the exact tribe in Mexico I descend from. It’s so dope

[@kisa5666]

That’s amazing. How did you find out, or what did you use?

[@rodolforoldan2075]

Yes, if you can share!

[@martinmaldonado1498]

@@kisa5666 The otomi of central Mexico, I used 23&Me

[@martinmaldonado1498]

@@rodolforoldan2075 The Otomi of central Mexico

[@Hasan-vp6xe]

bro, is it worth getting with 23nme for identifying specific tribe?

[@jenniferbates2811]

I'm a first-born American on my Dad's side. He was born in Puerto Rico, and we're a part of the Taino tribe. This is a great video ! My cousin sent this video to me, and you have a new subscriber hun!! Love from Rhode Island, USA. 💜.

[@jenniferbates2811]

@CatDavid-e8c I'm doing well. How are you doing?

[@SharonPadget]

I grew up hearing stories that there were Native Americans in both sides of my family. I took a DNA test and there was absolutely no Native American at all. Guess you can’t believe family lore. Thanks for an informative video.

[@azborderlands]

More people need to understand this. I’ve heard the same scenario over and over again.

[@3810-dj4qz]

But he just said DNA doesnt prove anything. It’s cultural.

[@deitrestolbert4442]

Sorry for your disappointment but If your grandma said the family history consist of Indian history then believe it...DNA testing doesn't pinpoint you as a native. However, if you do a test it should be taken by your blood not your spit or saliva. The blood line runs close because the baby ( Offspring) connect to the mother umbilical cord, which enables the blood to flow from mom to baby😮so the saliva will not necessary prove that you are an Indian. The blood will have better proof, however, genes do skip from generation. For instance, your sister may have the genes from your grandma and you might not have your grandma genes. You might have brown eyes and your grandma might have green eyes but your sister is the one who has the same green eyes your grandma had..😮 so, if your family said you have Indian descendants then believe it.

[@SharonPadget]

@@deitrestolbert4442 Thanks. That’s very interesting. Maybe there is some truth to the stories then. I’ll probably never know for sure.

[@SharonPadget]

@@3810-dj4qz you’re right.

[@jesseflores9087]

You really missed a huge segment of people who identify as native Americans (because they are). Mexicans and Central Americans are native Americans and have as much native blood as most on reservation indigenous folks. Many of our customs and words can be traced back to pre-colombian times. The reason the vast majority of Mexican immigrants cant trace their indigenous lineage is because the indigenous genocide in Mexico started about 250 years prior to the American Indian genocide by the americans. That doesnt mean thier native lineage isnt real. That being said i agree that those who arent tied to a tribal community shouldn't speak for those who are active members of a tribe.

[@luismanuelpotencianonorato9672]

Existe micha gente indígena en México y la mayoría de ellos murieron de las enfermedades que no tenía inmunidad y también hay mestizos y una minoría blanco y otra pero más pequeña minoría africana. En México es un país diverso.

[@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom]

I don’t think anyone is meaning to “miss” people in Mexico or central/south America… this is just specifically about the tribes of North America. While there is cultural and ethnic connections to other indigenous peoples of the “Americas”, people who are not of the North American tribes do not have any rights to the lands or tribal money of North American tribes, because they do not have any lineage or connection to them. In the same way that a Native American cannot claim indigenous lands in Mexico etc, the indigenous people of Mexico etc cannot claim rights to lands in America either.

[@Wwasgud]

@@luismanuelpotencianonorato9672ai mas castizos que mestizos

[@cunksilili909]

​@@The.Hawaiian.KingdomThank you for your educated response. I appreciate you taking the time to explain it clearly.

[@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom]

@@cunksilili909 Thank you, that’s very kind of you, I appreciate you taking the time to read it and also your reply. Have a good day.

[@Blackwolf1400]

Chief Black Elk said if you have one drop of Native Blood in you, you are First Nation.

[@sharoneicher7895]

Just as there are Native posers, there are also White folks with Native ancestors who want to learn about this ancestry. This can be met with rejection by those with a genuine Native identity. It goes both ways.

[@annburlingham4563]

I suspect it depends on how one does so. Keeping in mind one's privilege and the fact that whoever you're dealing with has met far more people who claim to/think they have Native ancestry than actually do is probably going to stand one in good stead. Recognizing that the is a serious difference between cultures and their histories and who holds power - again, privilege - I'm not sure how "it goes both ways" can truly apply. The recent Canadaland Pretendians podcast helped educate me a lot about some of these issues. Highly recommended. This video is excellent but Pretendians has time for agreat deal of nuance and depth.

[@JDoe-gf5oz]

@@annburlingham4563 There is no such thing as race privilege.

[@JDoe-gf5oz]

Not all Indians are jerks. Just ignore the rude ones.

[@swisstroll3]

@@JDoe-gf5oz I disagree that there is no such thing as race privilege. There is legal privilege, where by law you are entitled to certain privileges because of your race. (Think of Laws concerning First Nations in Canada.) There are other forms of privilege that include acceptance by a group, whether that is a family, a Tribe, or an ad-hoc or arbitrary group such as a poker game or picnic.

[@JDoe-gf5oz]

@@swisstroll3 Hmm.

[@alexissalazar8567]

My grandma was native Mexican and she isn’t considered “Native American” by American standards, which is weird, and I’m only considered “Hispanic” or “Latino” in the US stripping my indigenous heritage.

[@malcire]

Does the US census specify being from a tribe and ancestry from within US borders (I realize quite a few tribes spread across borders of the current US with some spreading across the border with Mexico and others across the Border with Canada)

[@LuDa-lf1xd]

It seems only the US tribe people can be considered Natives. Nevermind that we are a majority in the south of that country.🤌 It's all political.

[@carreteras101]

exactly! this is the problem with who can identify as native, or "indian", which is a misnomer. native americans live throughout north and south america. this video gives the impression of "exclusivity" when the goal should be "inclusive" of all people with native american decent.

[@UmQasaann]

Latinidad is anti-indigenous erasure, latinos are Europeans like French, Spaniards, Italians, Portuguese and Romanians.

[@malcire]

@carreteras101 To be fair it's largely focused on the US. And most of what it is talking about (programs, recognized tribes, tribal membership, and inclusion programs in the US) are specifically focused on descendants from tribes within the borders of the US and often federally or state recognized ones.

[@leavemealoha]

Not getting seconds into the video and hearing the classic Cherokee Princess joke. 😆 Always a good ice breaker.

[@AmadeusK626]

I'm Muisca and my ancestral homeland is in Northern Andes (Present day Bogota), but due to displacement I grew up in Salish & Lakota cultures and have been very involved in the community. I consider myself Native and so does nearly everyone I know in Indigenous community, but some people say I'm pretending because the tribe I come from is in South America. Personally I think it's ridiculous seeing as how my tribe was genocided and colonized just like every other, and it's not as though I pretend to be from a tribe I'm not.

[@happyzombiikitti]

This is interesting because I am indigenous to the tribes of mexico/Guatemala but grew up with an absent father who never reached out to me about learning bout traditions. I now visit pow wows around my area and make friends with the elders and tribes peoples. Every time I cleanse/smudge myself with copal and Palo Santo I make sure to give a little sage back to the earth and lands as respect to the ancestors of those peoples. It's okay to connect with other tribes and share inter-tribal traditions..Just make sure to state that you are not native to those lands.

[@KindredKaye]

I believe I’m also Muisca! I’m adopted so I haven’t met anyone else yet. ❤

[@JoeSmith-ru9xu]

A tribe is cultural. Tribes also evolved or took over/displaced other tribes through out history on 6 continents as well. If you were displaced and then adopted and embraced by another Tribe, then Culturally by definition you are a member of that Tribe. Tribal isn't always bloodline.

[@KindredKaye]

@@JoeSmith-ru9xu what is your point?

[@JoeSmith-ru9xu]

@@KindredKaye Tribes are cultural, not biological bloodline. By definition

[@karlaNova-d9t]

My parents are from Guatemala and boliva, I'm latina in the U.S but when I go to Latin America, I'm "la India" (the Indian). Guatemala and boliva still have big native American populations, and most Latinos have indigenous blood

[@erikamantell7301]

Indian is a racial classification. Latin is just an ethnic classification. You can be any race and be latin.

[@ReleaseTheQuackers]

My maternal grandparents gave up their heritage (Georgia Cherokee) when they 'ran away' from the reservation. They moved to Florida, because "everyone is tan there." All 5 of their children were listed as 'white' at birth and no mention of the Cherokee was allowed. All of the grandchildren were listed as white, mostly because of white fathers. Some of us were told of our Cherokee blood after our grandparents were long deceased. I was able to find both of our grandparents names on Dawes Rolls with our grandmother listed as 1/8 and grandfather listed as 1/32, even though all four great grandparents were listed is 'FB' = Full Blood. I have done A LOT of research into the family lines and have sought out educational information from the Georgia Cherokee, though it has been little and difficult to find. I do not have a 'card' and do not want one. I don't not seek what I am not owed as far as benefits, shares or rights specifically for those who raised and still have a strong connection to 'carded' family. I only ask that medical providers look at my health issues keeping in mind that I am over half Native American.

[@djhogan65]

We have the exact same issues here in Australia regarding who is “indigenous” or not. Many hard core political activists who claim to “identify as indigenous” are complete frauds. The numbers of people who claim to be indigenous EXPLODED over the last 10 years particularly, when it became Hip and Cool to be indigenous, and especially since substantial financial and social advantages (eg entry to university courses for some who otherwise would not qualify) were being handed out on the basis of race, and especially when it was discovered that political power could be achieved simply by claiming to “identify as indigenous”. We have reached the point where some of these fraudsters are now the gatekeepers on determining who can identify as indigenous! These fraudsters are stealing funds and benefits that were intended to help some of our indigenous people who truelly are disadvantaged. Race is a harmful and destructive way to determine who gets help and who doesn’t. The most disadvantaged and needy should get help first REGARDLESS of race. It is a racist and cultural slur to say “Oh, you are indigenous, so there is no way you can succeed in life unless we give you some money or social or political benefits”. it is also a racist and cultural slur to say”Oh, you are white, so you must be held responsible for what some white people did 200 years ago”. Identity politics is toxic, we ALL need to reject it for our own good.

[@Eniral441]

One thing not mentioned here, unless I missed it, is that there are tribes that were either never recognized by the government or that were terminated but still exist.

[@KiwidinokKinikwe]

Absolutely correct

[@brendamoon2660]

Lumbee from North Carolina

[@leavemealoha]

My tribe was just federally recognized in 2018. Beforehand, we were only state recognized.

[@Eniral441]

@@leavemealoha Cool! which tribe?

[@leavemealoha]

@@Eniral441 The Chickahominy Tribe in VA ✌🏽😊

[@phatphish7617]

I live in Pennsylvania, and hella people here say, "My great gramma was Cherokee " hehehe

[@tedecker3792]

I asked an old Lakota man (my uncle) what he thought about so many people who claim Cherokee ancestors. His answer: “Them Cherokees got around!”.

[@melissabrackin3790]

A ton of them say it here in Oklahoma too.

[@NuLiForm]

i wish i had a dollar for every time someone's come up to me & began a conversation with that one..lol..i could buy a car, a house, a boat,..maybe even a whole island. i realise they just want to connect, on any level they think they can..but omg it gets Oooolld & is so hard not to laugh out loud...i have to do my wooden injun face.

[@NuLiForm]

@@tedecker3792 lol..yeah i heard that from Elders too 🤣

[@willt2036]

It's hilarious. Half the people I know claim a 'Cherokee' grandparent.

[@scriptorpaulina]

I identify as reconnecting. I look white, but I want to meet my family and learn my language. My mom knew our traditions, but I was cut off because I looked white. If that means I’m embarrassing or white, I guess that’s who I am. Edit: I’ll never be a voice for Indigenous people who’ve lived on reservation or always knew their heritage. But I want to be a voice to my native college students that they aren’t alone. I don’t teach our culture or history, but I do want to model that they can succeed I know I’m Sac-Fox, and my history was lost at the end of the Trail of Tears. But I want to uncover it anyway. I want to honor my ancestors’ memories, and what part of them lives in me too…

[@sageandcandle]

Yeah, I never claim anything. I speak only for myself. My ex-husband lived with his uncle on the reservation. But, I have no knowledge of it myself.

[@scriptorpaulina]

@@sageandcandle good for you 👍

[@findliza]

@@sageandcandle people in here speaking for their husbands, ex husbands and kids are RIDICULOUS

[@sageandcandle]

@@findliza I didn't. I speak for myself only. Don't put words in my mouth.

[@patricianorwood1075]

I'm of native descent, and until I was 8 when my great grandparents died I did speak a little Choctaw and Cherokee. My dad grew up in a time as did his father when people were shamed for being indigenous. My great grandmother was on the rolls as a Choctaw, she was the only one who bothered, although both great grandfather's were at least in part Cherokee and my mom's dad was a Lakota who had been adopted by his white stepmother. I've spent most of my adult life learning about the Choctaw culture, and trying to relearn some of the languages I spoke when I was little. I do participate as much as I am allowed, going to pow wow and stomp dances and have been involved in a couple of other rites. I really try to live as much as I can in a way to honor my ancestors and understand and reconcile both my indigenous and Celtic bloodlines.

[@ericktellez7632]

This is one aspect of the United States I always found weird because using those laws and logic the majority of the 30 million indigenous Americans in Mexico would not be considered as “Indian” in the USA despite being mesoamericans

[@brawndothethirstmutilator9848]

The US government only has treaties with tribal nations within US borders. When someone comes from another country in the Americas with Indigenous ancestry, of course they are Native but they have no standing in the eyes of the Federal Government.

[@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom]

The indigenous people of Mexico are not “Native” to the United States of America though, therefore they have no claims to any of the lands in the US. Culturally and ethnically they obviously have overlapping connections, but these laws are more about land rights and rights to tribal money, of which the indigenous people in Mexico have zero rights to. You don’t see Native Americans trying to claim land rights in Mexico, do you?!

[@lizamorales8171]

​@@The.Hawaiian.KingdomI don't think any indigenous people who decended from Mexico want to claim any land. I think they just acknowledgment that they themselves are indigenous.

[@lizamorales8171]

Especially because most people who are indigenous of Mexican or South America or Central American do not consider themselves as white. Latino is a broad term and the only link is speaking Spanish. Also yes they may not know the suffering of natives in Canada and the US. But indigenous people from all of the Americans have suffered by taking of their land, mass killings, loss of culture but I agree they don't know the American experience of barding schools.

[@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom]

@@lizamorales8171 Then they obviously shouldn’t have any issues not being included in the definition of “Native American”, as that’s simply a term used solely for the indigenous tribes of the United States. Native Americans, like Mexicans, identify by their tribes names, not a westernized umbrella term for all the indigenous peoples of the US. For instance if you ask a Navajo person what they are, they’ll say they’re Navajo, they won’t say they’re Native American… same if you ask an Zapotec person what they are, they’ll say Zapotec. Indigenous peoples of all of the Americas identify by their tribes. I feel like only Ethnic European influence would make an indigenous person think they need to all be categorized in a general umbrella term. There’s absolutely zero reason for indigenous peoples in Mexico, central or South America to fall under the term “Native American”.

[@melaniemarino7219]

I feel connected to tribes but not because I am a tribal member! I helped raise 3 foster in which was adopted by my sister in law all from a full blooded Indian women sadly her life took a dark turn her story to tell not mine.. but that lead to several children born on the streets and put into foster care in which maybe the tribe didn’t know about at the time.. I love my nieces and since the death of my sister help those girls reconnect to their Indian heritage! I pray I for the guidance to help them in this journey…..

[@o.o4566]

Some people also choose not to affiliate with their tribe. Some tribes disenroll depending on lifestyle. Some do not allow same sex marriage or transistioning. Tribal membership is inherently political. The fact someone can have 100% ancestors from a tribe and then lose membership and no longer be considered native is wild to me. I have heard of other tribes granting membership to spouses that lost membership in their own tribe from these things. Just crazy. When you look at other ethnicities we don’t quantify them in any of the same ways..

[@arkle519]

That sounds horrible. What do they even base it on? Is it just moving out of the resrrvation or something more?

[@carreteras101]

yes, thank you for posting this. just flat out stupid to say someone is not "native american" because they do not, or cannot claim membership to an USA native american tribe.

[@JoeSmith-ru9xu]

Add Casino money into the mix and see it get real nasty!

[@rileynavarra7652]

@@arkle519 in canada it's basically a generational system related to "indian status" (google it if you need more info!) that was designed to force natives to inbreed or marry outside our culture and lose status (government recognition we're indigenous, this relates to our legal rights for living on reserve). for example of how this works: 1. "full" status - my late mother had status so she could pass it on to me, regardless of who my father was 2. "half" status - i was born with status but if my non-status wife and i had a biological child together, they wouldn't gain status. even if my wife was 100% indigenous but didn't have status, we still wouldn't be able to pass it on there's no legal difference between full or half, we just use those terms sometimes to make conversations like this easier. it's also worth noting that someone can be 100% indigenous by blood quantum, but not have status because the rules used to be more strict and aren't actually based on your dna whatsoever. adopted children who qualify for status through their biological parents keep their status, whether it's full or half. i think non-indigenous children adopted by a couple with status gain status as well, but i'm not 100% sure. living on a reserve is not a requirement whatsoever (i never did and i've had status since i was born)

[@J-sw6mt]

That is appalling!! I hope something can be done to change it 😢 To be shunned by your own people is heartbreaking

[@donkyoofficial]

Jesus, never heard "apple" as an insult before. People can be so creative when they want to be ugly.

[@joec.9591]

When I was in college, one of my classmates was a First Nation guy who, while fully Native, was not a full 1/4 of any one tribe. As a result, the US Government did not recognize him as Native American at all. I always found that beyond crazy.

[@nannettefreeman7331]

My father, who was Mexican, born in Mexico, is listed as “white” on my birth certificate, 1968 California. I don’t think they accommodated each & every ethnicity on those old documents, & many indigenous parents might have been recorded as “white” simply because they didn’t know what else to write there. ✌🏼

[@Knowthyledge]

Facts! The term Hispanic, wasn’t coined until around the mid 70’s. Lots of darker ones were considered “black” in those days.

[@KiwidinokKinikwe]

Miigwech. "Thank you" for sharing this.

[@Kirsten._._]

My ancestors before my grandmother were labeled as “half-breeds,” so it could be worse 😂 We’re Métis.

[@heronimousbrapson863]

Here in Canada we have the Metis, who have both white European ancestry and native ancestry. Not being fully accepted into either group, they nutured their own culture, incorporating features of both.

[@MTwigman]

Yeah I am curious how the Metis fall into this discussion. Beyond just being "mixed," true Metis people do have a shared history, cultural heritage, and way of life they have been trying to protect and legitimize since the 1700s.

[@undercoverreseller205]

My grandmother was Métis, leaving my generation w 8% dna despite her growing up on reserve.

[@azborderlands]

That boggles my mind. I’ve seen these people and they fully can pass as Caucasian. We have the Native American phenotype, 30-60% DNA, foods and traditions in the Mestizos within the USA and are not acknowledged.

[@Happytravellerkimmy]

Metis have a very distinct lineage of Cree and French ancestry often traced back to the Red River settlement.

[@undercoverreseller205]

@@Happytravellerkimmy yes, that is where she's from.

[@wellIdiditagain]

My father is Indian, my mother is white. I didn't get to actually learn my Indian culture, because they divorced when I was 9 & I didn't see my father until I was in my mid 20's. I know very little about Indian culture, I am now trying to learn as much as I can. As for what I look like- hazel eyes (they lean green), natural hair color dark brown, my skin tone is fairly light (I'm pale). I'm proud of all my generic makeup-as I'm not responsible for the choices that individuals/ancestors made in the past, before I was born. Blessings.

[@georgiac91]

This is so interesting. As a Māori from Aotearoa, I'm fascinated in the similarities/differences in our experiences. A similarity is the forced assimilation in schools and loss of culture, as well as lots of us having Euro ancestry and so being white passing. However, we seem to have way fewer of these pretenders. I wonder if it's because having indigenous ancestry here is not as 'cool', and there seem to be less social advantages to doing it.

[@findliza]

@@georgiac91 do you have entire people groups that the nation still claims to have eradicated? If not it’s not the same

[@Tracymmo]

People groups?

[@Tracymmo]

​@@findlizaAre you challenging their comparison of indigenous experiences in more than one country? That would be odd.

[@helen5487]

@@findlizathey said there are similarities and differences

[@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom]

Aloha poly cousin 😁🤙🏽, I’m Hawaiian, I’ve heard that there is a lot of racism against Māori people in New Zealand, is that true and if it is, that’s probably why non-Māori people don’t pretend to be Māori.

[@bailey27727]

That's why I will always acknowledge where my ancestry is from, but I will never identify as native because I have lived as white, and so have my parents and grandparents. It is unethical to take from already limited resources, to claim history that I am not connected to in any form.

[@Eniral441]

I claim my native identity, but I do not gain any benefits of it. Then again, I was also raised with some of the culture and language.

[@Earthsinger100]

I have traceable native lineage but have never lived that culture. I don't consider myself as native.

[@queentargaryen9389]

my great grandfather was a native American, I don't tell people I am native... I just appreciate my long thick hair and high cheekbones. a little blood doesn't erase the fact that i was brought up in a cajun community so that is what i claim

[@PokhrajRoy.]

This reminds me of that SNL sketch where Kate McKinnon as Sen. Elizabeth Warren calls ‘maize’ the “food of my ancestors”.

[@carolinematusevich889]

That was hilarious. I had hoped she'd mention something about her "Three Sisters," later revealing faces drawn corn husks, squash, and a smiley bean face.

[@YTEdy]

I didn't see that one. That's funny.

[@otsoko66]

although to be fair, Warren never claimed to be indigenous herself -- she said she had some indigenous ancestry, which is just true. (yeah, I understand no-one is really interested in being fair.)

[@YTEdy]

​@@otsoko66 Edit - never mind. You're right. She had some. Not a lot. Perhaps 6-10 generations up the ladder, which works out to 1/64th to 1/1000th. But, there's a trace in there. :-)

[@norahe1953]

@@otsoko66 yeah EW was treated unfairly. I remember her ads in New England for *local* elections & it genuinely did feel like she was trying to use the “im native” to get votes. (you’re right, she didn’t say she was native! She said she had native ancestors!) However EW was honest about her lineage & I find the “Pocahontas” comments soooo distasteful (I’m not native, she campaigned for Senate when I was in college - she brought up the native ancestry in her campaign ad and I remember thinking, ‘girl I know you are not about to try and use that native ish to get elected” ) But tbf…… she really didn’t make that her entire campaign. She mentioned it & in reality, who are we to tell anyone they can’t claim their lineage?

[@benitocamelo23]

I am from Mexico City, and after reading some of the comments, it seems many missed the key points made by both the speaker and the professor in the video. In Mexico, the concept of identity differs somewhat, as it doesn't rely on blood quantum. As the professor highlighted, identity is rooted in “distinct cultural characteristics, language, community, and connection”. In Mexico, having “indigenous” ancestry is different from being recognized as “indigenous”. Most communities in Mexico base their recognition on whether you are from the here, speak the language, and are collectively claimed by that community.

[@ericktellez7632]

This always gets me on debates and people never want to accept it but a Mexico has shown a better history of Native American representation and reparations than the United States especially in recent history with the several land back and congress reforms positioning native Americans as their own legal group entity granting them special rights over federal land. The Americans just want to believe they are better at this issue when they are not not even close.

[@TheJosman]

​@@ericktellez7632 on paper, yes. But in reality, Native Mexican languages are still very discriminated and its hard to live in Mexico not knowing Spanish. Plus, Mexican media is very homogenous and white. Even Hollywood manages to be more diverse than Mexican media.

[@cindymarielemons1220]

I want to thank you for this video. My father's family has 2 tribes. Blackfoot married a Cherokee that lives in Missouri. My mother's family is Swedish and Irish. So I am clearly mixed. I was raised Christian without my father in my life. Since I was very young I've connected to nature and simple ways so I consider myself a Native American. I mean no disrespect to the Natives in anyway. I don't know many of the old ways but I feel like I fit in

[@cindymarielemons1220]

​@CatDavid-e8c The US is in a mess but for me I'm doing well thank you. How are you and where do you live

[@Nehmi]

My dad is 3/4 Indian and my mom is half. I identify as Native by race and Hispanic by ethnicity.

[@ushercollins3543]

My dad is 2/4 native and half Spanish and mom is full. I consider to be native with sometimes considering to be mixed only because people tell me I look Mexican or they start talking to me in Spanish. Lol

[@Luritsas]

​@@ushercollins3543Mexican is just a nationality, that's what most people are missing.

[@abugprobably]

This is why I identify as indigenous mexican-american, my ancestors range from El Salvador up into the Central Valley and into northern Mexico, and then when the border showed up, a couple family members made some really hard choices and they chose assimilation at all costs. Now I don’t even know Spanish, but I’m learning. My dad once told me to never forget our ancestors, and I am determined not to.

[@Luritsas]

Most Mexican-Americans have a lot of indigenous in them but have bought into this "Hispanic race" nonsense.

[@brigidanow]

Indigenous Mexican American. That works.

[@SallyBowles5050]

@@brigidanow- this is exactly what my dna says too. Not trying to infringe on anyone’s heritage these are just the facts. Native to Mexico.

[@Luritsas]

@@MichaelTheophilus906 I don't think you understand what native language means. If you grow up speaking any given language, that's your native language.

[@Luritsas]

@@MichaelTheophilus906 you simply misused the term native language.

[@Catherine-i1w]

I am an 8th Cree ( Records were burned in a Church fire in Canada ) but I would never file to be legally recognized as such even if the records were still available. In the first place, it would negate or downplay my other heritages and that is unacceptable for me ! Secondly, it would be seen as a ploy to attain monies that I feel unentitled to. I worked for a Native American Tribe in the Mid West for years. Some people were welcoming, others viscously mean ! I married and love one of their fine sons as he loves me. The honor of that is alive in our hearts and minds ! For my Beautiful Great Grand Mother, Grand. Mother and Mother I claimed my heritage and took it when those I worked for and with were shitty to me ! To do otherwise would have been a dishonor to my Matrilineal Heritage which is also unacceptable to me ! My identity does not need to be accepted by others to feel intact or I worthy of it ! I know who I am and best of all, alI who I come from ! ❣️🌿 With that said, none of it matters even in the tiniest bit when you consider that we come from God ! God is Everything for without Him there would be nothing ! I am a child of (the Christian) God ✝️🌿 with many temporary, earthly heritages ! If you do not agree then go your way. This is not up for discussion !

[@sheenawarecki92]

Im so glad citizenship was brought up because so many natives have such complex familial and tribal connections and with forced adoptions its hard for many people to actualy get that card but are still native. Its such a complex issue

[@Azelf89]

If I need to talk about the Indigenous folks very broadly, I'll simply say "First Nations". Otherwise, I much prefer being more specific, and use the proper name for each Indigenous group. Like, if I'm talking about the Innu, I'll say Innu. If I'm talking about the Naskapi, I'll say Naskapi. And so on & so forth.

[@Eniral441]

That's fair. It just gets more complicated when you have to generalize more without meaning everybody.

[@christieap]

If you’re Canadian which I’d guess you are? Indigenous works for all peoples Indigenous to the Americas, and then within that in “Canada” there are Inuit, Métis, and First Nations peoples. Calling Inuit or Métis people First Nations is actually incorrect, but most of us were never taught what these names mean. Hence also many believe that anyone who is of mixed Indigenous and European descent is Métis, rather than Métis being a very specific ethnocultural group.

[@samloomis644]

I Needed THIS SERIES! Thank y'all!! I'm an anthropologist (armchair as motherhood took over) and you wouldn't believe how hard it is to find quality information on Native American culture without worrying about the source (as indicated in the above video) or having to physically read countless hours of books (which I do and love to do but not everyone does). Having this as a resource to educate myself and my children is AMAZING!!! Totally taking that survey, totally going to binge every episode on this whole channel. Y'all this is amazing!!! Thank you!!! (Also be prepared, I've got questions and there are a lot of old videos to comment on!!)

[@pcarebear1]

I'm 1/2 Central American (with Mayan and Spanish roots, w/Afro Carib on the side) and 1/2 Anglo American. I am very cautious when I say I'm of indigenous descent b/c people assume I'm from a US or Canadian Tribe. I usually just leave it at Central American, but at the same time I've faced disgusting comments from other Latin Americans for my background. Mostly on Central Americans being uneducated "indios", which gave me tough skin and not care what rando strangers want to label me.

[@boardcertifiable]

Racism against Indigenous people in Central America is sadly very common. Even though one of my grandmother's was Mayan, when she was younger, she was harassed for looking "india". She told us to never refer to her as such because she didn't want the attention.

[@aleqrobinson2876]

I have been told by my parents that we had Native ancestry on both sides. I am African American. But after research, and DNA tests, I'm seeing that the majority of my "Native" ancestors were mixed race ( African/European) that probably claim Native heritage to avoid being discriminated against, re enslavement, etc, especially since it was against the law to marry/ procreate outside of your race, so they definitely couldn't lay claim to their European ancestry. But also, because some of that mixing was due to force/r*pe. So I think there are probably many reasons why people think they have Native ancestry, more than just the glamorization of being exotic. I did find 1 line that actually have a Native American connection, but outside of that, most were mulattos ( African/European mixed), but that is my 2 cents.

[@hazey_dazey]

I've been wondering if this is the case for my family as well. I was told that we have some Cherokee heritage, but i've always been sus about it, especially after learning that "Cherokee" was slang for "mixed" (any combo of black/white/native) in some parts of the U.S.

[@aleqrobinson2876]

@@hazey_dazey It's possible. Look and see. Do an ancestry DNA test, or do some family research. I'm glad that I did, now I can truly celebrate who I am.

[@hazey_dazey]

@@aleqrobinson2876 i've done some research. My grandmother told me before she passed that one of her grandfathers was white and that she met him once when she was young. My sister was given a dna test but she still hasn't taken it yet, she keeps forgetting lol. I might have to get one myself 😆

[@JoeSmith-ru9xu]

Sound like you're a good ol fashioned "whole lotta stuff" Human! There are many in that Tribe

[@blkindians7974]

Where are you and your family from in America?

[@Igchihuahua]

My ancestors that were Spanish and eventually settled in with the pueblo natives in the New Mexico region. Eventually over time married and mixed with them. Not only do we know this because this is my family's history, but the Catholic Church kept such good records. My parents DNA shows them nearly half percent native American. Knowing that, I feel it would be wrong to consider myself Native American because we don't practice anything, no religion, language or cultural of Pueblo natives. Probably Tewa or Tigua. One time I attended a Pow Wow and felt so out of place. I'm Mexican. That's as far as I get to my native ancestors. Thanks to them we are here. I am whole heartedly grateful. I know my Mexican culture is intertwined with their culture. Yet, I am Mexican, not Spanish nor Italian or Arab, cause we have a percentage of that too. Pura Mexicana and I love it

[@GetSmartish]

Growing up, my generation (and my dad's as well) you identified as whatever you could get away with to get beat up or bullied the least.

[@JoshJones-37334]

Sounds like an admission of weakness

[@minngael]

Yeah a friend of my mom's was told she was Mexican American because there was less racism towards them in that part of the country. She found out as an adult that she was fully Navajo but it was too traumatic for her to connect with her relatives & culture. I've known various other people that had older relatives admit their Native roots when they finally felt safe doing so. Sometimes even on their deathbeds.

[@minngael]

​@@JoshJones-37334It's more like survival. People have often tried to pass as a member of a different group to get by. Easy to judge in modern times.

[@JoshJones-37334]

@@minngael I find it easy to judge.

[@markanquoe2612]

The thing is, some people didn't have a choice. Those of us that didn't have a choice had different experiences than those that did.

[@YTEdy]

In defense of Elizabeth Warren, she had a grandmother who told her she was part Native American. This isn't the kind of thing many of us would naturally doubt or take a DNA test to check, especially about 30 years ago when she mentioned it to her university (and she didn't use it to her advantage, but her university posted it). Today, with cheap DNA testing, and with public shaming, I would think most people would check, but when Elizabeth mentioned it in conversation what amounted to verbal family history, I don't think she should be skewered for that.

[@mperezmcfinn2511]

That was super common in her generation. A lot of white folks are raised believing they have native ancestry due to a grandparent who heard it from their grandparents back in the day. The "Cherokee Heritage" myth in particular originated with biracial southerners who were light enough to pass into white society but still noticeably dark enough to be questioned about their ancestry.

[@YTEdy]

@@mperezmcfinn2511 That's interesting. I hadn't heard that.

[@mperezmcfinn2511]

@@YTEdy I just learned about that fairly recently myself.

[@otsoko66]

@@mperezmcfinn2511 Except Warren really did have indigenous ancestry -- not much, but exactly as much as one would expect from her grandmother's story. (in Oklahoma, for a variety of reasons, Cherokees were considered by white folks as a higher status tribal nation, so the default was to claim part-Cherokee ancestry. Plus there was a long history of Cherokee-white intermarriage.)

[@mperezmcfinn2511]

@otsoko66 Yes, she did. I should have clarified that. I was trying to make three separate points simultaneously. The Cherokee, from what I was told 30+ years ago (so take this with a grain of salt), assimilated early and gained favor with the U.S. government, and also mixed with Anglo settlers in higher numbers than other tribes. I believe they may have also been one of the slave owning tribes. As a result, Cherokee became the default tribe for people claiming vague indigenous heritage. The motivation for doing so varied. For example, biracial southerners used it to join white society (passing). There was also a period in the early 20th century where white folks could buy legitimate documents of native ancestry from a corrupt government official or judge in order to gain certain benefits. They were known as "5 dollar Indians." Additionally, there were whites raised in the culture due to adoption, or a step-parent, who had no genetic connection but identified as mixed. Their children would pass down tribal traditions like hunting or fishing techniques, recipes, stories, etc. Those traditions would get lost after a few generations. Eventually, you would have this white descendant with no genetic or cultural connection, excitedly remembering their grandparent telling them they had native ancestry. Only to have their disappointing 23 and Me results feel like a betrayal.

[@audrab27]

My dad was half Irish and half Native American and my grandmother who was Native was always upset that I never acknowledged my native side. I personally don't feel like I'm Native enough to claim it.

[@Kalaloo]

TIL the term "apple" and put it along with the various othering racial insults used by people: banana, coconut, oreo. Hi if you use any of these to describe someone, please don't.

[@AttenuatedNecronym]

Potato is another awful thing to call someone, and people shouldn't use

[@cocoaorange1]

I have heard the other terms, but not "apple", all are rude IMO!

[@valeta84]

My grandma always claimed we were part cherokee. She grew up in Oklahoma. She took a DNA test. No native heritage. I knew it.

[@mallarieluvsgirls]

this happens a lot. i have so many people who have no native connection tell me they’re specifically cherokee for some reason

[@valeta84]

@@mallarieluvsgirls I think many Oklahomans think they are. 🤷‍♀️

[@shaneekabatty-cross]

Or sometimes it doesn't come up because it's to far back.

[@Bigfoots777]

@@shaneekabatty-cross correct, tests are still evolving and probably get better

[@Bigfoots777]

that happened in my family , there was some native american but not exactly cherokee

[@CrystalCollins-d6n]

I'm half Irish, 3/8 British & 1/8 Native, but because I'm from upstate NY I never knew what tribe because in my great grandmother's day it wasn't something to be proud of. I'am proud but I've never tried to claim anything from it.

[@anyalandtiser2701]

This topic hits way too close to home for me. My mom is Native, raised on the Lower Brule reservation. I was born and raised in a West Coast city. My features take after my white father and I've always felt awkward about claiming my Native heritage. Complicating matters further, my Mom was born out of wedlock so can't properly claim tribal membership so I can't either. And even tho I was raised Native for my early childhood, Mom got into it with some local Elders and stopped engaging with the community we have here. I'm only just now starting to try to reengage but I still feel like a fraud.

[@mperezmcfinn2511]

Not that my opinion has any authority in this situation, but that's some bullshit! If that's your mom's people then they're your people too! Imagine if there was a law requiring all Americans with indigenous ancestry to register with the government. Then you decided not to sign up because you're white and you weren't raised in your mom's culture. You know damn well you'd be accused of trying to deny your identity.

[@tedecker3792]

Don’t.

[@dishevelleddev]

My family swears by the Cherokee Princess story. I wish I could afford a DNA test. I've seen enough of these on fellow white southerners to guess that I'd wind up being part African rather than any kind of native American Indian.

[@SafetySpooon]

& that's where the "Cherokee princess" crap comes in. People were trying to hide that they were *Black*.

[@SkyeID]

@@SafetySpooon yep, I was told that my great-great-great grandmother was Cherokee (a.k.a. Tsalagiyi). I don't claim Native American ancestry, and I'm not hiding my Blackness.

[@Eniral441]

​@SafetySpooon In some areas in the South, it was better to be black than Indian. You were treated better as a black person. My Choctaw family did this.

[@Eniral441]

A lot of dna tests don't pick it up because the companies don't have enough of a sample to identify tribal DNA of most of Native America. There are a few exceptions.

[@azborderlands]

@@Eniral441This is changing! I actually got an update that I am 47% Native American. It’s not East Asian or any other place.

[@lindsaytruempy2812]

80% British 20% native American not only according to my DNA test but to my granny and her entire family on her mom and her dad's sides

[@siohmosis]

That “and if we don’t, we know why…”hit so hard 😞 Abenaki of Odanak here! To this day the Abenaki have 4 tribes of white people in Vermont and New Hampshire on our homelands, who have had genealogy done, 98% of them are French Canadian and not Abenaki, let alone even Native American. They are stealing and appropriating our culture and heritage. The pretendians are thriving and well and are mocking the pain of our families, benefitting from our extinction. But low and behold, we are still here, and we want healing. Please help us spread awareness and be an ally!

[@happyzombiikitti]

I am indigenous to the south America's and live in NH. Have been to a few pow wows here where I'm literally the only indigenous looking person there. This explains a lot 😂 please let me know how I can help ❤

[@evangelion1962]

The only ones fighting blood quantum are white.

[@Sarah-yj6lf]

Real Indian: Someone from India.

[@XavierBasurto777]

hindian*

[@SinclairCraig]

I pray to God to give you a lot of beautiful days and you know God loves us so much, So where are you originally from? I am Sinclair originally from Germany but currently living Texas

[@crimetimewithjess5366]

Thank you. I don't know this guy keeps calling us Indians.

[@bernsky]

as a white person interested in the real experiences of native american people or tribes - its been a big let down to understand that many of the resources i looked to were in fact pretendians. Now that social media is a thing, its so much easier to seek out and vet the people and hear their ideas with an open mind. I,for years by my family, was told we had heritage, but in the end i think it was that weird southern posturing.

[@NihilisticJawbreaker]

My great grandmother was a Native American (Creek and Cherokee) who married a white man. I grew up with blonde hair, blue eyes, and away from Indian country/culture. When it came time for me to be the first in my family to go to college, I chose not to get a scholarship that I technically qualified for because while I have the ancestry I don't identify as Native American. There are millions of people like me who have some ancestry but don't know anything about it.

[@JayB-xx5pk]

There is a term called "De-Tribalized Native American," which I think describes most people that have been forced to identify as "hispanic" to erase their Native American identity. This de-tribalization happened by design. The US Governent actively (still to this day) worked to erase Native culture out of fear that they'd retake the land.

[@luismanuelpotencianonorato9672]

Hay personas mestizas y no indígenas que no se indentifica con la cultura y lengua indígena, pero hay gente no es indígena son blancos y mestizos que habla lengua indígena como el guaraní en Paraguay.

[@Wwasgud]

@@luismanuelpotencianonorato9672Mestizos y castizos no som igual

[@muscledoggs566]

@@JayB-xx5pk Sorry, don't believe you.

[@JayB-xx5pk]

@@muscledoggs566 90% of Mexicans are "mestizo" or "mixed." Their DNA admixture is usually ~60% native & ~40% white (spanish). Google is free. Look it up or bury your head.

[@isaacrivera.colorado]

I’m currently a junior at Williams College and part of the Native American Student Alliance, which I helped revived. Interestingly, the group was originally started by Elizabeth Hoover, who was later revealed to be one of the "pretend Indians" mentioned in this video. It's a pretty cool, though somewhat contentious, situation. As a Native person, I’ve come to realize that your identity as Native doesn’t need validation from anyone-it’s something spirtual and not granted by others, but by the divine.

[@OfficeMusic]

I am mexican. I am native.

[@Red-in-Green]

Here’s something that has bugged me for a while: What do you think about people using Native American legends (or more specifically monsters) to tell their own stories? I see a lot of back and forth on it, the main arguments that I’ve seen being “stories are meant to be shared” vs “it wasn’t yours to take”. I love stories and understanding where they came from and the whole “what the heck did the internet do to this?” thing Is endlessly fascinating to me.

[@jmcg9822]

I remember that issue was brought us when J.K incorporated the thunderbird into the stranger beasts series, some were claiming it was cultural appropriation because she didn’t ask permission to use it from a tribe that claims it. The problem I have with that is the thunderbird isn’t part of one tribe or culture, it’s known to pretty much ever indigenous culture across the Americas, it doesn’t belong to only one people. For me the issue lies at the heart of the difference between appropriation and appreciation. Appreciation of another’s culture should be encouraged. People’s have been sharing and exchanging culture for millions of years and our cultures will continue to naturally evolve as well as be influenced by and influence others. If everyone everyone in a single culture regardless of class is free to wear or take part in a particular tradition, then it’s fine for others to take advantage of that also. For example Japanese kimonos, blue jeans, harem pants, moccasins. Now if only certain individuals from a culture were granted or earned the right to wear or take part in something, and even other members of their society weren’t free to do so also, then it’s a NO for others outside the culture to do so. An example are Navajo headdresses, PNW clan crests, Māori tattoos, Scottish clan tartans. Now if it’s something that an entire culture was free to wear or practice, but because of colonialism they were prevented from doing so, then it just isn’t right to do something that those of the culture weren’t/aren’t allowed to do. For individual mythological creatures from indigenous culture, that’s a grey area. The thunderbird is a bad example of people trying to gatekeep something that’s so wide spread. Other things, if it’s specifically only known from one culture, it’s best to contact tribal leaders of that culture for their opinion. The main massive issue is how it’s incorporated or changed. Is the person giving an authentic version or an altered version? Did they give proper reference to the original version, did they even understand the context of the story, did they make it clear that they altered it and that it’s their interpretation? This issue is one of the leading causes of cultural manipulation and destruction I’ve seen with my own culture, people taking things and intentionally twisting it to feed their narrative. I’m Tlingit and we have an entity in our stories known as “kooshda kaa” or “land otter man” which in a nut shell are otter spirits or souls of people taken by otters that can shapeshift to look like various people you know or driftwood and can also possess people. The Bigfoot community appropriated it and turned it into “Kushtaka” which they say is bigfoot and they claim us tlingits worshiped it. Now because many of us PNW natives who aren’t in contact with elders and don’t know their culture, they have taken that as fact, that kooshda kaa is Bigfoot. So our actual culture is being erased in favor of a commercialized cryptid.

[@cam4636]

1. "Sharing" is an intentional action. If someone shares their culture with others, they are choosing to do that of their own volition. Seeing someone else's culture and deciding to "share" it without their input is called "stealing." 2. Is it a monster or did white people assume it's a monster. Consider how many pagan horned gods got turned into "devils." 3. Because I can guarantee I know what "monsters" you're talking about: are those "shared stories" in any way accurate, or did the "storytellers" make up 99% of the lore, take a Native name, and claim their interpretation should be as valid as any other because "they're just stories"? Here's a hint: antlers & deer have nothing to do with cannibalism in the North Woods.

[@JoeSmith-ru9xu]

Nobody "owns" stories unless you're copy righting and profiting

[@darcieclements4880]

Well people reuse monsters that aren't protected by copyright worldwide.

[@melissastory1993]

I don’t feel it’s my place to decide where the line might be, but, I just want to add that I’ve never seen/heard a non-Indigenous person improve on the original stories. Why is the Okanagan known for “Ogopogo” instead of nx̌aʔx̌ʔitkʷ (the spirit of the lake), which is a way better story with a better message? Settlers. I’d rather leave the Indigenous stories to be told by Indigenous storytellers 🤷‍♀️

[@kid14346]

Reminds me of my spouse who has never tried to join his tribe because he is so far disconnected from the culture despite only being a couple generations away from it genetically. His great-grandmother was part of the Stolen Generation, and nobody in the family was ever taught the language or customs after her.

[@HelenKistler-hi5we]

When other members of a family claim their family has no connection to a specific indigenous community, that could also be an error.

[@GrimmDelightsDice]

I've always been curious why it seems like north american natives don't consider indigenous central americans/boricua/caribbeans "native american".

[@landback1491]

Those that do, are doing the colonizers work for them. Yet they'll spout since 1492 while attempting to denying us our ancestors. Don't accept Boricua, etc. Then keep our ancestors out of your mouth.

[@briannab4037]

Or South Americans

[@marieroberts5664]

I think it's because we so deeply identify "American" with those who are members of the United States. Most Canadians that I know will never say they are "Americans", anymore than someone from Mexico will use that moniker. However, I think that since a lot of indigenous people from the southern half of North America and Central and South America, have migrated to this country and made their homes here, we need to open up the demographic info to include them properly...I have also noticed that my doctor's office /hospital has started including many more branches of the human family tree, but this is vital, because a person's ethnicity has a lot to do with health and diseases and conditions endemic to a certain community. And Canadians call their indigenous "First Nations" which I think is pretty descriptive and less confusing than other descriptors.

[@user-ub4lk3pf3w]

As some one who is Taino/Boricua, I think it comes down to a limited understanding of what it is to be native. And many of the places you mentioned were at one point under control of the Spanish government who historically counted people differently than the US government.

[@bernsky]

im going to venture a guess that its because the tribes that existed/exist within the confines of the present day USA have a shared history or genocide at the hands of the United states government, that this is the distinction for them. It doesnt belittle the indigenous cultures and heritage of those in central and southern america, but that those experiences with the conquistadors and the subsequent governements of those areas are an entirely different historical story.

[@WiseSnake]

I used to think I had Native American ancestry because that's just what I was told by my elders as they had comparatively darker skin tones than the rest of the family. But the sparse genealogy records on this side of the family coinciding with migration routes of white settlers and chronology between those, and the times around the Indian Removal Act didn't seem to line up for any such intermixing. Dabbled around with a Melungeon hypothesis but I might need a professional genealogist to assist me because my late father's side of the family is filled informational voids, questionable links, and dead ends.

[@sevensongs]

It was also extremely common for mixed-raced people who would have been classified as "mulatto" to identify as "Indian" as a way of avoiding slavery during the years that it was becoming racially codified in the US (1600s and 1700s.). I have an ancestor who used this as part of the lawsuit to demand he (and later his daughters) should be granted their freedom after their indentured servitude was ended. Had he been black, they could have denied him, so he claimed to be native instead.

[@JoshJones-37334]

Melungeons were isolated for a long time. Newmans ridge is a small place. The Lumbee are probably the best arc back. The Indian Removal Act destroyed so much history

[@koguy2]

If the issue of native american benefits did not exist for US natives, this issue wouldn't have been such a big issue. There are many who are clearly natives who cannot claim to be natives.

[@LethalSaliva]

I'm 1/16 Pawnee on my father's side. My grandfather, who died before I was born, never registered probably because it was taboo back then or something. I wish he had. I do not celebrate Thanksgiving anymore. I also don't eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day, either; I make a dish with a different meat, like duck, bison, venison, etc. I know pride is a sin but I take great pride in having Native American blood.

[@jmorin6620]

Im French and German with a few indigenous forebears on both sides. I never presume to be indigenous based on a few remote relations but when i found a stone scraper in my garden i said "hello" to my relative who made it. Thank you for this discussion.

[@josephottavi-perez8203]

really cool to watch your content as a Mexican American cuz my family is Mixed Native Nahua. Love to support my northern cousins!

[@Leonard-td5rn]

Iron Eyes Cody an actor who claimed he was native American was actually a Sicilian.

[@MsSunnyDenise]

My cousin's father was Winslow Harjo of the Creek Nation, second generation in Oklahoma, after his family walked the trail of tears. Because my cousins mother was white, he was registered as 1/7th Native American. I found that fascinating because his father was 100% Native.

[@mikebauer6917]

Great discussion. This seems similar to the idea of "stolen valor". I’m sure most doing this think of it as harmless, but in the case of "indian heritage", such claims diminish the personal and cultural struggles and gifts that such a heritage brings to a simple statement of personal specialness. Look, I'm third generation Irish-American, but having never been to Ireland, knowing nothing about the current political/cultural/economic state in Ireland, much less had the slightest experience of their struggles with colonialism, I know that I'm not Irish. Indeed, as a non-indigenous American, I can safely say that I have much more in common with any indigenous American than I do with any indigenous Irishman. To wit, please vote this fall!

[@iluvcoffe252]

Isn't it basically just blackface that exploits Natives? Blackface, pretendians, stolen valor, pinkwashing, the list could go on. Greed is quick to wear a mask if it opens doors to fame, money, or perceived virtue. Identity can be an odd thing to quantify. I'm not Native, and while I grew up on European stories and fairytales, I grew up in America. As a result, castles and princesses belong firmly associated with fantasy in my mind, as a genre staple instead of a 'cultural heritage'. And anything pertaining to America, while more firmly planted in reality, still feel weird to claim as cultural heritage. I know what words to begin to use to sum up my cultural understanding. I just don't know how to respectfully use said words or concisely explain their impacts on me. And I don't know why it's important to me to find the right words, but it just is. Pretendians muddy the waters of understanding. Between legal recognition, communal relations, and personal understanding, identity is hard enough to name and communicate without fraudsters making a ruckus. To sum, greed's phony mask stinks, Culture can be directly inherited from the people around you, or osmosed from environment. And the varying degrees of all of this, plus the meddling of the government on how we frame ourselves and others, makes stuff complicated.

[@ElianaBenavidez-zb3te]

I grew up in New Mexico and my grandma would always tell me that she was Indian, and she would tell me stories and show me pictures. But she did not live on the reservation(Apache) and speculated Navajo ties. I grew up to be absolutely fascinated with the culture and history and Native American culture in New Mexico is so beautiful and so bloody. But I’m adopted with no idea of biological heritage, I’ve always felt so at home with Native Religion, Dances, and Ceremonies. And I’ve never felt that feeling any where else

[@djhk15]

If you're interested in this, I highly recommend the "Pretendians" podcast from Canadaland, which goes in depth on this phenomenon!

[@dandygarnet]

@@djhk15 please don’t support known racist groups. That organization has ties to known hate groups.

[@dandygarnet]

@@djhk15I would not recommend the podcast you mentioned. Please stop spamming your podcast targeting vulnerable groups.

[@rozalilu1]

They interviewed a Pretendian and never checked with the tribe. Kiros Auld. They literally said we take your "word." Then the Chief contacted the podcast to complain about his non-status. Along with his ex-wife.

[@dandygarnet]

@@rozalilu1 Rozalind, you know Kiros called them out for pushing half truths and lying about their research.

[@dandygarnet]

@@rozalilu1 is this the #bloodquantumrangers bragging about harassing indigenous communities?

[@cdcdogs4961]

My great grandfather (white) was raised by Flathead Chief Moise, and many stories of Native American heritage. I have done the DNA test to confirm said stories, but have less than 1%. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It doesn’t matter to me if I have actual blood, I’m just proud of all the amazing people that made me who I am. Btw, my mother was a traditional dancer and I was fortunate to inherit her regalia, her given native name was “Wandering Star”, and her adoptive tribe (Shoshone) gave her the name “Many colors”. I really don’t care for people who lie about it! 🤦🏻‍♀️😡

[@sarahwatts7152]

I think a lot of the white people trying to be native are looking for deeper roots than their immigrant ancestry allows, just doing it in the most insensitive ways. It's why people with Scots or Irish ancestry talk about "the old country" even though they have never been. It shows a sort of mental homelessness, a feeling of not quite belonging to where you live. I feel it in some ways though I'm careful to stay in my lane, but lots of people with entitlement don't think about how they impact the groups they're trying to edge into. Like the music, like the nature, like the food, but don't become LIKE one of the group you don't belong to

[@OzinRoseCity]

A lot of US Americans are ethnically mixed throughout several generations. Through social pressure and violence they gravitate towards " whiteness" and ancestors that don't fit the brief are rebranded or forgotten. Some people are just trying to reconnect with erased heritage.

[@facuuu2809]

I'm from Uruguay and recentlt I found out I have indigenous descendance and even though I'm proud of it I have to take into account that tribes were sadly genocided and don't exist as a organizations anymore in my country (the charrúas were the ones of whom I might be a descendant but the last members of the tribe were killed or captured in the mid 1800's) and also understand that one thing is being proud of your ancestry while the other is culturally appropiating things without context from a people you might not know so yeah, I still show solidarity towards the indigenous peoples of this continent (actually I helped out at a mapuche school in Argentina) but rather as an ally since well...sadly the community one of my descendants belonged to doesn't exist anymore.

[@lanapapas]

But for Latinos this is a hard question since our Indigenous identity were erased and label as mestizo, which means mixed. Some of our DNA and looks are more Indigenous than USA tribal members who are phenotypically white. For instance, you, the host based on your look would be considered white in Latin America.

[@SoulFire9001]

Yeah that history in Latin America with the caste system has definitely affected the way they understand and look at race. But understand that we had different histories with the European Colonizers, and as such should be looked at critically not through the lenses of each others perspectives, but understanding how they've developed under those respective colonial regimes. I understand it's a hard question for Latinos since because of colonization, and social and systematic oppression, there just doesn't exist the documentation, and more importantly the connections, that a lot of us have in the US.

[@luismanuelpotencianonorato9672]

No olvides que también hubo matrimonios mixtos principalmente entre indígena y españoles.

[@lanapapas]

@@luismanuelpotencianonorato9672 mostly r@pes and yes some real relationships. That also happened with Indigenous communities in the US and Canada but they got to keep their affiliations. The Spanish did not allowed this and those that remained fought their way to survival. My point is that there are less Mestizo people that we think. It is a term use for erasure.

[@wagnersouza4463]

Depends on country. Brazilian families are most mixed famlies, we see ourselves as color of skin, because the heritage is hard to trace. Saddly Brazil government with U.S. influence, bring to country the one drope rule system. But is a one drup rule kind of free style. The guy on video here in Brazil would be consider white in some regions ( in the northeast ), and brown in other regions ( in the south ), ambigous in others ( in southeast, some people could view him as brown or white ), probably "cabolco" ( mixed specifically from indian ) in the north. Using the government term, most people would say he is "pardo".

[@TheJosman]

But being mestizo is not a bad thing. I just embrace both my Spanish and Indigenous ancestry, and i'm proud of being mixed.

[@danwylie-sears1134]

When I was a kid, it was common for summer camps to have fake-Native-American names, and for kids to be dressed up at Thanksgiving with feathers stuck to fake-leather headbands. That seems to me very different from what Elizabeth Warren did. She said (as best I recall) that her grandfather was descended from people who had moved to Oklahoma when it was called "Indian territory"; that he didn't know specifically where his ancestors had come from, but his best guess was that they were Cherokee; and that based his appearance he was regarded as an Indian by people who discriminated against Indians. The former is playing Indian. The latter is just being honest about your family background. I was kind of shocked to learn that white people with some small amount of non-white ancestry are still being pressured to lie and claim to be from 100% pure-blooded European stock. Because that's absolutely what was done to Senator Warren.

[@willt2036]

I find the opposite true. Half the people I know claim some 'Cherokee' grandma. Seems like they are desperately clinging to that 5% of their DNA

[@danwylie-sears1134]

@@willt2036 Not surprising. Social pressure often is weirdly contradictory like that. It's not really about whether you assert or deny part of your ancestry. It's about whether you decide what to mention, or whether you conform to some expectation.

[@JoeSmith-ru9xu]

Key word being "kid" Children play to learn right? If you grew up in a multi ethnic city, we "played" each other all the f'n time. I especially loved playn Thai and getn a lesson on Cooking and Kickboxing

[@atroposz]

Oh my god, I had completely forgotten about the summer-camp-Indian-name thing, I have vague memories of that in at least two camps, both a day camp and a sleep away camp. AND I think I dressed up in a braided wig & headband costume one Halloween. Now I'm cringing at my child self. Man, the 80s were something else.

[@solitaireclub]

I would be really interested in a follow up to this discussing the legacy of stolen children who were adopted outside of their Tribe, and how that can affect them and THEIR children when they want to discover their heritage.

[@auntiebobbolink]

One of the thoughts i had about the growing numbers of those considering themselves native is the fact that it used to be a source of embarrassment and prejudice to say you are in any part native. As that changes, there are more people accepting their ancestry.

[@thecook8964]

My father moved off of the Rez, be cause he said it held you back. Moved to a very prejudiced area, he denied having Native American ancestry ( audacious, as he totally looked Indian) & was very successful at the time. It would be crazy to identify as having Native ancestry- my Mother was European & I pretty much look white & I have no references to Native American culture. However, I have studied the ordeals Native Americans went through;treaties, broken, attempts at genocide, etc. This, I support teaching true history in schools. We must work to have the correct history taught in school, as we are doomed to repeat the terrible mistakes that have been made

[@auntiebobbolink]

@@thecook8964 Thank you for your thoughtful reply. There was/is so much pain, and people decide what is best for them at the time. I'm sorry you lost connection with your culture, and I'm glad to hear you're reading the history, grim tho it is. It's important we all understand what has gone on, and what we need to do to mitigate it. I will also add that I see hope in the native people of today being involved in professions and now being heard. There is great potential for changing this society by learning some of the important values of native people! The spirit of Aloha is an example of that, and I've spoken with native friends who talk about their tribe's Core Values. It's what we need to learn and incorporate in our own lives. Not the identity, not the ceremonies (unless invited), but the VALUES!

[@KiwidinokKinikwe]

Absolutely!

[@auntiebobbolink]

​@@KiwidinokKinikwe👍🦋

[@oldwaysrisingfarm]

Ok, I need to stick up for one of the "pretendians" in your photo montage. Like many of the families that survived in Pennsylvania her ancestry is complicated, she honors both Lenape and European heritage, wishes that the US had a less complicated Metis designation, and has strong connections with ceremony. She is a good example of how things get more and more complicated the further east you go (and hence the longer the period of overt genocide lasted), but she is not a pretendian by any stretch.