Why do so many Americans claim to be part native american?

Question

Is it a defense mechanism?Do they feel that in some way they are more entitled to live and breed here than if they weren't "PART" native americans.AND how many can actually prove that they actually are "part" native?

Answer 1

The so called native americans(american indians) do not want to admit that their ancestors also came from other countries. When someone can show me on a map(no matter how old) or refer me to a book or website that i can see for myself the country or continent called native and then show me a copy of their naturalization paperwork than i will believe that they are "native-americans". Since they cannot do that i still believe that if you were born and grew up "raised" in the U.S. than you are a 100% NATIVE AMERICAN!!

Answer 2

Many Americans ARE part Native American. My great grandfather was Cherokee. An incredibly handsome man, well educated and very popular...

In the south particularly, the different tribes really are peace loving people. Kind, generous and beautiful....There wasn't any negative feelings..It was quite common, at the turn of the last century, for marriages between Caucasian and Native Americans.

The Cherokee and Catawba nations are particularly wonderful people to know. The Catawba tribe is truly God's chosen.....I have seen a Medicine Man do miracles with poultices and with his gift for healing...he did things western doctors had failed to accomplish.

Hope that answers your question.

Answer 3

Native American is an unfair term. I mean, I was born in America, so doesn't that make America my native land? Thereby making me a "native" American?
Actually, the correct term, as I've heard from Lakota and Navajo friends, is "American Indian" and not "Native American."

And why so many people claim ancestry? Well, what's to doubt? American Indians are at least 500 tribes strong in the U.S. It's hard to throw a rock in the U.S. and NOT hit someone who's got some American Indian blood in them.

Answer 4

pancha,

i have taken a look at some of the questions you’ve posted and i'm really shocked at the level of ignorance and racism you’ve displayed... i know it may not be your fault if you couldn't go to school and study this stuff, but still, one can learn by observing others, and the library is free to use and there are many educational books out there...

some good reading for you might be “watch for me on the mountain” by forrest carter – this details some of the horror faced by geronimo and his family when his baby was thrown back and forth through the air on the bayonets of solders and his wife had female body parts cut off which she was then gagged to death with… this is only one case that has been documented – there were countless others. the Indians have suffered far more atrocities on american soil then any other race in history.

just to help you get started in your education I’ve included more info and links below about some of the abuse of indians and if you look into this you will find that while we are no longer killing the indian children for sport, we are still robbing the food from their mouths by cheating and stealing their rights from them… these people have never been offered an equal chance in the past and now they wouldn’t know what to do with it if they were. it is not the steeling of the land that I am primarily concerned with but the destruction of the culture, abuse, killings, slavery… etc…

here’s an article on wounded knee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wounded_Knee_Massacre) – though this is well known because it was the last major massacre, this type of thing was commonplace earlier in the century – to name a couple more well known situations the buffalo eradication, and trail of tears (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_of_tears) – which my relatives were on and watched their friends and families dropping dead before their eyes.

I also recommend watching “thunderheart” it is a movie based on the true story about the incident at wounded knee in the 1970’s which will help you to get a better idea of some of the very recent situations.

to answer your question – above - about why so many people claim to be Indian, it is because we are. rape of Indian women was very common, so between that and forced assimilation, the Indian gene has reached many, many people. also, most people can prove that they are part indian, because of the daws act of 1893 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawes_Rolls) which accounted for indians and forced them onto the roll… it also required that anyone with more then 3/4 indian blood (http://www.weyanoke.org/jdf-BloodQuantum.html) be assigned a white “guardian” which commonly led to abusive slavery – as in the case of my great grandmother.

I think it’s also important to recognize that while you stated that the crimes against the Indians were 200 years ago, some of the most horrific were actually late 1800’s through mid 1900’s.

Here are some articles to help you understand how the Indians were continually pushed farther and farther west after we “promised” them land then continued to take it away:

http://academic.udayton.edu/race/02rights/native14.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Territory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Removal_Act

oh, and let’s not forget the intercourse act:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Intercourse_Act


I hope this information help to get you started on your self education :) if you still have confusion about whether we should work to try to make good on some of our promises to the indians please feel free to send me a mssg.

Answer 5

I think it's some of all of that. Most people are just going on what they were told. Many people can't prove any heritage, although with genealogy it's easy to do. If a family had been in the U.S. long enough, their decedents probably does include some "Native" blood--but it most likely also includes African blood---funny how you don't hear everyone running around saying I am part African, huh?

Answer 6

Get over it Pancha. Native American INDIANS are LEGAL citizens. Illegal invaders are NOT! You are a little green -eyed monster spewing filthy venom, trying another tactic to get Americans OFF the issue of illegal immigration. Now you are attacking us (Native Am. Indians). It won't work. We are a diverse nation and Native Americans are a LARGE part of it. Grow up.

Answer 7

Some Americans are told via family members that they have Native American blood in them. Family stories about how x married y, etc. However, recent genetic testing is proving to some of these families that those stories are false.

Answer 8

Because a lot of americans do have American Indian in them. I am half black, half white but with both, I have a small part of American Indian in me. Some way along the way my mons side and dads side got it on with some indians...lol! Its called Jungle fever and no one is immune from having it .You dont need a jungle to do it either. A nice teepee with some animal fur and a coosy fire does the trick :-) So when are we gonna hook up huh? ;-)

Answer 9

I claim to be "part" Native American because it is a fact. Yes, I CAN prove it.

Answer 10

Alot of people, mostly Americans, like to believe that they belong to their country. Outsiders are frowned upon, just look at our policy on immigration. The ironic part, as we all know, is we are all mostly immigrants. No one wants to admit to that, because if they do, they will be a hypocrite, and an American can never be wrong.

Answer 11

It's cool to be part of an oppressed group. It helps with the denial of what was done to the tribes years ago. The only way to prove that you are is to register with the gov't and get a BIA card...which is insulting. Do you have to prove your ancestory? Its the same reason so many white kids act black, or "urban".