Why Are There So Many Fake Cherokees

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