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Erasure Poem 
So many fake Indians these days
Elizabeth Warren is one
And according to my DNA results
I am too

But my grand-parents spoke Cherokee my mom claims
And they disappeared into the hills 
She claims

Is the DNA test wrong?
Was I adopted ?
Or is it possible
That I am a real deal

A real Cherokee
Or am I fake Cherokee???

A Cherokee weighed in on this on Quora

First, I would never call them “fake Natives”. 
They are 99% white,
 mostly Blue-collar, and New Age Hippie,
 Anglo-Americans 

who are simply 
lost without their own specific identity 
that they can proudly Claim, 

so therefore,
 they search for a certain Popular,

 Romanticized segment of Indigenous People 
that will “fit” 
into their Family’s historical Lore.

Second, it just happens to ALWAYS be … 
the Cherokee … 

sometimes, 
either Blackfoot or Lakota.

AND, “My GGM was a Cherokee Princess”,
 as an add-on VALUE.

This is primarily
 because of the vast area 
formerly inhabited by the Cherokee.

 However, the tribes’ interaction 
with European immigrants since colonial times, 
led to a great deal of intermarriage 
with non-indigenous populations.

In many cases people have limited knowledge 
of the other Native American nations, 
that inhabited the areas in which they live. 

However, a lot of this is wishful thinking, 
and these people have African American 
or other non-European ancestry.

It is fashionable to claim indigenous ancestry , 
in an attempt to legitimize t

Their sense of belonging on our lands.
The reason is simple,

 they don’t know the names of the other tribes.
There has never been a song called 
“Indian Reservation” about Apache People
 or any other tribe but, the Cherokee.

“Indian Reservation” 
by Paul Revere and the Raiders.

So if those people aren’t Cherokee 
by blood at least it’s in spirit.

And so I conclude
I may be part Cherokee
Part of the lost tribe
Of the Cherokee

But who really knows 
My mother took many things
With her to the grave
Lots of family secrets

Things I will never know
But in my heart
I know
That I am part Cherokee

And so I will proudly 
Claim I am part Cherokee
In spirt 
If not in blood
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