Thread by @jbendery

Missing from so much of the news coverage of Native people being outraged by Elizabeth Warren's DNA test: Native voices.

I asked prominent tribal leaders and Native people about it. Surprise: they said Warren is an ally and this narrative is media fodder. huffingtonpost.com/entry/elizabet…

Virtually everyone I talked to -- tribal chiefs, Native politicians, policymakers, advocates, writers -- said they saw nothing wrong with Warren looking into her ancestry. You would never know this from the way mainstream media has covered this. huffingtonpost.com/entry/elizabet…

Here's Richard Sneed, principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Is he mad at Warren for taking a DNA test to understand her ancestry? Not. At all.

Here's Dennis Coker, the principal chief of Delaware’s Lenape Indian Tribe. Does he think Warren has blown her support with tribes because of her DNA test? Nope.

So where is this idea coming from that tribes are furious with Warren?

An unelected official at Cherokee Nation issued a scathing statement about her DNA test. Multiple ppl told me he was only speaking for himself. His statement is no longer online. huffingtonpost.com/entry/elizabet…

Is there legitimate anger at Warren for inflaming complicated issues around Native identity + tribal citizenship vs ancestry, even if unintentional? Yes.

Is Indian Country collectively outraged at Warren over this and focused on it? Absolutely not. huffingtonpost.com/entry/elizabet…

Is Warren's DNA test really an issue on the minds of tribal leaders? No. They've got their hands full with serious problems that don't get nearly as much attention.

Nearly everyone I talked to lamented that what is happening here is Warren’s personal journey of self-discovery is being being weaponized against Native identity and Native people. huffingtonpost.com/entry/elizabet…

And some Native ppl wondered why Native critics of Warren -- who has been an ally to tribes -- aren't channeling their anger at Trump, whose bullying of Warren and awful treatment of tribes is the core problem. huffingtonpost.com/entry/elizabet…

All of this is happening in the context of Native ppl being practically invisible in popular culture. @CrystalEchoHawk led a big research project on Americans' perceptions of Native ppl. Her findings: most of what they know comes from toxic stereotypes perpetuated by the media.

If Echo Hawk's research is correct that most Americans know little to nothing about Native ppl and what they do know comes from toxic stereotypes perpetuated by the media, then this is what people are currently seeing in the media. huffingtonpost.com/entry/elizabet…

Anyway, read the piece and consider what this mix of Native people has to say about Warren's DNA test. There's a diversity of Native voices out there and it certainly feels like this perspective isn't getting much attention in the media. huffingtonpost.com/entry/elizabet…