Liz Warren. Why the Cherokee rolls can be used to prove but NOT to disprove heritage.

[Bad Thoughts]

3. It makes a difference between quaint family story and solid public identity

When Republicans like Trump call someone Pocahantas or do the Tomahawk Chop, they are clearly being racist. They are operationalizing tropes that use negative stereotypes of Native Americans, reinforcing them, while belittling someone.

That said, it's not worth it for Warren to say anything about her Native American heritage beyond telling the quaint story her grandmother told her. Too often individuals have claimed to be "1/16th Indian" in order to claim special privileges. I am not surprised that tribal governments, the Cherokee in particular, can be touchy about people making false claims. ETA: I'm sure Warren had no intentions of deceiving if her information was wrong, but it would show great maturity to take a measured approach to her claim.

Now if Warren paid for genetic testing, her claim would have more currency. I took one. It showed that I was about 5% Native American, a little more than I suspected, but not a surprise given my mother's family roots in New Mexico.