Happy #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth. Everyday this month I am sharing a little lesson. #WeAreStillHere #NativeIn2019
This week's theme is Cherokee history and today’s lesson is about our PRETENDIANS aka why your g-g-g-grandma was not a Cherokee princess.
This week's theme is Cherokee history and today’s lesson is about our PRETENDIANS aka why your g-g-g-grandma was not a Cherokee princess.
Usually ethnic fraud is not socially acceptable. However Native identity, Cherokee in particular, is a cruel exception to this societal rule. Claiming to be Cherokee without any evidence, any connection to a tribe or any documented Cherokee ancestry is widely socially acceptable.
Pretendians perpetuate the myth that Native identity is determined by the individual, not the tribe or community, directly undermining tribal sovereignty and Native self-determination.
On the last U.S. Census, twice as many people claimed to be Cherokee than the number of people enrolled in the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes — meaning there are at least half a million self-identified “Cherokees.”
Today, these people who believe they don’t need proof of Cherokee heritage can be found in the halls of national art museums, founding feminist organizations for women of color, starring in Hollywood movies and now running for president.
The LA Times reported last summer that White people claiming to be Cherokee were awarded over $300 mil in no-bid Fed contracts for minority business owners. They used their membership in fake Cherokee clubs to qualify. There are hundreds of such clubs across the US.
The widespread myth that scores of Cherokee were simply left off records whitewashes a brutally violent history.
The U.S. government, much like the Nazis during the Holocaust, kept very detailed records of its attempts at genocide...
The U.S. government, much like the Nazis during the Holocaust, kept very detailed records of its attempts at genocide...
Including all the Cherokees the US was preparing to remove from their homeland, every traveler on the Trail of Tears and all the Cherokee citizens who were given land allotments so our treaty territory could be dissolved even those who were imprisoned for refusing to participate.
Cherokee Nation also took censuses of our citizens; all in all there are over 45 rolls of Cherokees from 1817 to 1914. That some one’s “Cherokee” ancestor would not only be missing from all 45 rolls, but also that person’s siblings, parents, cousins, uncles, etc defies all logic.
If you have a family story of a Cherokee ancestor the best thing to do is research it. AND be prepared that you could find out its not be true.
The Cherokee Heritage Center offers genealogy research for a small fee.
Whatever you do, don't rely on a DNA test.😐
The Cherokee Heritage Center offers genealogy research for a small fee.
Whatever you do, don't rely on a DNA test.😐
