native american ancestry
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Unseasoned Twitter Melts Down After the Cleveland Indians Decide to Get Rid of Its Racist-Ass Nickname
Since establishing itself as a major league franchise in 1901, the Cleveland Indians have won a pair of World Series championships, 10 Central Division titles, and six American League pennants. But along the way, the team has infuriated plenty of people with its decision to perpetuate Indigenous stereotypes with its trash-ass logo and team nickname.…
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Elizabeth Warren Apologizes to Cherokee Nation for DNA Stunt
Well, that didn’t take long at all. Days after all but announcing her bid for president, nearly four months after releasing DNA testing results that pointed to a Native American ancestor, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren has issued an apology to the Cherokee Nation, according to a spokesperson for largest federally recognized tribe. Neither Warren’s office…
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Tracing Your Roots: Did Racism Force My Ancestors to Hide Their Love?
Family lore about a great-grandparent’s interracial relationship lines up with clues in census records. Dear Professor Gates: My paternal grandmother, Caroline “Carrie” Fogg Farrar, was from Raleigh, N.C. She was a product of a relationship between her mother, Mary Elizabeth Fogg (who we had been told was 100 percent Cherokee), and a white landowner named…
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Tracing Your Roots: Did Grandma Have Creek Indian Roots?
An ancestor identified as black reportedly spoke a language of the Creek people. The family’s paper trail reflects the complicated history of the American West. Dear Professor Gates: I am seeking more information about my paternal grandmother Matilda Jane Tillman and her origins. Matilda Jane (or Tilly) was born on Dec. 26, 1895, in Marlton…
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Why Calling Elizabeth Warren ‘Pocahontas’ Is Racist, Explained
When Don “Puffy” Comb-Over took the opportunity during a White House ceremony honoring the Native American code talkers to call Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas,” the collective response from most nonracist Americans was, “Oh no, he didn’t!” But there were many people—including conservatives, people profiled in the New York Times and original-recipe white people—who didn’t find anything…
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Tracing Your Roots: Where Did My Infamous Ancestor Come From?
A grandfather made headlines for his various run-ins with the law, but his origins and racial identity are mysterious. Dear Professor Gates: I can’t seem to find much information on my grandfather Kelly H. Godwin. Several newspapers in Robeson County, N.C., have carried stories about his different run-ins with local law enforcement. I even found…
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Tracing Your Roots: Was Great-Grandma Part Creek Indian?
Historic records point to a life of mixed heritage in the American West. Dear Professor Gates: My great-grandmother Lula Craig/Creg, born Jan. 26, 1870, appears on both the federal 1910 census in Depew City, Creek County, Okla., and the 1910 Indian-population census for that city and county. Lula and her children (including my grandfather Bobby)…
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How Do I Legally Prove Native American Ancestry?
For this week’s column, we decided to address a topic that comes up frequently in your questions: How does one legally establish Native American ancestry? Legal recognition as a tribal member varies depending on the Native American nation in which you seek enrollment. Native American communities are sovereign nations and, as such, have their own…
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Tracing Your Roots: Help Me Separate Fact From Family Fiction!
An upcoming family reunion motivates a young woman to prepare an accurate presentation about the storied family matriarch. Dear Professor Gates: Since the late 1970s, my family has come together every two years for a reunion. For the upcoming one in 2018, I would like to present my family with information on the origins of…