I think that the whole question of American Indian heritage is a tricky one. I think that in one sense it’s something that people who are Native don’t necessarily think about. They think about their tribal identity. They think about their community. They think about their family. I think that people who have some native ancestry are fascinated by it and often try to find their way back to it and sometimes not exactly for legitimate reasons.
I have often gotten emails from people saying I want to send my son, daughter, whoever to college free and we have some Indian ancestry. So, how do we go about getting a scholarship to send them to college? And of course that’s not what it’s about. It’s not about privilege for people who have a bloodline, but it’s about a cultural connection that deserves support and educational opportunity that’s been denied.
