So Elizabeth Warren decided to end the controversy about her 'aboriginal' (Cherokee) heritage by having a Stanford geneticist evaluate a DNA sample. Unfortunately for her, it turns out that she is between 1/512th and 1/1024th aboriginal, which is less than the 1.6% percent found in most North American whites.
Chuck Hoskin of the Cherokee Nation
"A DNA test is useless to determine tribal citizenship. Current DNA tests do not even distinguish whether a person’s ancestors were indigenous to North or South America," Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. "Sovereign tribal nations set their own legal requirements for citizenship, and while DNA tests can be used to determine lineage, such as paternity to an individual, it is not evidence for tribal affiliation. Using a DNA test to lay claim to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong. It makes a mockery out of DNA tests and its legitimate uses while also dishonoring legitimate tribal governments and their citizens, whose ancestors are well documented and whose heritage is proven. Senator Warren is undermining tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage."
Even worse, it turns out that the reference samples used to prove her tiny shred of 'aboriginal' ancestry are not actually from the Cherokee. Even worse, they aren't from any North American indigenous group. Instead, geneticist Carlos Bustamante used samples from Peru, Mexico and Colombia.
[As with the Canadian First Nations, the Indian tribes in the USA typically advise their members not to give their data to outside researchers. This means that there is a dearth of data available on their populations.]
[As with the Canadian First Nations, the Indian tribes in the USA typically advise their members not to give their data to outside researchers. This means that there is a dearth of data available on their populations.]
It appears that Warren was trying to clear up the controversy in order to clear her name for a presidential run in 2020. Unfortunately, it seems to have backfired in spectacular fashion.
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