# So Warren has Native American ancestry, 8 generations ago. Is she a minority? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 15, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990 "2018-10-15T16:26:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/1 "2018-10-15T16:26:24Z")
This issue has always personally rankled me. I have a great, great grandmother that is native American. She’s in an old family photo. I’ve visited her grave in our family cemetery. My family has never learned which tribe she’s from or much about her childhood. I would never refer to myself as a minority or use it to my advantage. That’s an insult to the real Native Americans struggling in this country. They’ve already been exploited enough imho. Warren should have _immediately_ had that Harvard entry retracted and corrected. Imho Harvard insists it didn’t advance her career. But Warren needs to lay off the the claims of native American heritage. It’s unseemly and just wrong to appropriate another culture. Just imagine a person with a black ancestor, 8 generations ago claiming black heritage. [https://www-m.cnn.com/2018/10/15/politics/elizabeth-warren-dna-test-native-american/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F](https://www-m.cnn.com/2018/10/15/politics/elizabeth-warren-dna-test-native-american/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F) > [@](#): > > Bustamante’s analysis places Warren’s Native American ancestor between six and 10 generations ago, with the report estimating eight generations. “The identity of the sample donor, Elizabeth Warren, was not known to the analyst during the time the work was performed,” the report says. > \ > Warren’s purported Native American heritage was touted by Harvard Law School when she was a professor there. But Warren’s video includes testimonials from faculty at Harvard Law, the University of Houston, University of Pennsylvania Law School and UT Austin School of Law insisting Warren’s professional advancement was not tied to it. > > “Her heritage had no bearing on her hiring,” Jay Westbrook of the UT Austin School of Law says in the video. “Period.” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/2 "2018-10-15T16:34:49Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Harvard insists it didn’t advance her career. But Warren needs to lay off the the claims of native American heritage. It’s unseemly and just wrong to appropriate another culture. From what I can see, Elizabeth Warren doesn’t make these claims today. It’s Donald Trump and his ilk who keep bringing it up. And Trump promised a million-dollar donation to charity if she took a DNA test but is now reneging on that. ---
**Author:** ![Caldazar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Caldazar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caldazar)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/3 "2018-10-15T16:36:08Z")
No idea if Warren has tried to use her heritage to try gain an advantage politically or professionally; I don’t really follow stuff like this. However, I assume she’s mostly just trolling Trump here, since Trump once shot his mouth off and “offered” $1 million if she would take a blood test to demonstrate her heritage. I imagine few people actually care about her heritage or the $1M. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/4 "2018-10-15T16:38:52Z")
The spread was given from 6 to 10 generations–that ranges from about 1.5% to 0.09%. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/5 "2018-10-15T16:40:11Z")
Funny. Seems that up until now it was Trump who couldn’t shut up about it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/6 "2018-10-15T16:48:06Z")
I agree this shouldn’t be a political issue going forward. Yes Warren has a trace of Native American heritage. So does many Americans if you went back that far back in the family tree. Warren can try to get her 1 million from Trump. But I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting on it. 😉 He’ll weasel out. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/7 "2018-10-15T16:50:46Z")
> [@Wolf333](#): > > Funny. Seems that up until now it was Trump who couldn’t shut up about it. > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Harvard got that information from someone. It seems likely Warren checked a box on a form. Why? Maybe it was a honest mistake. It was a long time ago. I’ve never made any mention of my ancestry at work or school. It’s just not notable enough to mention in that context. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/8 "2018-10-15T17:02:20Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > From what I can see, Elizabeth Warren doesn’t make these claims today. It’s Donald Trump and his ilk who keep bringing it up. And Trump promised a million-dollar donation to charity if she took a DNA test but is now reneging on that. > [@Caldazar](#): > > No idea if Warren has tried to use her heritage to try gain an advantage politically or professionally; I don’t really follow stuff like this. However, I assume she’s mostly just trolling Trump here, since Trump once shot his mouth off and “offered” $1 million if she would take a blood test to demonstrate her heritage. I imagine few people actually care about her heritage or the $1M. While it’s true that Trump won’t shut up about this and has blown it way out of proportion, he never actually offered her $1M to take a test. He talked about doing so if they ever debated each other, but that has not come to pass. See the thread in Elections for the actual quote. If the ancestor actually was 10 generations back, that probably stretches the ability of commercially available test to detect that DNA, which might explain why she went to someone like Bustamante. Or, maybe she just wanted to have an expert in the field certify the results. At any rate, I think she’s done what can be done to verify her family lore, and she can claim to have some NA ancestry. Whether she actually claimed to be Native American, as some seem to suggest, is unclear. How she got listed that way at Harvard could be an overly aggressive PR attempt by the department she was in, or maybe she innocently checked some box at some point. I don’t think we need to assume anything deceptive on her part. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/9 "2018-10-15T17:11:39Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > But Warren needs to lay off the the claims of native American heritage. > [@aceplace57](#): > > Harvard got that information from someone. It seems likely Warren checked a box on a form. Why? Maybe it was a honest mistake. It was a long time ago. Make up your mind. In your first post, your use of the present tense suggests you think she is currently making these claims but in your second post, you acknowledge that she did so a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/10 "2018-10-15T17:17:29Z")
She was employed at Harvard years ago. I don’t know what Warren will say from now on. She has a trace of Native American blood. That validates her family’s oral history. How she proceeds is up to her. The Verge has an interesting viewpoint. > **[Elizabeth Warren’s DNA test doesn’t prove she’s Native American](https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/15/17978144/elizabeth-warren-dna-test-native-american-genetics-ancestry-culture-identity-politics)** > > Genetics is not culture > [@](#): > > Additionally, having some Native American ancestry “proven” from a DNA test, does not automatically mean that someone is or should be, say, a member of the Cherokee tribe. (Thankfully, Warren has never made this claim.) “People think that there’s a DNA test that can prove if somebody is Native American or not. There isn’t,” Tallbear told New Scientist. Tribal affiliation is about more than genetics. It is also about history, culture, and political identity. The same is true of every culture, but these issues are especially sensitive given the history of the Native Americans in the US. > Tallbear noted that it’s popular for white people to claim Native American ancestry, but “tribe” is a federally recognized status, and being Cherokee is about more than DNA analysis. And as DNA tests have become more and more widespread, people are showing up at tribal-enrollment offices with their results. “That worries us in a land where we already feel there’s very little understanding about the history of our tribes, our relationships with colonial powers, and the conditions of our lives now,” she said. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/11 "2018-10-15T17:29:45Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Make up your mind. In your first post, your use of the present tense suggests you think she is currently making these claims but in your second post, you acknowledge that she did so a long time ago. You want consistency from the o.p.? If you can achieve that goal it’ll be a first. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/12 "2018-10-15T17:43:43Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > … > Warren can try to get her 1 million from Trump. But I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting on it. 😉 He’ll weasel out. Warren doesn’t want a million bucks from Trump. She wants Trump to donate a million bucks to charity, which would probably kill him. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/13 "2018-10-15T17:56:32Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > While it’s true that Trump won’t shut up about this and has blown it way out of proportion, he never actually offered her $1M to take a test. He talked about doing so if they ever debated each other, but that has not come to pass. See the thread in Elections for the actual quote. It doesn’t matter. After he spent so much time mocking her by calling her Pocohantas, I would not have a problem if she persisted in mocking him for refusing to make good on the deal. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/14 "2018-10-15T18:01:42Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It doesn’t matter. After he spent so much time mocking her by calling her Pocohantas, I would not have a problem if she persisted in mocking him for refusing to make good on the deal. The “deal” was a hypothetical. It doesn’t exist in any real sense, never did. It’s a figment of your (and **fiveyearlurker** ’s) imagination. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/15 "2018-10-15T18:01:43Z")
The people who keep harping on this are Republicans looking for a reason to taunt Warren or her supporters. Much like Obama’s birth certificate (and remember Trump’s reaction to that?) this won’t solve anything because the problem was never Warren, it’s the people desperate to attack her. I suppose I’m fine with Warren taunting Trump now about his bet while Republicans scramble to say “But… but… he never REALLY said it” since those people were fine with giving Warren shit for years. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/16 "2018-10-15T18:06:43Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > … Trump now about his bet … There was no bet. This isn’t a hard fact to grasp. [“Trump bet Elizabeth Warren $1M” didn’t actually happen](https://i.warosu.org/data/tg/img/0407/39/1434914331498.png). ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/17 "2018-10-15T18:07:52Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > There was no bet. This isn’t a hard fact to grasp. [“Trump bet Elizabeth Warren $1M” didn’t actually happen](https://i.warosu.org/data/tg/img/0407/39/1434914331498.png). As I was just saying… ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/18 "2018-10-15T18:10:47Z")
I so much want Warren to throw this in Trump’s face. He shouldn’t be allowed to get away with that kind of crap. This is what I always said she should do (get tested and only release the results if positive). I just never thought she would do it. That is not to say that I support her for President, but I do admire her for fighting back. (Also, I think she is entitled to consider herself to have Native American ancestry but not to derive any benefit from being culturally native american-ie she can check the box but not use it to get jobs, benefits etc, which there is no evidence of her doing). ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/19 "2018-10-15T18:23:51Z")
Oh sure, _now_ the “One Drop” rule doesn’t apply. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990/20 "2018-10-15T19:14:21Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > It doesn’t matter. After he spent so much time mocking her by calling her Pocohantas, I would not have a problem if she persisted in mocking him for refusing to make good on the deal. > > The “deal” was a hypothetical. It doesn’t exist in any real sense, never did. It’s a figment of your (and **fiveyearlurker** ’s) imagination. Did Scott Brown, Donald Trump and you pay as much attention to the details of what she said and when she said it as you think we should give to what Trump said about the bet he’s now trying to get out of? I’ll save you the trouble; no, you did not. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-warren-has-native-american-ancestry-8-generations-ago-is-she-a-minority/822990.md?page=2)