The Elizabeth Warren Situation Is More Complicated Than Many ThinkPosted in Anthropology, Articles, Canada, Identity Development/Psychology, Native Americans/First Nation, New Media, Politics/Public Policy, United States on 2012-10-10 21:02Z by Steven |
The Elizabeth Warren Situation Is More Complicated Than Many Think
Indian Country Today Media Network
2012-10-10
Laura Waterman Wittstock
Seneca Nation
A ton of ink has been spilled on the subject of the Elizabeth Warren run for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts. Most of the writing on the Indian side of opinion is whether or not Warren has a legitimate claim to her Delaware and Cherokee ancestry. Strong language has emerged on the subject, rightly due to the fact that so many Americans claim Indian heritage without any idea of what being an Indian is all about.
But between the Indian and non-Indian sides of the coin are a million slices of what-ifs and others. Example one: I met a woman whose husband was enrolled in Coweta Creek and got support for his considerable higher education costs. Beyond that, he knew next to nothing about his tribe. He was born into an African American family, married an African American and had a couple of wonderful children. His wife’s question to me was how she could get the children enrolled after they had been informed the children lacked sufficient blood quantum. This mother was interested in her children’s education and wanted them to have all the benefits they might be due as a result of their father’s heritage. I did not have good news for them…
Read the entire article here.