Kathryn Parks is sooo right about the Nations/Tribes and genetics. Too many ppl are trying to gain status as N8v to be able to just go after things like student scholarships, grants/loans, business grants, etc & many seem to think it will automatically qualify them to recieve some "big casino payout". Then many find out they don't get accepted into the Nations that they think they might be connected to or heck they never bother to do the rest of the genealogical connecting on paper, and instead they join the "new state approved native "clubs" that are calling themselves nations, & these ones in many cases are the ones in US and in Canada that are starting to try to demand Lands, hunting rights, casino gaming rights, and many other things. In NC just in the last couple months, another one of these so called Nations got busted for illegal gambling and all kinds of other stuff including illegal drugs. This so called Nation was trying to claim religious freedom for their drug use!
Even the Metis in Canada (not the original Western & Red River Metis Nations) but the newly formed that are popping up especially in Eastern Canada. I have issue with these organizations, because the way I see it, is just as an elder put it to me years ago. "you are Metis? so what part of you is indian? is it 1 hand?, 1 foot?, a leg maybe?" I laughed and said I don't understand what you mean by that. they said..."You are either Native or you are not, you either know it completely and fully, or you are just another playing indian." this is when they explained to me, that if you are Native then you will want to know who ALLLL of your grandparents are! not just one supposed "Indian Princess". Being Metis for many is not about knowing their actual Native Ancestries, its about finding one out of Thousands, then claiming status! To be a true Metis, one must know from what Ancestral Lines they descend, and within that know what Nations that includes....If one knows the Nations, why would they not bother to learn the actual cultures of their grandparents who were born of parents of those Nations?...To claim Metis, is in a sense to deny each and every Native Nation that the lines of Metis originally were formed from, thereby, denying your ownfull-Native Nation grandparents and your French Ancestries, Irish Ancestries, Scottish Ancestries and more rarely but (did occur) English Ancestries.
this next comment is not meant to pick on anyone or point fingersisjust food for thought. If you found a grandmother or grandfather who was full blooded of a Nation and they in-turn married someone not of a nation, why would you deny yourself the opportunities to look deeper into who that full-blood grandparent was, and what Nation they were from? and why would you stop looking for Native after finding one? was one unknown unnamed grandparent who might be Native more important than all other grandparents in your Ancestry? Without each and Every grandparent that is in your line...you would NOT BE who you are today. Just think on that.
Oh one other thing, to those who seem to beleive these DNA MTdna and other genetic tests can tell you what tribes you are from...if they are claiming to be able to tell you the tribes within the US and Canada.. you should think twice on wasting money on this. Since the US and Canada Nations Don't accept Genetics (except to prove paternity).. heres a thought..Most tribal members won't do the testing! heck most tribal members of most nations can't AFFord the testing, and why would they want to or need to, they are already members. So where are these supposed matches to these nations coming from? one person, 10 people outta 100's of thousands...who maybe are native that live off Rez's and Reservs? Sorry I for one am not buyin into this genetic playground, besides, why in the world would anyone want to share the most important information of themself (thier actual genetic markers) with people all over the world..& btw once up their goes all privacy when it comes to governments, law enforcements, etc. Call me paranoid, but I'll keep my genetic make up to myself thank you. lol