Who is Native American? Who is Black?

#ancestry #findingyourroots #ancestrydna #dnatest #louisiana #nativeamerican #creole #familyhistory #genealogy
The documentary- series "Finding Lola" is done, but is the journey over? This new mini series will explores the history and impact of DNA blood quantum for Native American communities and compare it to the one-drop rule, a similarly problematic concept that was used to define blackness in the United States during the era of slavery and Jim Crow. I speak with Professor and author Andrew Jolivétte, former department chair of American Indian Studies at San Francisco State University (2003-2019). He currently serves as the Board President of the American Indian Community Center in San Francisco, California where he was also Interim Executive Director from 2016-October 2018.
⚪Support more storytelling and get behind the scenes videos: / about
🟢Watch the docu-series "Finding Lola" : • MY family story of "Wh...
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🟢Want to know more? www.findinglolafilm.com
Grab your own Ancestry DNA test now*! : amzn.to/3UxGKJx
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Come join me on a new docu-series that explores identity, racial tensions in the South during the 20th century, and the unique experiences of those who historically called Louisiana home.
My name is Danielle Romero, and all my life, I have romanticized Louisiana.
Growing up in New York, it represented a place where I could step back the sepia-toned life of my great grandmother, Lola Perot, who died before I was born.
Now, it was time to go back to Louisiana--although I had no idea what the truth would be or what questions to ask---who was Lola really? Who were we?
*Amazon links are affiliate links. If buy something through these links, we may earn affiliate commission. Thank you for supporting this project!

[@nytn]

----->>>>Help me edit videos: buy me a coffee!:ko-fi.com/nytn13 Support more storytelling and get behind the scenes videos: www.patreon.com/NYTN/about 🟢Watch the docu-series "Finding Lola" : kzbin.info/aero/PLvzaW1c7S5hQcox9CjaJWA7QKTYXw9Zn2 ⚪Want to connect? facebook.com/findinglolafilm/ 🟢Want to know more? www.findinglolafilm.com Grab your own Ancestry DNA test now*! : amzn.to/3UxGKJx

[@gkeith64]

Walter Plecker... Eugenics society

[@panamasrose]

I'll have to watch later, but just by the title, this isn't a fair question in some ways. It's important to remember that there were Natives who looked African phenotypically. They were forced to self-categorize as black (as in New Orleans) because of the extreme bigotry towards Natives, or forced to identify as black (as in Virginia) by law.

[@jalilasadallah8316]

The blood will reveal the truth blood line

[@Mike-um4ci]

Native Americans are genetically linked to East Asians

[@sandraalvarez4230]

I love the discussion for a long time I did not know what I was I know genetically on Colombian and I have some African descent but that that just those are just words I am so aware that it's not that I have African descent it's that my father's family were black Indians and this is a totally new thing for me cuz I'm thinking an Indian is just a copper colored person with beautiful black hair long black hair but my grandmother Was a dark Indian with long hair but I never saw a black Indian before so I didn't even know there was such such a thing and I found out that all her people were from the Carolinas So I'm thinking wow it's it's worth me doing some research to find out what tribe I'm from They won't accept me because it's a It's a thing that has to do with My father's family doesn't know exist but I still could find out who what Indian tribe belong to or how much Indian is in me I hope there's a database somewhere it's worth looking into and I'm thankful for the discussion that you guys are having cuz I don't seem to fit anywhere

[@prim.an.propher1505]

Race, ethnicity and nationality are the three things that people confuse almost all the time. This was a good discussion

[@ahnraemenkhera7451]

I agree! But I believe Confusion & ignorance to be systematically delivered to specific groups-in varying degrees-based on race. The access to racially-determinative information has always been controlled, prevented, & dismissed as “unimportant,” for reasons of maintaining an even more substantial quantum over entitlements to power in US-concept terms. Geography, Darwinian Racial Theoretics, as well as cultural custom & observation are deliberately misappropriated & obscured in order to support myths, lore, & specious claims made by opportunistic persons with ideas of bilking & disinheriting people to separate them against each other or to keep people divided-&-conquered. Any in-depth knowledge has to be pursued on nearly any topic. But all attempts to determine “race” according to scientific research will typically prove futile, however, as long as Systemic Injustice exists.

[@prim.an.propher1505]

@@ahnraemenkhera7451 you are spot on! Love that deep dive! 🥰

[@jujuonthebeat776]

What is the avarage native American Genome

[@jaxsazerac4904]

What we are talking about is assimilation.

[@prim.an.propher1505]

@@jaxsazerac4904 what was discussed was the erasure of darker Indians. Assimilation is a myth, to civilize a group the oppressor must deem you uncivil and we never were primitive.

[@brandonwoods2446]

Google Avoca Island Louisiana. 137 acres of ingenious land passed down to my family but they were kicked off the land for being black. My great great grandmother Mercilte Verdin was a chittamacha Indian in st Mary parish who was granted the land by the U.S. government. Thank you so much for the videos and the time you are putting in. Most people think when I speak on these topics that they are fairy tales so it is greatly appreciated that you are doing this.

[@nytn]

Thank you so much for being here:)

[@starquality5774]

If she was given a land patent for the land by the Dawes Act of 1887, they illegally kicked your ancestors off because federal law also gave 2nd consanguinity Indian status up to her great grandchildren. They should have been given that status

[@ZamirMalachi6354]

​@@nytnit seems like black people always want to claim someone else's culture but not help their own people

[@dlr0332]

Check to see if they had land patents

[@dlr0332]

Ignore the last person it is documented that chitimacha tribe got rid of all the original Indians aka black after they secured their recognition. A patent was only given to the original aboriginal people so she has a claim

[@moonoverhwy367]

As someone who is a Reconnector and of Choctaw/Catawba/Cherokee heritage, I may not be able to identify with the march to Oklahoma, but my family was deeply affected by this. My grandfather was listed as Mulatto in the census, then Negro, then Black. He was raised by his Choctaw Grandmother in a Native encampment in Lafayette Springs, MS. He was refused Choctaw membership by the Dawes Commission. He inherited land and then ran off his land by the Ku Klux Klan. He was separated from his Mom (who was Choctaw and white), and rest of the family as a result of these things. Most of us have suffered "paper genocide" of the Dawes Commission. Our connection to our families, our ties to the land and our people have been severed ever since. The Dawes commission, the categorizing of blood quantum and the construct of race in America are the most nefarious of institutions. If you are of Native heritage, embrace who you are. Reconnect to community. Your ancestors are calling you to remember them. Don't let them be forgotten. We are still here and will always be here.

[@beatles127]

the white colonist set up and determined who was indian....dawes rolls.. so no wonder they got it all wrong..and families were excludes and suffered....because of this, i am an invisible indian....unseen, unwanted, unemployed, undesirable, unknown, unclaimed, but NATIVE.

[@patriciajackson4303]

They will take it to their graves they hate color peoples. This land don't belong to aliens. What they are saying is they want blacks and native out of this world for ever . But they made a mixture blood linages. I'm 61 I never seen so much hate until now 2023 it's so sad. To have a deadly disease or a mental illness to hate someone for the color of their skin . Sad but true.

[@dlr0332]

⁠@@stormy-le6pb no such tribe as Choctaw, the dawes is fraudulent and if you don’t have a blood tie to the original mound builders of the chacta nation you’re fraud too.

[@LeaksRepairswhenurplumbe-bn6xk]

​@@stormy-le6pbI don't think you read the entire statement. . I just want to add , my great grandmother was 1oo% Cherokee, raised on banks of the Tennessee River eventually married bought property up the hill from the river, considered a pioneer! I don't know exactly how my granny didn't end up out west,I just know it had something to do with dragon canoe. What else I know is racism was so normal for them that heritage was something only whispered about in private until my mom's mom passed away. Now these days we tell our children about our granny and her turkey and guineas, she had 3 children and those children had 13 kids , every weekend they went to Dots, that's my great granny, and worked the garden, took care of livestock and canning for winter,in winter you went there to eat all day , a shuffle of cousins staying in different homes and shuffle back in the morning, I know this because those 13 kids had us the 27 grandchildren who they promptly put to work I could cook a full meal from what most would say is nothing by age 7 along with my other cousins. We knew where in the yard to get food and how to preserve....... nothing ever about Cherokee ways just called Granny's ways. I just always took care of the land plants and animals around me all my life even after she passed away even when my kids were growing up....

[@LeaksRepairswhenurplumbe-bn6xk]

I've always been white,but always felt we were shaped by my granny she held our family together last I seen her she was 92 and she was pretty strong hadn't been but about a month she'd stopped cooking on Friday thru Sunday.

[@intodaysepisode...]

I LOVE this series of videos. These conversations are needed!

[@realcomedyperrycoalmon9407]

The beauty here is that we are getting more and more scholars like you to educate the public. Governments and businesses creating identities for people making it easier to victimize them.

[@OhyesSofresh]

he's no "scholar" lol, he's a pseudoscience idiot, like you. and i'm black

[@michaellanders4311]

Federal government doesn’t want to pay native Americans mixed w black They hate black folk and they don’t want to pay them for Oklahoma native groups who mixed w black. My grandma They disenrolled her from some little check she got And said in court she was running a scam The gets put black and native black indigenous peoples together. They took my grandmas mothers papers and confiscated her home cause she was black features and police said she was trouble maker. That came from the feds to limit numbers of people of mixed heritage. The racism is greater towards black Americans always that mix of my grandma skin tone fed government of the 50’s and 60’s was horrible The overt hatred towards blacks is overt in policy. Banking home ownership education And not wanting to make nlack people whole financially Envy of potential of reparations and hate violence exacerbated Stole money from blacks and indigenous. But refuse to pay the debt owed

[@gioiamiafumagalli184]

For me it is also about a little money and some recognition or conversely, contempt. You can get a subsidy from the United States government if you can prove you have a certain amount of Native American ancestry, but you only get racist treatment if you claim you’re black!

[@panchopablo6887]

​@@stormy-le6pbdo they bc their blood tests is coming back and displacing them especially if drilling is involved. It's sad the powers that be control the image of everyone.

[@lisam4503]

How many black activist have gotten a rude awakening thanks to DNA testing? The same goes for racist that find out they failed the one drop test! While I think knowing your history and culture is important not being tied down to it to much is also important. America at its best isn't any one culture. Its a hodgepodge of the best of different cultures blended together. The Melting Pot. I come from a very early early British Colonial America settling family. My families history is far more ugly towards native Americans than it ever was towards blacks. I would be surprised if we ever even had any black slaves. I do believe one of my grandfathers though may have had a native American slave. I have another Grandfather that survived a native ambush during the King Phillips War. We don't talk about the King Phillips war and we need to. After it there was deep fear another war with the natives would happen. Natives paid dearly for it. They were rounded up and shipped to the Carribean to be sold as slaves. Others that stayed in New England faced very unfair laws and treatment that set them up to get arrested and serve as slaves in New England. Yes blacks have had it bad but to say worse than Native Americans I don't think so. Off and on there has been government funding and efforts to elevate black people and other minorities. Amongst different minorities and other less socially favored there is a crab pot mentality of dragging each other down or playing the discrimination I've faced is worse than the discrimination you faced! At the end of the day the real prize is to be fully accepted as an American and to fully have your constitutional rights respected. I think the hive mind and tribalism has distracted from that end goal. Mostly different cultures appeal to different personality types and political systems more than they do to skin color. Don't limit yourself to I have to think this way or that way or act this way or that way based on the color of your skin or what ever. The end goal is to be unapologetically yourself and not hurting others doing it. @@gioiamiafumagalli184

[@Kabeyavictoria]

Very good video and Afro indigenous people have the right to identify as Both or Black and Native. That's it

[@ssinc.2065]

Racial Integrity Act 1924 reclassified all autochthonous blks as negros. Tuscaloosa means blk warrior. All accounts from early explorers said the inhabitants were dark similar to the “Ethiopian” which is what all of Africa was called at that time. “Killers of the Flower Moon” talks about how today’s Natives were infiltrated by yt’s. Most of so called Natives are $5 dollar Indians who paid five dollars to be listed on the Dawes rolls. I know my family history from West Florida, today known as Louisiana.

[@ssinc.2065]

@@stormy-le6pb yes the government has the history of the $5 dollar Indians

[@Micah_Perez.Praise_Yah]

Not true unless you believe the out of africa theory.

[@David-rt6lm]

Its up to EVERY TRIBE to say who is or is not part of the tribe. Since 1492 there has been alot of rapes and intermingling, WHICH IS FORBIDDEN IN OUR HEBRAIC CUSTOM. This was forced upon My People. Now everybody wants to be US First Nations today. Pathetic.

[@carolwoodward6141]

I believe the individual identifies their own identity … race, gender, etc.

[@TeeAlee143]

Indiginous❤Native❤Aboriginist❤Afro❤Eskimos❤All deserves recognition❤

[@sadiyyahcollins7491]

Very enlightening video. Thanks for speaking on topics that often get overlooked.

[@sixrod3055]

Never judge a book by it's cover comes to mind

[@mikochild2]

This. I have a biracial friend who looks like a very dark skinned black woman with locs. My daughter has 2 black parents and everyone assumes she is biracial due to her long hair and fair skin. You can't tell what people are by looking.

[@sixrod3055]

@@mikochild2 very true. I'm Cuban of multiple mixers and look white to most people. I've had white people ask me if I was Asian and Asians ask me if I'm Asian and White mixed. In my family some of us look white and others biracial. Someone said in front of me that Black is the Dominant gene and I said if that's true, why did my Cousins who's mom is Black and my uncle who looks biracial, daughters come out looking like me? Technology speaking they have more black than white mixture and came out with straight dirty blonde hair.

[@Buildinc1]

@@sixrod3055 what does straight dirty blonde hair look like?

[@kristinamitchell5274]

I literately had this conversation with a lender..I was asked ethnic identification questions.. I paused for a second and answered that I identify as African American but I am Cherokee Native as well..the lender didn’t give me any push back and selected both.. most of the time I don’t get that. I get “well you look mostly Black” and I’m like okay but that doesn’t erase my heritage

[@nytn]

I hate hate hate having to choose "one" thing and erase the other parts. I just refuse to say anything sometimes!

[@joeorca5087]

You look black act black talk black raised in black neighborhood then you are Afro-american regardless if you have a tiny percent of indigenous blood. You weren't raised in native American communities or reservations. You can't claim to be Native American and force them to accept you. But if you d be been a black mixed baby raised with native Americans and looked mixed then you can claim native American ancestry , what is it with everyone wanting to claim they are native Americans today?I ve run into whites blue eyed blond people competing with me, when they see me cause i ilook Native American and if I say I,m hopi or yuma or pueblo indian, they all say oh I,m CHEROKEE...like CV herokee seems to o be superior to any be other tribes. I,m sick of it, firsth they massacred the Indi as n now they all wanna be indians. Even black people oh I,m CHEROKEE, cut it out. Be proud of WHO you are where you were raised, your culture traditions customs.

[@moisesking4726]

Yeah that rough , I'm black mix with central America indigenous , over all I'll say I'm black but to some of my black and white friends they thought I was black and asian mix till I mentioned was I really was , as for Panamanian people I know they knew what I was plus I'm Panamanian and Dominican mix.

[@harley0786]

TRUE TRUE WELL SAID LOVE.

[@teelora1322]

Well well let me just explain to you why people will say you know you look more African-Americans than you do indigenous is because people don't understand that American and native Indians were just as melanated and they're here sometimes was just as kinky and course and extra curly as ours and so with this being said most of the time people don't understand people think of India and they think of long hair this that and the other but no American Indians and native Indians are both that of curly plate here sometimes and they are melanated summer very very dark-skinned and that goes for the dinos and some other Indian tribes that were migrated mixed with the Africans before they had even reached the Americas and the West Indies and that's why you have so many people of color that have hair textures certain way and we come out looking certain ways because we have been made up of so many things throughout slave-era that are our genes withhold so many different phenotypes so there you go

[@AlwaysLime]

So happy to hear you mention the Lumbee tribe. It’s so complicated, even internally I struggle with the concepts you are discussing here. This is helpful to me.

[@noelday2588]

GREAT IMPORTANT show Danielle!!! There is so much work to be done.

[@MISTERALSTON]

Paper genocide affected my maternal side and my father's maternal side. I appreciate this conversation relative. #SaponiNation

[@Awall79]

It's a shame how we are compelled to question our worthiness to reconnect with our heritage, I know I question it alot. Even though my grandfather was "100%" native and I grew up knowing him and the tribes he was from, we lived far from his ancestral lands and we were never in contact with his extended family. Now that he is gone we feel a great desire to reconnect but some in my family, myself included, feel uneasy embracing our indigenous ancestry even though all we want is cultural knowledge.... Then I have cousins who fully embrace it, call themselves indigenous and attend indigenous cultural gatherings. I loved what you guys were saying about no one can tell you who you are...yet societal conditioning makes some of us feel unworthy whereas some of us just fully embrace the culture. I'm trying to tell myself it is ok to own it as my cousins have because honestly, even if I didn't grow up in the culture, that culture runs in my veins and I share the same ancestry as those who did. I'm mixed...but is my Scottish grandfather more important than my indigenous grandfather? No, he isn't. My tan skin, black hair and dark eyes have always left me on the outside of my "white" family. My grandfather's family left the rez for employment opportunities they couldn't get at home. It didn't mean they didn't love their family. I guess my long winded point is...and I'm talking to myself here...if your ancestors struggled to survive so that you could be here...no matter where you ended up, you should honor them by embracing your heritage and learning about your culture.... because it's just as much yours as anyone born of indigenous bloodlines. And do we all have different experiences, yes...but so do indigenous people who grow up in the culture. I'm still working out my feelings, but this is where I am right now.

[@nytn]

Im so glad you shared from your heart, and it resonated with me, Especially this: :{I'm mixed...but is my Scottish grandfather more important than my indigenous grandfather? No, he isn't. My tan skin, black hair and dark eyes have always left me on the outside of my "white" family} Here is my thought, NO, not more important, but if your family is like mine, this is the side of the family where little is known and people are not as open to discuss it or dont have information to share. The white side is no mystery to me, that side of the family may have secrets, all families do, BUT, I never wondered if I was getting the full story with the Irish side. I hope you stay on the channel, and check out some of other videos, in particular the 4 part docu-series I did called "Finding Lola", my mom's gram. kzbin.info/aero/PLvzaW1c7S5hQcox9CjaJWA7QKTYXw9Zn2

[@Awall79]

@@nytn my family is so very much like yours. My grandfathers family was barely thought of yet at the same time my aunts were joining Scottish woman societies. My mother was taken to the reserve once to meet her great grandmother when she was a small child and the family was never spoken about again. I don’t know why my grandfather detached and I wish now I would have asked him while he was alive. I try to learn what I can on my own but living as far as I do from my extended family, it’s daunting. At the same time I feel such a connection to these people I’ve never met. Your journey has been such a moving experience to watch. Thank you for sharing your story because the amount of people struggling with similar genealogical mysteries is probably much more than we realize. I’m definitely subscribed and watching avidly.

[@Storm111_]

I’m Oneida and Scottish. I can relate to what you are saying.✊🏼

[@annetteabbott2144]

I'm half Menomonee and I, along with my 2 older brothers were born up home on the Reservation in Neopit WI. MY Dad packed us up and moved to Chicago for job opportunities cause he needed an actual job. My 5 other siblings were born there in Chicago but all of us only know how to identify as Native American. We all took after our Mom's side of the family.

[@thechiefwildhorse4651]

Actual Indigenous People are not guessing and talking about grandparents. We live Indigenous every day -COMANCHE NATION

[@keithtaylor273]

AWESOME video- learned so much!!!

[@thetribeofdjembe]

Danielle. Thank you for your insightful videos. We love your work.

[@nytn]

So thankful to have you here, conversation is what will bring the healing I think

[@traeucity6087]

Try being a Black Latino that doesn't speak Spanish. I know lots of Mexican-Americans that cannot speak Spanish, yet they are not denied acknowledgement of their Mexican identity. Even if you are a Black and Hispanic, you are viewed as not really Hispanic. My friend, Jovani, is a Panamanian Black woman. A Mexican-American co-worker of ours was surprised that Jovani could speak Spanish so well; despite Jovani being from Panama. I told her that Jovani is probably surprised that she could speak Spanish, too, since she was from the United States, which is not a majority Spanish speaking country.

[@LovelyLonewolf-qk9eg]

You know they are smart people in this world,why would she be surprised to learn Spanish,as if they are special people

[@kariblack298]

@@LovelyLonewolf-qk9eg every one’s special in their own way learning and knowing new languages is special being able to communicate with the world is special

[@LovelyLonewolf-qk9eg]

@@kariblack298 Jacob I love,Esua I hate.

[@denisehenry3427]

@@LovelyLonewolf-qk9eg Now read the whole chapter. You can't be quoting scripture, without explaining context. 🙏 ♥

[@independenceboyd2042]

Black genes are dominant ,

[@GEK2024]

Thank you for this intresting Interview.

[@constitutionallyconscious165]

I loved this video thank you for this conversation.

[@tknows470]

This is a really fascinating conversation and I am glad you’re having it.

[@nytn]

I enjoyed it SO much

[@LeslieLannanshoshana365]

This is a very interesting topic. My father's family is very white-passing, yet they always identified as African-American in the USA. Race is a construct. USA society categorizes its citizens based on what they look like, and we all know how that works in America. Your family, my family, so many families are an example of this.

[@nytn]

I hope that the more we de-stigmatize talking about it (and people who look ALL SORTS of ways participating in the conversation) things can change a little bit over the course of every generation

[@adpowell1414]

People who are predominately white (Yes, "looks white" because of predominate European genes) are white. Calling themselves "African American" shows that they are victims of paper genocide and the belief that they are too inferior for the honor of their own European heritage. No one has the right to say that such people are only "passing as white." "White" is not "pure." Ask the Latinos (nearly all of them are "tainted" with the dreaded "black blood" to various extents).

[@rianshaw3687]

Mine is one as well! My dad is white passing.

[@shay8730]

This was a great discussion.

[@user-dl9eu5jz6i]

Very insightful and encouraging... Much Respect for the undying truth! Thank you highly for the coverage! ❤

[@rawlawtv1498]

Love your consistent content. Very unique videos.

[@nytn]

All the questions no one could ever answer for me

[@patrickdeady410]

Thanks, Daniele, for another stimulating conversation! You have really been searching for your roots and how to resolve the incongruity between your upbringing and your newfound ancestry. You can study the culture and find some acceptance that way, hopefully!!

[@nytn]

You are so welcome! Im so glad you are here

[@anyatranter5588]

I live in England,UK and my Daughter has one Irish granny.She is entitled to a dual passport English and Irish.She is considered to be accepted as Irish.

[@orchidsbloom6110]

Great work and research, sir. I am a dispora from East Africa and finding this info super fascinating. Subscribed !

[@soleil3759]

I love the topic and have always wondered why the harsh treatment of Black indigenous. There are so many of us that hide their indigenous heritage and ancestry due to this issue and harsh reality. It is a topic we need to speak about more and do our own due diligence and research to our the families together again. Great topic! Love how the two of your discussed this. Peace, love & light to you family.

[@AceX22]

The reason black people don’t claim it is because of the 1830 Indian removal act because this forced black people to change our identity or they would take your land & put you on a reservation since black people wouldn’t do that the Siberians were granted the reservations & now they get to be “Native Americans”

[@marialalasmith9562]

That’s racist and false. As someone that is both Native American and Black aka the descendants of enslaved Africans. You need to stop with your racial hate. We have been here for more than 40000 years, while your African ancestors came 300 years ago. So did mine from my mom’s side and I’m damn proud of my Black African side. So just stop. Calling us siberians is racist and bullshit. It’s giving inferiority complex and self hate. black history is beautiful too!

[@Buildinc1]

@@AceX22 black people have never been Indian. The only black Indians were those that were captured by Indians when slaves or run away slaves shipped in from Africa and taken as wives by their captives. Men were almost definitely killed just like their white counter parts. Or a free slave took and Indian wife for himself just like many of his white male counterparts back in the day. That would of made their kids half Indian and half black african. That didn’t make these kids black indigenous people in America. Focus being on the indigenous part . They therefore had and have no rights to Native American indigenous lands. To claim these people had to change their colour or description so as not to have their land taken away or sent to reservations is ludicrous and false . Even more ridiculous and absurd never mind false is to now suddenly jump onto the creative wagon and try claim the defendants of these mixed race people are some original black Indian tribe that existed before the white colonisers arrived or further yet to claim they existed even before the indigenous Native American tribes we know of today . Just because the present political climate of today has given and allowed you a platform to voice your opinions or outlandish claims , that doesn’t mean they are true or of any factual nature . Telling the same lie over and over again won’t change the outcome no matter how hard you try or want it to be true .

[@Yes-fe8ni]

​@AceX22 That's one of the dumbest comments I've ever seen on KZbin. Get educated. Native Americans been here far before Siberians came or Africans. You weren't indigenous to this land if you have kinky hair or non native features. All throughout the America's the indigenous have straight hair and native features not African. Stop it. Allow other cultures to exist. It's disrespectful to Native Americans. You can be mixed but stop claiming black people were in Ameirca. No they were not.

[@Yes-fe8ni]

​@AceX22 That's one of the dumbest comments I've ever seen on KZbin. Get educated. Native Americans been here far before Siberians came or Africans. You weren't indigenous to this land if you have kinky hair or non native features. All throughout the America's the indigenous have straight hair and native features not African. Stop it

[@Horiatis76]

I’m always happy to listen to others perspectives. This was a interesting interview with much to think about. The ideas and possibilities were expressed in a manner that will bring continued thought. Well done as always Danielle.

[@nytn]

What a generous comment, thank you so much. Glad you are here for the journey:)

[@markdaniels4178]

Lol! If you think about becoming a nation you better get a standing military

[@joshuajohnson181]

Proud of You and What you are doing Danielle

[@nytn]

thank you :)

[@shamekacorso335]

Very good conversation. Being a darker complexion "black* woman, who has a strong Louisiana mixed ancestry. My dna shows I am indeed native and even have South American ancestors I do have higher % of African u.e.Nigerian dna

[@barryharrissz4748]

I be sceptical of those DNA test, your oral history passed down to you is more reliable. The database from which they draw from is missing most the native American tribes to draw sequence strain from.

[@hatachikoi-chickasawnation6711]

I appreciate this topic. Thank you.

[@prim.an.propher1505]

The creole people of Louisiana have CHANGED in my lifetime. When I was younger they were darker but after generations of breeding with lighter people it’s hard to find darker creoles and their elders don’t mention it anymore so the children do not relate to that history. I have creoles in my family and I remember the blue vein, comb and paper bag tests.

[@mysikind8076]

What? I've never heard of that. Please tell me what they used it for. I'm not American.

[@prim.an.propher1505]

@@mysikind8076 to test hair texture by resistance and if the persons skin tone compared to the bag. If it was darker, you weren’t accepted. These tests were implemented by the Blue Vein Society, biracial people who didn’t want to be identified as Negro.

[@denisehenry3427]

Blue veins had to be visible beneath your skin. Comb,had pass through your hair with ease. Brown paper bag, your complexion has to be lighter than a brown paper bag. Some lighter skin creoles were not allowed to date or marry darker than the brown paper bag. This was practiced in Louisiana. Many Creoles don't consider them selves "African Americans ". They want to be known for their culture, not race. ♥

[@prim.an.propher1505]

@@denisehenry3427 they want to be white. Very few of my relatives today have children of color because they have white partners

[@LouisianaVodouEmpressbitches]

What Creoles are these ? What locale? If anything they have gotten darker because the younger ppl don't care anymore abt mating to keep the color. When I was a kid everybody looked white damn near and now folks are darker if anything. I am a South Louisiana Creole and folk historian.

[@tricheld]

Love this conversation. It is so much more about cultures.

[@nytn]

And we need to reconnect to those cultures and teach our kids!

[@wa-bu3ke]

what is "culture"?

[@iamshebeeloloindigenous]

​@@stormy-le6pb Yes the African Americans but not the indigenous ones. You seem to know more about our culture than your own heritage and I've seen u on many posts making the same assumptions. Go within and find out who you are first and foremost Stormy. Peace

[@thechiefwildhorse4651]

@@nytn You need to ask permission. Not assume your right -COMANCHE NATION

[@nytn]

@@thechiefwildhorse4651 Not sure why you are directing this at me. I dont claim any nations. 🤷‍♀

[@talkamarachi]

This is been one of the best refreshing conversation about the ancestral debacle going on right now. So wonderful to get both your perspectives.

[@rebeccamd7903]

In my own tri-racial experience, my grandmother and great grandmother both were very afraid for anyone to think they weren’t white, even though neither were white passing. I was born in the 70’s and was still subjected to their fears. We are not that far removed from the lingering colonial oppression. It still plays a factor in American culture. Hopefully it will continue to change and improve for the betterment of our country.

[@reggiemoaning3271]

@rebeccamd7903 How do you become tri-racial?

[@adellhenderson7392]

​@reggiemoaning3271 by have three races present in your lineage. It's more than just mom and dad.

[@reggiemoaning3271]

@@adellhenderson7392 Well if I were to use that I have way more than 3!😂

[@BruceLee-xn3nn]

This whole video sounds the way white people thought back then. If you weren't white,you were black regardless of what country you were from. Mexico, Africa, middle east , native American.

[@reggiemoaning3271]

@@shykhayashar1 the way you worded that DOESN'T make sense. Black/Indian are One.

[@lindyashford7744]

I like the idea of people acknowledging that they re multi heritage. There should be no pressure to identify their mix unless they want to, or actually have a heritage preference or upbringing. These kind of problems do seem to be particularly an American issue. The story of indigenous people everywhere is really messed up, around the world. Their narratives and lives are very controlled by governments. Still trying to put them in some kind of box, in many places with pressure to surrender any cultural practices, dress, language and other signifiers. I fully believe this is because there has been a historic trend to eradicate them through intermarriage, because really they are the bothersome original people of land that governments have occupied. This significantly differs from enslaved people migrated in as various kinds of workers, who had economic value and worth and could be exchanged. Btw Loads of people do try and claim their Irish, Welsh Scottish and various other European heritage! Complete with genealogies…

[@nytn]

It seems a particularly hard situation in America, and I dont really an answer for why that is when every country has had its native occupants come into contact with other groups. But ultimately, it's hard not to look at it and say the purpose was to eradicate native americans, like you said

[@lindyashford7744]

@@nytn really it is a miracle that culturally anything survived and it attests to the power of oral histories, and the rituals of everyday living, cooking, and clothing, and rites of passage, dance and music that can be harder to eradicate than is acknowledged. Today it is understood that genocide is not just about killing people, it is also about eradicating history, language, relationships, sense of home, religion and all the other markers of who people are. It is currently very much a topic as we watch how Ukrainian children have been kidnapped and the steps taken to Russianise them. The process of eradication of a culture that is different. This has very long roots especially in colonised places. Sadly, not done with yet, though often it goes unrecognised. But the positive side it they cannot eradicate the things people value and pass down. That was one thought provoking conversation in your video and relevant to a lot of people. Not just Americans. I often wonder if in the future our mixed several times great grandchildren will say things like, that’s nothing, I have ancestors from over twenty different peoples! Or thirty or forty even! And children will learn about all their pasts with no fear and no need to hide anything or favour anything either. And that they will by some miracle have come through these times into a place where people treat themselves and their world in a way that honours all our pasts as having value and worth in spite of all the mistakes of humanity. Maybe that’s what we need to pass on, that possibility. xx

[@nytn]

"I often wonder if in the future our mixed several times great grandchildren will say things like, that’s nothing, I have ancestors from over twenty different peoples! Or thirty or forty even!" YES! My kids have a long long list of their "ancestral backgrounds" and it is normalized in our household. We are from many people, and honor them all. Thank you as always for your contribution to the conversation

[@denisehenry3427]

I have a great great Irish grandfather. My great grandmother's father was Irish. I acknowledge it because my grandfather always spoke about it. He also told us that his grandmother was Native American, and his grandfather was a slave. I have family members with red hair and green, hazel eyes. My son and his wife have brown complexions. Now his friends are curious about their very pale complexion and curly hair kids. 😂 But that's a whole neither story. Both of your stories are interesting. ♥

[@thechiefwildhorse4651]

@@nytn My kids are Only Comanche -COMANCHE NATION

[@crystallewis-brown3237]

Great discussion! I have searched one of the genealogy sites for more info on my great grand parents. I was born & raised in Louisiana as well. Grew up around my Creole grandmother & Cherokee grandfather. My mom looks more like my grandfather who is light-skinned with hair of straight strands. My dad is brown complexion mixed with Spanish & has straight & curly strands of hair. I’m & my 4 siblings are brown-skinned with hair like our dad. I don’t understand the blood percentage thing & have always felt like I’m a mixed bag of skittles. It heart-warming to see that there’s many more people out there like me. I plan to seek more research though. Keep up the good work & conversations you guys.

[@sarahkoren7294]

I love the way you put that!

[@corneliakoller1914]

I am so happy that some peoples talk about this!

[@kdugg]

One of the most positive videos I’ve watched on races. Love it man! Take pride in your ancestors, whoever they may be.

[@dwaynetaylor2463]

My grandmother on my father side was full blooded creek Indian and my great grandmother on my mother's side was also native American. I'm light skinned, my hair is straight and curly... but I identify as black and proud of it.

[@TeGx0]

See folks don't understand who we are but show be tryna tell us we the real LIT❤🎉

[@dwaynetaylor2463]

@@stormy-le6pb i always believed myself to be of mixed decent somewhere along the line but not native American. My aunt cleared that up and told me my grandmother was creek, my sister had a different father and he was half seminal It's funny how my family seem to marry and have children from two different tribes... but these tribes were from the same region...

[@dwaynetaylor2463]

I've seen family photos of grandmother with straight black hair and Indian features... you know this but don't think much about it especially if you didn't grow up on a reservation. I do remember when I was a child receiving gift from a tribe asking my mother to allow my older brother to come to there reservation to be taught and cared for. My brother didn't want to go.

[@dwaynetaylor2463]

@@stormy-le6pb I haven't done dna but my people have all the photos to prove things.

[@allnoingseven6240]

@@stormy-le6pb How accurate is DNA testing for Native American? Thus, Native American DNA tests do not provide foolproof answers to questions of Native American ancestry. In many cases, their results are accurate and informative. But in others, they fail to detect such ancestry in individuals with Native American ancestors, and they incorrectly identify it in others.

[@sroberts6457]

The irony is that the more we discuss this topic and the deeper the conversation gets, the more it's evident that this idea is just a social construct that is meant to divide and conquer, separating people into smaller groups that continually fight about their superiority over another group. From the dawn of time they're has been tribes and creeds that groups identify with but the American concept exists purely to justify the mistreatment and oppression of certain group of people. It boils down to economic control and modern enslavement of a people. The real division in modern America is classism, the huge gap between the haves and the have-nots.

[@hadessahf3549]

This is why we will never move beyond the color of our skin, the texture of our hair, the out of Africa theory, and fictional claims about DNA ancestral testing which typically use “statistical data in conjunction with historical information about populations and migrations” to provide an estimation of one’s ancestry. Most of us want to know who we are. However, I surmise many of us have become more obsessed with how we do not want to be identified rather than who we are as a part of humanity. When everything else is taken into consideration, one’s skin color, hair texture or ethnic heritage means little to nothing; they are just another diversion to keep humanity divided. We are all one people on this earth. There is No pecking order other in humanity other than the one the “rulers” have established for us.

[@LonnieBhi]

​@@hadessahf3549And notice how the rulers tend to have white/fair skin, somehow they associate paleness with power. This is frustrating because I have mixed (half black/white) children who will definitely be mistaken as "white". Racism is superficial (also a form of spiritual hate), the social construct being the scale used to judge you based on phenotype. This is why people don't want black people claiming their mixed ancestry. It threatens those who want to be close as possible to whiteness, bc they believe their whiteness gives them power/authority. But the Most High will prove them wrong, all glory to God.

[@yayajlupo]

Thank u much professor ! Finally truth & sense 👍🌟😊

[@deewilson3239]

Being Black is such a unique experience we are mixed with so many things

[@TamaraGarrettAlpha]

Right 💯💯💯

[@nikkianthony4383]

Black humans were the first people to ever walk upright. Life began in Africa and science and DNA tells us Africans were the cousins of all who came after them.

[@hakeemahmed6126]

CORRECT

[@Circa2000s]

Yesss!!

[@MANI-ee7vr]

Yes

[@OreoTime1]

Nice conversation in relations to our roots. Thanks for the informational video. Full watched and of course, Like too. Blessings!

[@nytn]

Glad to have you here!

[@OreoTime1]

@@nytn, welcome, dear and it's actually is my pleasure.

[@leburnmaddox3532]

13:29 A much needed discussion to shed light on who and what we see ourselves as. Raised as a so called Negro I explored my Grandmother’s Cherokee roots and spent time on the Land with Elders and I listened to them. I also discovered my British ancestry as well.

[@SOULAR175]

Great work

[@nytn]

Thank you so much 😀

[@SOULAR175]

I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE YOU A GEM INTERVIEW 💎 MY FAMILYMADE IT TO THE WHITE HOUSE WIT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT MY GREAT GRANDFATHER SAVED A TOWN IN WARM SPRINGS, GA WE ARE CREEK CHEROKEE ,WINDER GEORGIA AND CHOCTAW ON MY MOTHERS SIDE SWAN LAKE MISSISSIPPI I HAVE TO BOOKS MY FAMILY WROTE

[@katrinatu7558]

Hi Professor Jolivette! I took your mixed race studies class at SFSU back in 2006.

[@lindabeck3412]

Amazing interview today!Thanks for sharing. As I always say to you I am learning so much from you, Thanks for sharing. There are so many points made in today's interview but it stuck out to me when he spoke about classifications and that " people" will think of us as being this or that based on our appearance. So, recently I was at the DMV to get my Tennessee driver license& The Question for my new license was " what race do you identify with" I answered, white. My daughter & son in law was also with me, my son in law answered " Hispanic" as his Father was from Cuba, his mother is from The Netherlands. And even though I knew that information it surprised me to hear his response. But now I'm thinking so?? Ok- that's how he identifies but to me he is still the same. That interaction at DMV made me think about you & you journey & I wondered was it that simple for Lola to just change herself when she left Louisiana & relocated to New York. Did she just say " now I am White" and it was that easy? Does that make any sense ? Do you ever wonder about that?

[@nytn]

Linda, what a great story, thank you for sharing because it is such an easy one to see in our own lives. I do think about that, and in some way, it worked out well for Lola to make the change when she did: census takers up until that time would look at you and write down what they thought you were, and here she was in NY with an IRISH husband, defining herself (and her family!) and she just rolled with it. The stroke of a pen!

[@ezekieljones85]

​@@nytn 😂

[@karenearle5507]

What is very interesting, is there was a point in history when the Negroes were slightly looked upon as being better than the Indigenous Native American, even though at that time the Native Americans were just as Black in complexion as the Negro. The only difference was the hair texture and facial features. I read in a book about Native American history, some Native Americans passed for Negroes, just because they did not want to live on Reservations and wanted to be housed in government housing, the projects. As well, some Negroes that were Negro Native American born, were being discriminated against by Native Americans, from owning property in the Native Nations. Racism is so exhausting and foolish.

[@DanielMartin-mg9rq]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@corneliakoller1914]

This is so interesting!

[@baldscott9191]

Congrats on how much you have grown. Have been watching you from about your 3rd video

[@aaronwright6058]

Thank you for your program, and thoughts. I appreciate this very much! My mother was from Nachitoches Louisiana, and my Family is of every skin tone. Eugenics has polluted the entire planet. I am multiracial (ie) Creole de Color, African, French, and Native American. I am Creole because of my parents, and my culture. I can’t abide by the rules of Eugenics at all; they have no right to determine who I am. All Eugenics rules are a form of oppression. We still, as a Nation, are forced by our paperwork to even apply for jobs + a great deal more: This Enforces Eugenics today. There are databases kept by corporations, and State, local, and federal governments that use the data from how we fill out our forms for this & that…… Woke has become a dirty word for people of Western European descent in our country, but a movement towards defining a social identity to anyone who is not. I am paying attention to what I read, and see, and have been. I am forced to look outside of popular thought to see, and define what I am seeing. That’s considered dangerous by the mainstream. Then so be it……..

[@sarahkoren7294]

Actually mixed races are usually healthier. Less Genetically passed on diseases because of intermarriage from relatives, like my people have.

[@thateeo8168]

@@sarahkoren7294 💀

[@purplepheasant4776]

Eugenics and evolution.

[@kemical247]

I’ve been going through this situation for years, especially growing up knowing my heritage from my parents and grandparents

[@RememberKatrina2005]

This series is getting more outstanding as it goes along. Allen in New Orleans.

[@nytn]

Allen, that made my week! Thank you ☺️

[@afrayedknot4174]

Thank you for this discussion. Accurate history is not taught in the USA. This is a very important topic that goes seemingly unrecognized and unreferenced; the effects of which have harmfully rippled throughout American history in so many ways up until TODAY. Thank you ❤‍🔥

[@redwood421]

My beef is with the terms Hispanic and Latino. I consider Hispanic to be the peoples from Hispaniola, not all the peoples south of the U.S. borders. The people that are "assigned" to the Latino designation never had Latin as their native language, nor is Latin a country. The U.S. has stripped a racial classification from millions of people terming them an ethnic group. I simply don't buy into their description. I use AmerIndian or Native American as my mother's people all came from Mexico. Similarly, the U.S. classifies Northern Africa countries like Lebanon, Iran, and Egypt as White, yet in our culture they are not treated as such. I don't depend on government classifications. I know my family heritage.

[@nytn]

Oh this was excellent, especially this: I don't depend on government classifications. I know my family heritage.

[@redwood421]

@@nytn Loved your discussion.

[@AnthonyJstark-vz4so]

Hispanic is someone who is born in the iberian peninsula. Born in spain and portugal. The same thing applies to the term "latin" that pertains to europeans.

[@carmolina]

Hispanic just means a Spanish speaking person outside of Spain…but Latino is very inaccurate and misleading… that term should not even be used. No one runs around in Puerto Rico or other Spanish speaking countries calling themselves “Latino” America made up that term and the people followed

[@AnthonyJstark-vz4so]

@@carmolina None of those two terms should be used. The US used them to label those born outside the US when immigration laws and census were created. Hispanic means someone born in the iberian peninsula

[@Maxwellpenn]

Dope conversation. I’m a New Yorker, but my mothers people are “Creoles” from Louisiana. We’re a Black family with Native American ancestry. Our people are Guillots from the Avoyles and Biloxi tribe in Marksville.

[@jessicamcdaniels2337]

My folks are from New Orleans. We have Chitimacha and Atakapas roots. I've heard of the Avoyles and Biloxi tribes. Is Marksville near St Francisville by chance? My grandfather lives there at some point

[@poloclubb]

Y’all ain’t native tho 😂 never will be

[@kingdada3779]

Sister and my brother thank you for talking about this.

[@mrsrafeeqah]

Love this

[@paulacribb56]

He said it all...Dont let anyone tell you who you are. Personally, I dont need a card or tribal enrollment to tell me I am decended from many nations. This was an excellent interview!

[@nytn]

I love your strength in pushing through to the truth!

[@paulacribb56]

@@nytn it's all so my children and grandchildren will know the truth plus the ancestors won't let me stop now lol

[@BlackRose-rp7kv]

Girl u white

[@nytn]

@@BlackRose-rp7kv I identify as white! :)

[@kathiejohns1418]

I agree!We are what we are & don't need a piece of paper/card to prove it

[@garycole520]

Very informative. And you are correct: for far too long in this country select groups of people have been allowed to categorize other people and put them into assigned boxes, and all too often for the purpose of disenfranchisement and discrimination.

[@yokotastrong3902]

Thank you so much for this conversation! My roots date back to the founding of Natchitoches, Louisiana. We have always known that my family has Native American ancestry and creole heritage. Although society labels me as black, my family and I are very mixed with European, Asian, Native American and African. I'm so glad that my DNA results proves my Native American Ancestry, however we have been challenged in tracing the genealogy to identify the actual name of my last Native American ancestor on my grandfather's line.

[@nytn]

Yesss a Natchitoches cousin!

[@elizabethclark7875]

Good video.

[@stephanienwadieiiamhybasia]

Amazing how you and your cousin look like family. All of you are so talented. You are representing your Ancestors well. All of them. Thank you for sharing. Peace and blessings. I can relate to everything both of you said. I’m Creole but didn’t grow up in Louisiana. My family migrated from Louisiana to Texas. I am darker than my high yellow Mother. I have been questioned about my being “Creole “ by a lighter complexioned Creole Facebook friend. ( even though her grandchildren were way darker than I was.😂). People are crazy! No more need to prove anything to anyone.

[@nytn]

Stephanie, as always thank you for your encouragement, it always fills up my heart! No more need to prove anything to anyone, that's a beautiful summary!

[@stephanienwadieiiamhybasia]

You are most welcome 🤗.

[@JosBaRa]

Very interesting video. I’m 1st generation Mexican American born here. I find it weird how many Americans would say they are just 1 ethnicity. But using common sense of where they were born and stuff one can assume they have other dna than just that 1 or 2 they claim. I did the dna testing and says 66% indigenous and 21% Spain. But the part of Mexico(Acapulco) where my family is from was a slave port many years ago. So I knew I had African dna. Also basing it on I got curly hair. If it’s Spain and indigenous ppl then it’s usually straight hair. My great grandma was Afro Mexican. Just not to long ago Mexico finally recognized Afro Mexicans as a category there. But some claim cause the blood quantum y’all speak of we aren’t really black. Using that slaves were there and escaped and procreated with natives and over the years kept reproducing with natives the African blood would thin out but the features would remain in some. Says I’m 6% African. I never understood why Americans(mainly white or the ones that considered themselves whites) stopped claiming their ancestors? Like say german Americans. How many generations does it take for them to drop the german part and say only American. But if I look or ppl know I have Mexican blood or a person has some African in them we will always be Mexican American or African American.

[@gsanchez5116]

Valid point. The entire experience is just strange here in the US compared to different countries like in different countries they just mainly identify with their nationality no matter what they look like but here it’s the other way around people ask what your ethnicity is first. Personally I’m German and French from my mom and Mexican and Nicaraguan from my dad. The German/French part I barely know about because they probably dropped that as soon as they got to the US …. Pre 1970s I don’t think most immigrants took pride in where they came from and were more concerned with assimilating and passing as American. My Mexican and Nicaraguan grandparents carried on with hints of their traditions but raised their kids (my dad +aunts) to be very American and only English speaking which is really sad … that was the 60s … I’m pale but have really big curly hair as you can see In my profile picture and get really brown in the summer. How I was raised was very much so American with no traces of my moms European traditions and very little traces of my dads Latino heritage. It takes as little time as you want for your roots to be forgotten. My dads grandparents were only spanish speaking and he is only English speaking. His parents knew both. So it takes approximately 3 generations for the language to be fully wiped out and all cultural aspects To disappear

[@ellismeah8110]

Same in England ,the powers that be don't like you calling yourselves English because of colonial and slavery pasts so prefer British, everyone is mixed with someone else in England

[@514Exc]

if youre 21% spanish and 6% after thats like 1 or 2 more generations of grandmothers for sure

[@514Exc]

@Fredrick Frederickson Spain was conquered by african muslims once upon a time, a lot of african dna that most spainish arent aware of or just refuse to accept.

[@denisehenry3427]

@@514Exc You're so right. It takes more than DNA to identify who you are and where did your ancestors come from. Ancient wars and modern wars along with slavery change the notion of who's 💯 percent of anything . This is world wide. ♥

[@alrightb]

He is so correct a lot of black people don't realize that the ancestors were Native American if you look up the public senses at the library where your. Family is originally from you will be surprised what you can find in your history as the Native American. I found out that my grandmother was a full blooded Cherokee. My great grandfather was a redfoot Indian and His wife was a full blooded red hawk Indian so and we have family books and family trees to go down the line of our ancestor History and they were all dark skinned it native american people

[@kiki13451]

I was looking at my dna tests (I did two) and my family always said we were native but I thought they were just saying that. But on my timeline (which it’s one of those tests so I take with a grain of salt) it said that the natives and the black people mixed together in my family before they mixed with the Europeans and I thought that was so interesting. Idk a lot about my family because there’s so many of us I only know my grandma, great grandma, and great great grandma on my moms side and my grandparents on my dads side so I’m struggling to find a way to look into my family but it’s interesting to me how so many of us have indigenous in us even if it’s a small percent bcuz at least for me we were taught to not believe that something like that happened

[@alrightb]

@Kiara Renee` My mom had a lot of family members who kept up with pictures in our family and the history on our native American ancestors but. She also did some research too. My family all came from Alabama, so what she did was call census information and call vital records. Some people she knew, some of it was a paper trail of connecting the dots. Now, some of the years from census will not give you information on. I don't know why. It is a lot of work. Now, it may even cost money. When my mom did looked it up it was like almost 20yrs ago. Try to get as much information from your family to start you off

[@calidawg510]

Dark skinned doesn’t mean black also Natives mated with Africans too

[@user-xn1bo9rx5m]

when we found the indians they had not yet invented THE WHEEL say that out loud. They were 10,000 years behind the white man.

[@robertjones6272]

​@@calidawg510dark skinned doesn't mean black? What does black mean? And you say natives those are all immigrants, the American Indian was later reclassified as negro colored black by the US census 🪶🤎, the word black was created by the US government to right us out of history, and the word native was created to write the immigrants in and steal the land, that's the one drop rule and blood quantum was about..thats why in order to be accepted in a tribe today you dont need a blood test...that test dont exist..saying that natives mixed with the "blacks" sure pale😂

[@WealthNMe]

I truly appreciate this video. There a great amount of confusion within my family and our bloodline due to slavery. My paternal grandmother’s mother was Native American (I do know what tribe) and her father was black. My grandmother (fathers side) gave him the feathers he was presented by the tribe. I have NO history of my maternal mothers family. For years I would ask the elders on my father’s side of the family and it was always hush hush. My father’s family is from Carthage, Mississippi.

[@starbrite1618]

It was a crime to say you were “native” by death sometimes if you didn’t have the documents to prove it. They made it DIFFICULT for the mass population of indigenous to carry that “title” from the fee, paper work and what they “deemed as Native”. The ones that were denied will forever be in a system that the gov’t doesn’t have access to. So, what I’m saying they didn’t kill them off they mostly reclassified as “mulatto” then “negro”. The census and surveying people have a story to tell back then. The 5 Nations” and the gov’t worked and in hand. It’s our job as descendants of this “ unofficial “ tribes to start digging deeper into our lineage. My great-grandmother born 1880 was born in DC last name McDonald and that was the brick wall I am now.

[@UnfilteredTruth1]

Mississippi deleted all tribes from their records after the trail of tears. The natives that stayed in the state or returned was classified as Mulatto or Black. Eventually they started recognizing tribes but a lot of family history was lost.

[@ivyd5485]

I love this - people don't get to tell you who you are.

[@jbtpa895]

Wow,thanks for this. I'm white. My daughter married a man who's Dad is Italian, Mom is from Belize and is African,Mayan and Scottish and I've never thought about any of this until my granddaughter was born. I just want her to be proud of every part of herself!

[@darrellwilliams7604]

Really enjoyed this. My grandmother being told us who we are.

[@tekkmoma4498]

My Aunt has a friend that is very pale white, straight blond hair, blue eyes, looks Swedish and receives money and acceptance from the government because she says she has some Native American blood…yet Black Native Americans are denied payment and acceptance in the same program. Should all who ID as Native American and are accepted in those monetary programs be made to take a DNA test? Anyway, I enjoy the conversations. Learning lots from Professor Jolivette. Excellent.

[@Bonnie-ep6dy]

I just discovered your channel. I’m from Louisiana too (New Iberia/Lafayette) and new to genealogy. I just took a dna test and found out my maternal Haplogroup is a Native American one (B2). No one in our family knew anything about it. We all just thought we were French, German, and Spanish. Since then I’ve been searching for this Native American grandmother, and I believe I found her. Funny thing is I found a Romero grandmother along the way. Anyway, your channel inspires me to research all the different ethnicities in my family tree.

[@nytn]

Bonnie, so glad you are here. Louisiana is incredibly admixed and truly feels like it's own unique thing. I hope you keep me updated on what you find

[@julie1630]

New Iberia? Louisiana? I saw a grandmother from New Iberia but did not say Louisiana so now that I realize that's a place I'm going to try to find her. Thought that was another place near Russia!! Thank you and you didn't even know it!!

[@anyatranter5588]

I did my DNA I am from UK,hoping to find Romany Gypsy in there somewhere as I always felt connected to them and my dad said when I was a child we had Romany blood way back.There was nothing interesting at all almost 100%northern European.I was gutted but also felt even more vindicated in my spiritual connection to my country England which I love.not the modern one but the ancient burial mounds and stone circle builders who were taken over by invaders.

[@Lily_of_the_Forest]

Hi Cousin! All of us Cajuns are related by blood or by marriage. Even if you moved down here, you can still Party Til You’re Cajun!

[@sr2291]

​@@anyatranter5588DNA sites only go back 8 generations. Romani could bring up DNA from India. The only way to really find out who your ancestors are is to do your family tree back in time.

[@SoulWhisperer]

And I"m with him, go and explore all of you. We feel so stifled by the racial/cultural biases and racial things we've inherited. We have a right to know all of who we are. Follow your spirit.

[@nytn]

There are a lot of subconscious things that we need to shake off, me especially!

[@oops541]

@@stormy-le6pb Listen up people, let just be honest to ourselves. Most Indian American folks are super lazy, lacking ambitious and love to get drunk a lot. The Asian, Arab/Middle Eastern, Russian, East Indian, Mexican/Latino from South America hard work ethic PUT American Indian and BLK American folks to shame!!

[@laverledugger1563]

@@stormy-le6pbit’s very silly to claim to be native when most of us are not

[@launadiva]

The problem with the DNA test is that alot of identified Natives don't test. I show up 1% Native. However, my great grandmother told me she was Choctaw. Her mother shows up as Mulatto on the census. So I really don't know what that means. But I've seen pictures of her and she had straight hair.

[@g-love0704]

You are so right, the Native % is very low. My great grandmother's father was full Cherokee, but my Mom's DNA test % was really low.

[@TeGx0]

​@@g-love0704 if u look close enough it ain't hard to tell Facial features hair texture and twist etc

[@yellowfeather116]

@Lala, when you see Mulatto or Colored on an old census, that means that they were Indigenous. Then check the Indian Rolls. My people were found on the Dawes Rolls. There are several Rolls so make sure to do your research. Don't give up!

[@IAMTabitha.Monique-.]

It’s not the fact that they don’t test , it’s the fact that our ancestors are dead . They are testing the NA of today and they don’t have the pure blood . But there labeling their samples as indigenous that’s why only 1% or 2% indigenous is showing up

[@yellowfeather116]

​@stormy-le6pb, I don't know where you got that definition from but it is incorrect. The Africans hadn't come to this country onmass until the late late 1800s. They came here for work and they were WHITE, not Brown. There are whites on the Indian Rolls too. They were able to buy a slot on the Rolls for five dollars ($5) so they could get allotted lands that was being handed out by the Government at that time. The Freeman identity didn't always mean that the person was a laborer or a slave, it meant that they didn't have to pay taxes because of their Indigenous status. I've done my research and found that my ancestors were Indigenous (Aniyunwiya, Creek & Choctaw but we have no ancestry or historical records of any African relatives. I say that to say this, my mom and her siblings are listed on the Dawes Rolls as Indigenous or Indian. We have no record of any family member getting off a boat and those records are available for a price if anyone wants or cares to do their research. What if the so-called Africans that are mentioned are actually the Arawak Tribes of the Caribbean? There are many Americans Indians that shared life with and married the Arawak. We all look alike to the white man. Besides, the Africans were known as Ethiopians in the early writings of American History. Wado!😊

[@bilaalknox1004]

Totally, Enjoyed this! Especially, the idea of Tribes having full sovereignty, I love that idea, I hope that if not this generation, the next. Thank you for this!

[@nagichampa9866]

As a person of mostly white heritage, but with a little bit of native American and always having been aware of that, I have to say I totally agree with you...One has to decide their own identity, without going offended if other people don't guess it exactly off course, and not feel pressured to identify to what society has decided what a white, african or native American look like...

[@bamboosho0t]

Growing up in predominantly white/Jewish suburbs, I witnessed people celebrating pride in varying heritages. No one questioned each others ethnicity, percentages. They allowed each other to celebrate it. But because I was mixed (considering myself "Black") everyone made assumptions as to who I should identify as. 1988, 5th grade, Jesse Jackson announced that Black Americans should be called "African Americans." An empty, meaningless title. Yet it was reinforced inside Black community walls. That regardless of your ethnicities, _"White America will never accept you...they only see you as a __(insert Black/African American/Ne*ro)___. I"_ And it's internalized within many Black Americans. The "one drop" of black blood rule, althoughno longer enforced on a dejure application, still exists on a defacto basis inside millions of American minds. That regardless of everything that makes up who you are, if you "look" Black...it makes you Black regardless.

[@GoldenMean743]

@@bamboosho0t This is because race is a somewhat arbitrary construct. Actually, African American is more meaningful than the other classifications/labels because it signifies geographical, genetic, historical, and phenotypical traits. Black is arbitrary and signifies nothing but two or three phenotypical traits but does so inaccurately because no one is either black or white. These categories were not created by scientists but explorers. Columbus is noted to solidify the Black label on his second voyage, and it did not just apply to people from Africa and nor did the slur "ni--er."

[@gilbertwes529]

This some crazy BS right I can as well identity as a white man though I'm black right 😂😂 y'all sick or something

[@antoneckhart4010]

​@@gilbertwes529well said. People that rule the world (they arnt white and hate whites the most) want to blur the lines of race so everyone is all muddled up and no one has history or heritage. So easy controlled.

[@TamaraGarrettAlpha]

@gilbertwes529 you can identify as what you want but "People" will always form their own conclusions and opinions. It unfortunate but very true. I think the new generation is coming out of this which is a good thing.

[@LysaW.]

As someone who has no their entire life that they were Lumbee Indian plus a slew of others, this topic was very helpful. I always thought that because I didn’t look Native or Latina or European, I couldn’t claim especially as a child I figured I be questioned on the legitimacy and accuracy and whether or not I could prove it. I grew up in NC and my great-great grandfather who had already passed away even before my mother was born was full blood Lumbee and my great great grandmother was black. We even have a county that I grew up near called Lumberton named after the Lumbee Indians, didn’t know that some consider it a made up tribe, but that explains why I really wasn’t taught about it. Where I was as a child because of the proximity and being North Carolinians I learned a little, but not enough to sustain my knowledge of their history. But now after seeing this I will learn more and probably be more apt to expressing my multiethnic heritage! I’m truly excited to learn more and even share with my mom a linage even she wasn’t taught or lived! And just a little note, the white passing sounds a little funny because it hits home because my maternal grandfather was from Belize and out of I think 13 children, he and one of his sisters were the darkest out of the family and the rest were fair skin. One of my aunts was fair enough that she went as far as to permanently remove herself from the rest of the family and has for decades with her children lived as a white woman. My mom says till this day she pretty much refuses any kind of contact with her siblings and nieces and nephews and in NY for her in the 50’s and 60’s that was a lot easier to do than say the South. And she wasn’t the only one, there were almost half of my grandfather’s siblings that could and did white pass because of their complexion but not to the extent of his one sister. Couldn’t imagine leaving my family behind simply because of not wanting to be classified as black, but it was a different time back then and I don’t have the whole story, just what my mom’s been told. But thank you for this ❤

[@Longracc_kidd]

Just found out my mother's family is Lumbee from Lumberton.. my father is black not sure where his family comes from before Alabama... thought it was cool to see another lumbee

[@strangecoasteroutdoors799]

Then how come when lumbees take a dna test they average 0-1% native. As I have said before my tribe (pascua yaqui) was the victim of one of the worst genocides before the holocaust yet we still have a language and when I did the 23andme test I got 18 percent native

[@BIG-NIIJI_WEST]

​@@strangecoasteroutdoors799you insane for still believing in DNA test no disrespect

[@strangecoasteroutdoors799]

@@BIG-NIIJI_WEST I’m guessing you’re the 0-1% group?

[@BIG-NIIJI_WEST]

@@strangecoasteroutdoors799 DNA companies already admit they only get a very small percentage of your genome thru spit / blood in a tube

[@kaleidojess]

I've been watching some interesting videos, including this one. It really makes me want to take a DNA test.

[@prettyrealist]

I’m really happy I came across this page. I’ve been a follower of Dane Calloway for years and he speaks of the same thing being said in this video. I’m currently in a quest to learn more about my ancestors, and found that I have Choctaw and Irish blood. New Subbie!

[@beatles127]

ITS A GOOD DAY TO BE INDIGENOUS

[@MANI-ee7vr]

🫶🏿

[@user-qb6fq5xr6b]

I have learned alot from Dane Calloways research. The problem is most people seem afraid to have a conversation about how he has debunked the Transatlantic slave trade. Hence, this means people being called "African" who are from the America's with the "Negroid" phenotype are indigenous to the America's.

[@msbrickcity_900]

Gurl Choctaw ppl owned African ppl and Dane is taking you'll money to lie to you'll SMH

[@user-qb6fq5xr6b]

@@msbrickcity_900 Will you prove your assertion the Choctaw owned African people? Which tribes were these African people originally from, and which language did they speak upon arrival to America? Did the Choctaw speak their African language in orde4 to teach them Choctaw, or did they communicate in English, then who taught these people English while they were still working as slaves? What is the original documents proving the Choctaw purchased these Africans, from whom, and where did they purchase them? You heard a story which you have never fully investigated, nor verified. American history is a complete fabrication.

[@justicesmith1934]

Now Danielle you look amazing 🤩 with the hat and those earrings 💗 yeasssss.. loving it

[@nytn]

You're the best!😌

[@calirican9163]

I'm extremely mixed with taino black and ale tsalagi (Cherokee) with Spain and Scottish from Glasgow, and people are confused about me i just tell them I'm human because some people just can't accept the fact that us afro indigenous peoples go through our own identity chrisis while growing up and racism in the black community.

[@denisehenry3427]

I feel you. The principal at our elementary school gave us hell. If you was not lighter skin Creoles and catholic you was treated less than the Creoles kids. Then the Creoles kids would call you black, Baptist and nappy. She was white in all appearances. She wasfromCane River, La. To give her credit She did help. Our little school was more modern and air conditioning in the 60's. I don't know who her white family connection were. She did tell us that she chose to be "Colored", to help her people. We had the best equipped black public 🖤 elementary school in the parish parish. It changed much with Dr. MARTIN L. KING. THEN JAMES BROWN'S "SAY IT LOUD,I'M BLACK AND PROUD " . Muhammad Ali. Things changed in many neighborhoods. It was a sweet awaking on both sides. We learned that we were under the same umbrella. Catholics married Baptist and darker skin married lighter skin. Everything was not perfect, but it was a being. Just like Danielle and Prof Andrew. ♥

[@independenceboyd2042]

You just want to say your something other than blacks, it makes you feel exotic. It’s a self hate thing. You don’t see Obama saying he’s mixed race

[@calirican9163]

@@independenceboyd2042 I'm not Obama.

[@calirican9163]

@@independenceboyd2042 i can say whatever i want. I'm grown.

[@calirican9163]

@@denisehenry3427 EXACTLY 💯

[@MrSolonolo]

I have been watching your videos for quite some time.... I think you should know that , for some reason, this conversation went way over my head.

[@houseofamma]

I LOVE this conversation! How do we connect to do a project on multiracial identity, ancestry, and the transmission of memory?

[@nytn]

My cousin and I wanted to do a video about land memory, something ive been thinking on similar lines. You can click the link on the channel page to send me a message on fb!

[@DerekFrazier2014]

Thank you Bro. 7/8 Indian and just because you are dark or have a little African they want to deny your status as a original people of the Americas. Great post. Tks

[@DerekFrazier2014]

@@stormy-le6pb Tks for the reply.

[@zeged]

Tiger Woods is 1/8 african american and for no reason he is claimed to be black when he himself says hes cablinasian

[@JaneAtwellRobinson1825NY]

Great interview! Professor Jolivette inspired me to peek into that whole Irish citizenship thing lol. I found out you can't go back and get citizenship in Ireland if your ancestors got here mostly before 1820. It's too many generations back - we can't become Irish citizens because our ancestors never reconnected, no matter how many different family lines were Irish back in the day... same problem some native peoples seem to have. Oh well. So I guess I'm *fake* but maybe you will explore in a later video whether you can be a "real" Italian... ☘

[@JaneAtwellRobinson1825NY]

Ooo British citizenship is even harder - you have to have a grandparent with citizenship at the time of your birth. Since my British folks got here about 400 years ago, that's it for that...

[@melodiepatton2651]

Fantastic video. I grew up in Eastern Kentucky and always assumed I was white and a little NA. A few years ago I started researching my family and through my Moore lineage I traced back to Mihill Gowen, African Indentured Servant in BCA. Since then I have found a couple more possible African ancestors. I know for certain I have at least 2 Native American ancestors. I decided to do a DNA test last year and it showed 24% West European, 21% East European, 34% Atlantic Mediterranean, 6% Sub Saharan African, 5% Finnish, 2% West Asian, 3% Middle Eastern, 1% Native American

[@uriellevelupriley684]

I love the topics he discussed. This was powerful awareness. I'm from N.J and Maternally both my Grandparents were mixed with Seminole and My Grand Mother Lenape and my Paternal Grandmother is a Neveu that came from France to Louisiana and My Dad said he used to get into fights if someone said she was white when they grew up in N.J. so i feel so connected to this conversation. I say I'm indigenous. People look at me as a black man. ✨🙏🏾✨💯🖤🧘🏾‍♂️

[@charleetuner]

Very important discussion. After years of research I found that I'm actually more indigenous but I was raised "black". The problem within my own family is with explaining this to elders who have known this for decades but refused to acknowledge it through all the years of controversy surrounding this subject. My ancestors were Tuscarora which, according to the federal government, is no longer recognized. So many of their descendants were absorbed into other tribes or labeled as "negro" or "white" based solely on physical attributes and skin tone. Personally, I stopped regarding myself as anything other than American. I was born and raised here as were my ancestors. People like Barack Obama and Charlize Theron are more "African" than I am so it no longer makes sense to label myself as anything other than American. Thank you for the video. I'm definitely going to share this.

[@ShaunPhillipslimitlessfx]

Black is not a race or even ethnicity, but rather an assignment that is linked to social class and a standing in law.

[@stacyfrederick9183]

What about the difference between theoretical blood quantum and actual diagnosed and certified blood quantum and expressed physical phenotype? Also could you explore the phenomenon of the "five dollar Indian" ?

[@nytn]

These are great! I have just learned about the $5 Indian thing. My family wasn’t Cherokee and not in the Dawes roll so it’s not something I’ve encountered yet. I know a lot of tribes do not support dna testing to confirm BQ but it is based on original paperwork way back when and the BQ fractions determined at that time. I’m assuming they weren’t all correct though!

[@stacyfrederick9183]

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I have another possible topic concerning the African American experience and that of the native Americans. We are all familiar with the Trail of Tears where President Andrew Jackson forced the Cherokee and all the so called civilized tribes westward to Oklahoma because the whites wanted their land. Many died on that trail. A few tried to hide out in the mountains. But I digress. With slavery, many African Americans would escape and try to hide out in the Cherokee nation and be adopted into the tribe. The escaped slaves intermarried with the Cherokee. So if being taken out of your home against your will and forced into a death March wasn't bad enough or trying to hide out in the hills made uour day interesting; there were slavers out and about trying to recapture and repatriate so called escaped slaves. Here is where the one drop business comes into play again. Are you familiar with the infamous "paper bag test"? Or the "comb test"? This is where the physical phenotype could not express physical an African American phenotype or they would be considered an escaped slave and put back into slavery even though they were born and raised in the Cherokee nation. If an individual was darker in skin tone than the average paper bag at the time; that individual was considered "colored". Also if they couldn't get a comb through their hair; their hair texture was considered to be "colored" even if it wasn't as extreme as a type 4C tight coil or curl pattern. The amount of actual DNA inherited could vary greatly from sibling to sibling. They did not necessarily inherit an equal amount from each parent. One sibling might inherit more DNA from one parent or another, but if it wasn't expressed; it in affect did not exist. So a couple that look Cherokee could have a child that looks African American. Whole families were split apart. I know this is not your Creole experience from Louisiana but it is a somewhat similar phenomenon repeated in all the so-called civilized tribes across the south eastern United States. With the Creek and the Chickasaw and the Seminole. The Seminole heritage is even more complex because the Seminole didn't originally live in the Everglades. They were a Creek people that gradually drifted southward with the encroachment of the white man and incorporated whoever or whatever came along for the ride.

[@nytn]

@@stacyfrederick9183 So I dont know if you saw my 4 part docuseries "Finding Lola" where I traced my family back to Louisiana, but in one of the episodes, someone talks about the paper bag tests back then. I'll link to all 4 episodes: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYLTaJ2bg9WSr8k

[@Bravado26]

I'm also descended from Attakapa-Ishak. I can't find much about those ancestors online, but have gone to the 3 Moons festival in Opelousas, LA.

[@EthanCole15]

I would love to hear your opinion on the Melungeon ethnicity.

[@SoulWhisperer]

Hey, Beautiful! Such an interesting conversation. I've heard about the disinheriting or denial of people to the registry. It's so interesting considering 'the history.' I grew up knowing the one drop rule (which is why my cousin who passed seemed so scandalous to us back then). Also, at that time kids did not want to claim being black because of the racism and so often said we have Indian, in order to minimize the weight. Many black folks did have Indian blood (my great grandfather was 100% Cherokee, and somewhere there was also Blackfeet). At one point I thought my mom was white because she was so fair and because of the texture of her hair. I think when history as we understand it is turned on its head, we will be surprised by what is what, and who is who. I love how you are exploring this conversation.

[@nytn]

Yes, you said this so well. I can only add: we will be surprised by the realities, and then it is up to us to adjust how we live and interact with each other based on that! I hope we can all see each other with a little more kindness, it is so easy to jump to conclusions about "other" people. What you said about needing to "minimize the weight" broke my heart a little. I hope conversations can heal the world just a little bit.

[@SoulWhisperer]

@@nytn 💕

[@citizencoy4393]

Makes me wonder why so many clearly dark ppl would claim to be Indian if the phenotype of indians were the polar opposite according to people today. (I know the truth as I still have memories that are fresh)

[@terrilynwoodfin8980]

Hey Andrew!!!!! My thesis chair, and friend. Recently I attended a Native event. I was asked what my affiliation was. When I told them Choctaw/Cherokee, the women looked at me and said, “Oh is your great grandmother a Cherokee princess? They were laughing. With a straight face, I said no. We are warriors. Then I walked away.

[@nytn]

I HATE the “princess” addendum used to diminish. So lame of her!

[@terrilynwoodfin8980]

@@nytn yeah, me too. It was more annoying than offensive.

[@leenam.4578]

BTW: Love the hat!

[@thirdstonefromthesun485]

5% Chippewa and proud of it. Great informative topic. Native Pride Peace and love.

[@rob1014]

Should we Ask ourselves why one group should have a different system of how to classify than to other. Two different systems of are you enough vs one is too much

[@nytn]

I think that is a great question, and although I am not an expert, Im assuming for the one group there is something at stake if "too" many people are included and has to do with what is owed to American Natives, and the finite pie of money and services that is divvied up from the federal government.

[@KimarieVIP]

Loved!💜 My family Native tribes: Blackfoot, Cherokee, Seminole. Constructive suggestions: Native or Indigenous vs. Indian/anything else. Thanks for the share!🕊

[@vintowin33]

This is so more important of a conversation than gender. It won’t be on the news but it’s good that’s it out here.

[@Tessitura9]

This is a very complex topic. In addition to how people identify you and how you were raised, there's phenotypes, actually biology, state sanctioned identity, and so many other factors. My husband is half Mexican half Cuban and only found out about the Cuban a few years ago, but was raised Mexican. Hes also 14% black, but "looks Italian". Hes also of course part Spanish and native due to his Latin ancestry. Hes also apparently Jewish ethnically based on his DNA results. He simply identifies as Mexican, I think because it's easier and that was his experience. I have an aunt that's white passing but her siblings are brown and 2 of them are dark skinned. As a result they had different experiences but they have the same parents. There's also the romanticism and survivalist elements of identifying as one thing over another. If you're 0.5% native American but never grew up with that culture, one might question why youre so interested in that heritage, especially if you're white passing and also 5% black. Many black and white people will tell you they're native and identify as such simply because someone in their family who romanticized that heritage said so. And then they take a test and find out that they're not native at all, or in fact they're part black. But instead of identifying as black, they just identify as white. Identity is much deeper than experience, some people just identify with what they feel has a better brand. If as many people that identify as native for a 1% blood quantum suddenly identified as black using the same logic, we'd probably be at least a 3rd of the US population. I myself am 80% black comprised of Nigerian, Ghanaian, Kenyan, Tanzanian, Congolese, and Angolan. I'm 18% white comprised of English, Wales, Finnish and "broadly eastern European". I'm then 0.3% native, 0.2% Filipino and 0.2% North African. My ancestry is nothing special compared to the average African American. Most of us are some combination of African, European, and Native (with some having ancestry in other regions), but we're still classified as black. If you want to be technical, most people in the Western hemisphere are multiracial to some degree. Except for many white folks who surprisingly homogenous (European) genes compared to other groups. Perhaps it's not that surprising since being white has always been an exclusionary identity, not an inclusive one. Many whites (and blacks for that matter) who claim they are native simply arent. They are just part black, Mediterranean, or Jewish. But those don't sound "as cool" as being native, which actually goes back to European settlers wanting a stake or claim to the Americas. It also goes back to the "$5 indian" phenomenon and stories like the Osage tribe where people use native affiliation administratively for benefits, not for actual ancestral ties or heritage. My grandmother actually passes for looking native American based on the stereotypical cheekbones associated with natives but shes really just part white. But identifies more with being native than black or white. Again, if as many black people who identified with being Cherokee because of a 2% blood quantum identified as being Nigerian (or igbo, yoruba, etc) based on the same logic (where many of us are at least a third), suddenly this country would be mad Nigerian lol. But its not a "cool brand" or "exotic" , so we continue to identify with what gives us more social points. All that to say, yes, celebrate what you are, be mindful why you identify as you do. I personally identify as black, mainly because it's easiest, although I did not have the typical black experience. People assume that I am biracial because I'm lighter, but sometimes I feel they "need" me to be biracial because I defy their expectations of a black woman. Me identifying as anything else almost feels like contributing to the desire to exotify oneself to have a "better brand" and further contribute to dishonoring my African ancestors. Or I can name all those countries I described earlier for exotic points. Again, it's really complex, but I appreciate the thought piece.