I often think about with Gates' show how Anishinaabe author Louise Erdrich wouldn't give her DNA to be tested. She said, "It wouldn't do me any harm, but when I asked my extended family about this -- and I did go to everyone -- I was told, 'It's not yours to give, Louise."
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1095773376663162880
When she did that, she was accused by non-Native folks of being "afraid" that her mixed heritage would show she was "less" Native than she claimed. Which is so messed up, and shows how deeply misunderstood Native identity is by outsiders.
Because in that answer she shows how fully Indigenous she is--she understands that our DNA is not just about us as individuals, that she needed to ask her family and community, and that it also doesn't have any bearing on our identity. She's Turtle Mountain Chippewa. Full stop.
So just contrast that response to the folks using DNA to "prove" something about their heritage or when it's being framed as a "discovery." Louise's response is relational and kinship based, which is a distinctly Indigenous way of behaving.
Here's the full interview if you're interested! This was also six years ago. Another reminder these conversations have been happening for a long time. pbs.org/wnet/facesofam…
Oh also we should probably talk about how "Native American" is such a useless term in this context. What does that actually mean? How does that erase or distort Rubio's indigenous ancestors' actual identities? (His family is from Cuba)
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