Changing Elizabeth Warren's story to one about Native America
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Crystal Echo Hawk
The invisibility of Native people is the biggest crisis we face today. We are invisible within government, Hollywood, the news media, and in our schools. It’s the reason that the president, lawmakers, and the media use derogatory racial stereotypical language about Native people with impunity. Our invisibility and erasure is seen as normal.
Then I watch and read about Elizabeth Warren and her DNA test. It feels like an alternative reality and its own horror show. I am reading tweets dripping in racism from President Donald J. Trump and his supporters co-opting quotes from the Cherokee Nation and other Native advocates about Warren for their own political agenda that has nothing to do with protecting tribal sovereignty.
Tucker Carlson of Fox News opened his segment two nights ago stating that “Fauxcahontas is on the warpath,” “Lieawatha is having her own trail of tears,” and “Elizabeth Warren appointed herself as the head of the #MeSioux Movement.” Carlson said all of these racist jibes in the same segment where he acknowledged the outrage felt by Native Americans.
The outrage is that these racist taunts have spread like wildfire across social media in the most hurtful ways. But where is the concern, or even outrage, when Native women go missing and murdered at rates higher than any other population, or that a federal court has ruled that the Indian Child Welfare Act is unconstitutional which will result in a policy that will take away our children?
For the first time since Standing Rock, tribes and Native people are all over the news and social media. However, the dominant coverage and national conversation is not about the Supreme Court and its sanction of North Dakota voter suppression.
Nor are there many stories about GOP Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s in-laws who made millions from government contracts by claiming membership in the Northern Cherokee Nation, an organization that falsely trades on the political status of tribal nations.
Instead, the national conversation is about Elizabeth Warren, her family story, and a DNA test taken in response to attacks by Trump. It’s a political war in which tribal citizens are not directly involved.
Trump and the media have conflated the language of ancestry and heritage to mean Native identity. So we must devote precious time and resources to make political statements about tribal citizenship because to most Native people, Native identity is directly tied to tribal citizenship.
Warren only ever claimed ancestry based on family story, she never claimed citizenship in a tribal nation nor has she in my research ever traded on her family story of having Native ancestry. This issue of ancestry and its tie to a political identity is different for Natives and non-Natives. It’s complicated and nuanced and doesn’t fit into 26 characters of a tweet or an op-ed.
Warren’s DNA test reveal is being equated by some as one of the biggest attacks on tribal sovereignty in recent memory. Others feel deeply mixed emotions about her claims, what she did on Monday, and how it was done without seemingly thinking about the consequences to tribal nations.
Others hear the simple fact that all Warren did was lay claim to a DNA test that some would argue supports her family story. She’s not claiming tribal citizenship. But the majority of Americans don’t know enough about Native people to understand this distinction.
The Reclaiming Native Truth project, a $3.3 million public opinion research and strategy setting project is the largest of its kind conducted by and for Native people. Its goal is to change perceptions, introducing America to its own history, to tribal sovereignty, and to issues important to us.
This two-year project took a hard look at the data. We mapped the dominant narratives and perceptions of a diverse group of people across the country, including members of Congress, judges, law clerks and influencers within philanthropy, business, media and civil rights.
This is what we found:
· The majority of Americans know little to nothing about Native Americans, our issues or contributions. Many Americans are not clear how many Native peoples still exist or at the very least they think we are a dwindling population in decline.
· A 2014 study found that 87 percent of schools do not teach about Native peoples past 1900.
· Representation of Native people in entertainment and media is less than 0.4 percent.
· Many Americans are informed by stereotypes and myths that all Native Americans receive federal government benefits [because they are “Indian”], are enriching themselves off of tribal gaming and are dysfunctional due to poverty, alcoholism and corruption.
· Many of the judges and law clerks interviewed admitted to knowing little about tribal sovereignty and Federal Indian Law.
· Some members of Congress shared that they believe that invisibility is a major issue and that the narrative about Native peoples and issues are still very much defined and controlled by non-Natives.
These public opinion findings show how invisibility, erasure, stereotypes and false narratives fit the stories being told right now about Elizabeth Warren, Donald Trump, and Native people in the 21st century.
Reclaiming Native Truth’s research was also able to identify a few ways to change the story. A poll conducted in 2017 found that 72 percent of Americans support significant changes to K-12 curricula about Native history, culture and contemporary issues. A second poll in April 2018 found that after Americans surveyed were given some basic, accurate facts about Native history and issues, that a majority were supportive of tribal sovereignty, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and would take steps to end racist mascots. And 78 percent of those polled said they wanted to know more, to learn about Native people. This finding is incredibly significant as Hollywood, the media, policymakers, philanthropy and others have always used our small population size to justify a lack of representation, media coverage, inclusion and investment.
Reclaiming Native Truth also identified segments of the American population that are likely to be allies or can be moved to become allies. Of these segments, 36 percent of Americans polled, claimed to have some Native ancestry. This is potentially a powerful bloc, allies who could demand support for tribal sovereignty or for more accurate stories from Hollywood or the news media.
Now we come back to Elizabeth Warren. She is one of millions of Americans who have family stories about her Native ancestors. Millions of people who are potential allies at time when tribal sovereignty and our basic rights are under siege.
We need good allies to partner with us to amplify our voices and to show up with us and support tribes on key issues.
We need to show up for our allies as well. The research shows that we will continue to struggle to protect our rights unless we make a concerted and intentional effort to change the story, to stop being invisible.
I believe Elizabeth Warren has made some real mistakes and she needs to do a lot better. I will support her while also holding her accountable.
As a tribal citizen of the Pawnee Nation, I will support her because she has never claimed tribal citizenship and she clearly supports tribal sovereignty and the inherent rights of tribes to determine our citizenship.
She is an ally who has lifted up on a national stage the issue of violence against Native women by asking Trump to donate his $1 million pledge to the National Indian Women's Resource Center.
My experience working with the Reclaiming Native Truth Project Research has taught me that we have more to gain from working with allies and educating them than trying to destroy them.
Let's build a house Indian Country that stands strong for tribal sovereignty, but also has plenty of room for those who are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with us. We need allies because Standing Rock reminded us how powerful we are when we all come together, organize, and mobilize.
It’s past time for Native Americans to be visible.
Crystal Echo Hawk, Pawnee, is President & CEO, Echo Hawk Consulting, co-leader of the Reclaiming Native Truth Project, and is the founder of IllumiNative. #NativeTruth #IllumiNative
Tags
Who is online
504 visitors
Need proof of what Chrystal is saying?? Answer this question - how many Federally Recognized Tribes/Nations are there??? And this one - what was the result of Ben Franklin have political discussions with the Iroquois Confederacy?
I would have to look up the Federally recognized Tribes and Nations … but not the Iroquois Confederacy contribution to the founding of a new nation through the confederations form of representative governance and unification … the Confederacy was a functioning democracy for at least a 100 years before the 'founding fathers' 'created' a representative based government..... Benjamin Franklin was the one that introduced the concept of unity in Albany NY based on the Iroquois Confederation.. (do not recall the year, I will need a refresher course)
The Iroquois Chiefs played a role in the Continental Congress of 1775 … the influences of the Confederacy extend much farther into the development of the United States, and how the US union were formed …. !
Colour - 567 Federally Recognized Tribes; "roughly" 122 State Recognized Tribes.
Good answer with the Ben Franklin question
Thanks for the link 1st …
I figured I was suppose to respond using my knowledge of the subject matter : ) not look it up and give you an answer ...
I have found that so many do not realize to what depth the Native tribes worked with each other.. united, even during times of war various tribes came together to fight against invaders of their lands, long before the Spaniards or Europeans interloped..
The Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribe of the Flathead have come a long ways joining together …. yet such alliances date way back before the 'white man'
Same holds true the Middle Eastern tribes .. they did not necessarily form a democratic form of ruling, but they do/did have a internal governance .. a sovereignty as do/did the Native tribes... I do not understand how 'we' can think that needs to be changed and all governed under one....
Yeah yeah, I know I am preaching to the converted .. you are already aware : )
[No value]
German, Irish, Scottish, English, Scandinavian, Native American and some "Other". Your reason for asking - kinda like an attack - a CoC violation - ya know.
DC propagandist??? Spent 33 years with the Feds doing Tribal Consultation and teaching Native American Cultural Awareness courses to over thousands during those years, so, yeah, I have a very broad view of both sides. Also an attorney of Federal Indian Law.
Yeah - I started "pretending" to be Native American the instant I drew breath and I'm sure, my mother, who was Chickasaw (now deceased) would love to know that someone who has absolutely no idea of who or what I am would even question my ethnicity.
And, before I blast you for a CoC violation - what is your DNA claim - or do you know?
We are invisible within ...… Hollywood.
For a bit they weren't. Remember "Billy Jack" ?
Loved that movie ! Saw it when it first came out.
Brando gave a shout out once...
I remember that. Bold move for sure !
Marlon Brando did a lot more than give a shout out...He put his money and personal being in the line of fire to aid natives. I have a hell of a lot of respect for Brando.
The treatment Sacheen Littlefeather received after she made the speech was appalling to say the least.
He did a lot and didn't want anything in return...unlike some who do.
Billy Jack actually educated a lot of people about the Native Americans - and, he was also one badazz.
Tom Laughlin, who played Billy Jack, wrote the screenplay based on his personal experiences with the people in Winner, South Dakota and their treatment of Native Americans.
Yep to both !
Made Ya want to reach across the screen and kick someone's arse yourself.
You betcha.
From what I can gather, they are upset about the DNA test because they have their own laws and regulations about tribal membership.
Basically this was skipping their customs and traditions.
Which is a good point. How many folks actually know and understand Native American customs and traditions?
Very few 1st. For instance, for membership in a tribe, some tribes go by who is on the role. Other tribes go by blood quantum. The tribe I belong to goes by percentage. I am the last of the line for my tribe, and even though my daughters look more Indian than I do, they are not allowed to be enrolled in the tribe.
And as Kavika pointed out, some tribes don't require you be Indian at all.
I am glad to say, that NYS has always had the history of our two tribes, the Algonquin and the Iroquois as part of the curriculum. The local tribes play a big part of that.
What I have found so disturbing about this whole affair with Warren, is the slurs that came out. They were offensive and no one would dare to say this about some other minority group. It's as if we are America's invisible people.
Very few, the real issue is most don't care.....
Everyone is entitled to their heritage whatever that may be....
But most defer to what is the point, this is today, and we must go on from here....
To me the point is respect. We are what we are today with a heavy dose of what we were. If we do not respect where we came from how can we respect what we are? Does it really matter how we got here? I don't believe so.
But it is good to understand the history so we do not go on making the same horrible mistakes.....
But it is next to impossible to get people to look at much less accept the truths of history...
Perrie - as you've seen and heard Kavika say numerous times - "We are the Invisible People".
The article I read containing those remarks seemed a bit judgmental. I didn't think it was wise to marginalize People who take pride in the fact they have some Native Ancestry as if it's meaningless if you don't belong to a Tribe. As the seeded Article says "We need good allies to partner with us to amplify our voices and to show up with us and support tribes on key issues." well your greatest Allies are the tens of millions of People (Voters) who are proud to have a bit of Native American in them but are not a member of a Tribal Nation. It makes no sense to alienate those who would be most sympathetic to their cause and when one of them is a Senator well why wouldn't they want to ally themselves with a Senator who see's Native American Heritage as something to brag about and who certainly would be a sympathetic ear and a powerful ally.
Excellent point zuksam - the bigger question though is - how do we get that information/education out to "outsiders", including those who have ancestry but have no way of knowing their own history/culture/traditions/etc.???
I understand what you are saying, I just think it was more to the point of the US government and government allies, more or less, over riding Indian Nation sovereignty.
I won't repeat what I've said in many other articles on Warren and the blood quantum thing, except to say that the Cherokee Nation has NO BLOOD QUANTUM REQUIREMENT......PERIOD.
The lack of knowledge and understanding of native people is stunning. Even the law profession has few practitioners that understand Federal Indian law, up to and including SCOTUS.
I doubt if Warren is the only white person to believe family lore about having native blood. IMO, this is a red herring and I agree with the author of the article about Warren.
I was and continue to find disturbing the offensive remarks made about Indians. No other minority group has that kind of shit being thrown about without repercussions.
Exactly right!!!
You, 1st and I have stated similar in various discussions.
For some reason this simple fact keeps floating into the etherware.
SCOTUS, and particularly Scalia and Thomas, have stated a couple times that they don't understand nor know enough about Indian Law. Hell, all they gotta do is read Felix Cohen's "Handbook on Federal Indian Law". It's only 647 pages plus supplement - good for a week-end read
I can remember the lengthy discussion we had on NT about the Blood Quantum issue - and it was a doozy.
In addition, the below listed tribes/nations do not require blood quantum:
Tribes determining membership by lineal descent
These tribes do not have a minimum blood quantum requirement, but members must be able to document descent from original enrollees of tribal rolls.
The blood quantum issue is a definite thorn in the side of the tribes/nations. The first requirement was Virginia in 1705 and later the Feds added it to their various Indian Law stuff so they could moderate who was eligible for Fed benefits. The Fed requirement for Fed benefits is a 1/4 minimum.
There's a whole lot to that story.
The understatement of the century...LOL...