LINK Elizabeth Warren's Native American problem just got even worse - CNNPolitics
In the end, she is (was) just like every other politician. 
Time to look for another 2020 hopeful, y'all.
1
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
10 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I like Elizabeth Warren, she is a brilliant person who has guts to go along with her convictions, unlike Obama who is plenty smart enough but (I think) lacked the intestinal fortitude of his own convictions as Prez. It is unfortunate that she has let Trump's taunting lead her to lame responses.
Her ideas. especially about capitalism are important and need to be throughly discussed, but I have a hard time seeing her as Prez.
cava
Level 7
Feb 8, 2019
0
In my opinion what matters most are correct policies not perfect personalities. Giving her the largest possible benefit of the doubt, Warren may just have been proud of the family folklore that they were Native Americans, and not cynically trying to cash in on affirmative action policies. Trump is likewise no saint, and I'm glad that he doesn't share dinner with my family. But I do like most of his policies very much.
doug6352
Level 7
Feb 7, 2019
0
Many Cherokees who have roll numbers have very little native DNA. Here is the bio of Sequoyah, a famous Cherokee that created a written alphabet. He was only half Cherokee but many of his descendants have roll numbers because he had one even though because of intermarriage they probably have only one 16th native blood which is the requirement for Cherokee Native tribal enrollment.
Lorajay
Level 9
Feb 7, 2019
0
Full disclosure, I like Elizabeth Warren. I am also extremely proud of the Native Americans use of sovereignty. In Oklahoma their casinos, Banks, and many other Enterprises are making a real difference both for their communities and their citizens. That said I'm disappointed in the Cherokee reaction to her DNA test. Oklahoma is full of natives like Elizabeth Warren. My husband was one of them and many of our friends who were tribal members recognized that even though the tribes did not.
During my childhood and for many years before that, being an Indian was one of the worst things you could be in Oklahoma. I still remember my mother picking me up from a little Indian girls house after school and telling me I could never play with her again because she was a dirty Indian. Fortunately she was a very clean Indian girl and that set me on the path to deciding for myself what people were acceptable.
When the Indian rolls we're being made, many Indians did not enroll because they did not want to be stigmatized as native. That means many Indians some of them almost full blood, are not members of a an Indian Sovereign Nation and cannot claim Indian Heritage. A friend of mine with a roll number wrote a beautiful poem about Indians claiming to be Black Dutch so their children would not be pulled from their arms and sent to an Indian boarding school.
I feel Warren did the same thing I see hundreds of my friends do. Many of them have actually gone the DNA test to try to verify. I may be wrong but I think there's some tribes that actually accept DNA evidence for membership. Natives in Oklahoma have excellent Health Care, and extra job opportunities. I could never blame anyone for claiming and trying to prove that they are native. Full disclosure again I am sure I am not native unless there was an Indian in the woodpile.
Lorajay
Level 9
Feb 7, 2019
2
@TheMiddleWay -- "...Except she isn't American Indian by any standard. No tribe recognizes her, the Cherokee nation has explicitly not accepted her..."
I do believe that is precisely the point @Lorajay just made. Just to hammer that point a bit more: I am 100% European by DNA test so I know without doubt that I do not qualify. My daughter, on the other hand, is 32% Native American. My wife's side of the family has a strong Native American heritage ranging upwards of 80% (again by test), yet none of them would be accepted by the Mescalero Apache Tribe as a member. The "You-have-to-have-lived-on-the-reservation" line is just to the other side of ridiculous.
Excerpted from the Constitution of the Mescalero Apache:
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
ARTICLE IV – MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1. The membership of the Mescalero Apache Tribe
shall consist of the following persons:
( a ) Any person whose name appeared on the Census Roll
of the Mescalero Apache Agency of January 1, 1936.
( b ) All persons born to resident members after the census
of January 1, 1936, and prior to the effective date of
this constitution.
( c ) Any child born to a non-resident member, prior to the
effective date of this constitution, provided that such
child shall have resided on the Mescalero Reservation
for not less than one (1) year immediately preceding
the date of enrollment.
( d ) Any person of one-fourth degree or more Mescalero
Apache blood, born after the effective date of this
constitution, either one or both of whose parents is
(are) enrolled in the membership of the Mescalero
Apache Tribe. [Section 1 as amended February 3,
1981]*
*An attempt was made to amend this Section in 1980. The total vote on the issue was inadequate to validate the decision of the majority of the voters voting at the time. Therefore, the Amendment was not adopted.
SECTION 2. No person, being enrolled or recognized as a member of another tribe, shall be eligible for enrollment in the Mescalero Apache Tribe .
SECTION 3. The tribal council shall have the power to
adopt ordinances, consistent with this constitution, governing future membership, loss of membership, and the adoption of members into the Mescalero Apache Tribe, which ordinances shall be subject to review by the Secretary of Interior.
''''''''''''''''''''''''
There is more, but it is not pertinent: I respect the notion of sovereignty for the tribes, but one would think that the tribes would welcome with open arms those who carry a fair percentage of the DNA of the Native American through some form of citizenship test like almost all other nations of the world. Particularly exemplary people representing the highest of standards.
@evidentialist Different tribes aproach tribal membership differently. Small tribes are more likely to accept as many members as possible because the larger the tribe, the safer their sovereignty recognition is. A large tribe with many successful businesses is always more discriminatory because it's the money folks. The Cherokees are one of the largest tribes in Oklahoma. They are also the lightest skin partially because they intermarried long before they came to Oklahoma. Cherokees that have a roll number are very likely to have small DNA percentages of Native American blood. Interesting Lee the Cherokees are very racist against their black tribal members. In fact they kick them out of the tribe despite old treaties that granted Cherokee slaves membership in the tribes when they became free People.
@Lorajay -- Yes, I'm aware of that. However, the Mescalero Apache are a relatively small tribe and still maintain such restrictions. I understand that a large part of it is because of living on the reservation being an issue, but I happen to be of the opinion that they are cutting off their own nose to spite their face. There is probably more to this than I am aware, but I've never seen a clear explanation.
@TheMiddleWay okay, we've got it you don't like Elizabeth. You are an educated man but filled with confirmation bias. I suffer from the same impediment just like everyone else. Now tell us who you really like for president
@evidentialist Wow and that varies tribe to tribe. So - yes - pretty conflicting.
And absolutely unfair to those who carry verifiable DNA.
@TheMiddleWay -- Wow, such a blast when I mentioned nothing about Warren or her case or her paltry percentage. I just referred to the restrictions the tribes place on people that are rather arbitrary and a bit prejudice. Lighten up, man. Oh, by the way, congrats on the added parchment.
@TheMiddleWay -- I look forward to you being the one who makes nanobots a practical tool in the medical field.
@TheMiddleWay -- Doesn't take much effort to see the potential uses there. Be well and do good.
Yeah, being mistaken about her genetic heritage is really damning, just as bad as colluding with the Russians to destroy our country. Stone her!
jerry99
Level 8
Feb 7, 2019
2
My parents told us we came from storks...I believed them but never put it down on any applications to get into the Audubon Society...families make up shit...how many of us are related to Elvis? I am...or so I was told...I milk that story every chance I get...it is true, but...how far removed? sigh...no one is ever going to be able to run in this country pretty soon...
@TheMiddleWay I hate to break it to you, but everybody lies. Even you. And if you should claim you haven't, I'd bet my sweet bippy you're lying.
And yet, I simultaneously find myself empathizing with your position. Hmmm...
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
Share this post
Categories
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.