The podcast This Land has an episode that answers your question but to give a brief answer from that there’s a history of white people claiming Native American ancestry (especially Cherokee) based on “family lore” while the family has no knowledge of the basis of this “lore” and no meaningful connection to Cherokee Nation. This isn’t some innocent miscommunication, it’s a pattern of racism.
I understand the larger concept, and ty for referring the source that is helpful. But I mean on a personal level, one individual to the next questioning what their loved ones tell them. I'm taking this approach bc I'm not totally unfamiliar with something similar. I have family that for a few generations kept the secret that there were Jews in the family, part of my direct lineage (they are from Poland, a part that is currently a part of the Ukraine). At the time it was dangerous, then after the 40's it changed no one wanted to be associated with Jews in fear of being accused of having participated or been complacent in how they were treated in the region. Everyone was vilified and run out by Stalin. Because of all the bad shit that happened, it took not even 2 full generations for this to be totally lost and was a surprise to my mother and me
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NO. in the US, there is a direct racist pattern of white families specifically telling their children they are “part cherokee”
i had more than 20 white classmates growing up, all using the same story and same language, to tell the class they are “part cherokee” or “1/16th cherokee”
its insidious and racist. and if you are a white american and choose, i repeat, CHOOSE to believe that obvious lie into adulthood, it is all on you and you ARE racist. there are so many resources and call outs of that cherokee lie, there is no excuse unless you are literally a child still.
Thanks for the rec on that podcast, I started listening to it today on my commute and it's very interesting even with knowing the outcome of the supreme court case
To add to what the comment above mine says, it is diabolical for him to go through life as a white person until he wanted to get a role intended for a POC. Clearly that family lore wasn't just part of a larger pattern of racism and white domination, but something that didn't matter to him until he wanted to steal a role.
Yeah that part is shady, I def see what he did wrong once he did know. I actually can't even believe he admitted to it publically. I was just wondering that it probably didn't occur to him to question it before the DNA test.
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i had more than 20 white classmates growing up, all using the same story and same language, to tell the class they are “part cherokee” or “1/16th cherokee”
its insidious and racist. and if you are a white american and choose, i repeat, CHOOSE to believe that obvious lie into adulthood, it is all on you and you ARE racist. there are so many resources and call outs of that cherokee lie, there is no excuse unless you are literally a child still.
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