- Before Covid, a lady contacted me through ancestry.com. She told me that we were related and that she was looking for her father. I was concerned that her father might be one of my close relatives, like my late father or late uncles. As we corresponded, I tried to find out more about who her father might've been. However, I lost touch with her as time went by.
- When Covid hit, she passed away in September. About a year after that, her son contacted me. He was doing the same research as his mother had done before. This time, he was looking for his grandfather, his mother’s father. I asked him for photos to see which side of my family he would be related to. As I wasn't sure it was on my late father’s side. I asked him for photos of himself & his late mother. After reviewing his photos, I realized he looked similar to my nieces and nephews, so he must be related to my mother's side of the family. Then I figured out which of my uncles could be his father, and I gave him a name. He contacted my uncle, and through my uncle’s partner, the son found his grandfather.
- The reason I'm sharing this story is that it was originally his mother who took the DNA test, and then he took the DNA test as well. This test, along with his resemblance to my relatives on my mother's side, helped him find his grandfather.
- Prior DNA led me to have over 3,000 to 6,000 3rd -4th cousins & another 1000 first - 2nd cousins as a result. There are at least approximately 200,000 Sioux people in the Americas, and only a small percentage have taken their DNA tests. Due to the amount of traveling I've done and the reservations I've visited, I was able to determine the origins of the last names of these people. I have even met many of my relatives before knowing that I was related to them.
- It's important to remember that there are various reasons why someone may not know their family connections. Some children were born out of wedlock, some women were shamed into keeping their father's identity a secret, and some people may have been disowned by their families. It's crucial to consider these possibilities when searching for family connections.
- I also suspect that the lawyer, a female, within this story I originally posted initially claims she submitted her DNA. Within our communities there's family resemblance & oral history to fall back on. As the article on this lawyer being accused of pretending to be indigenous seems murky at best. She may have cheated on the DNA test, cause nobody watched her take the test, first of all. Second, there would relative from Norway House Manitoba who would be connected just like indigenous connection to thousands of my relatives. It's important to ensure the integrity of DNA tests, and I believe that she may have used someone else's DNA to pass as Indigenous from Norway House. In Norway House, most Indigenous people would recognize family connections based on resemblance, just like my nephew, who looks most Indigenous among his siblings and resembles my niece and nephew.
- I believe this female lawyer should seek out Indigenous people in Norway House who look similar to her and double-check her DNA test to find out which Cree family she belongs to. It's also important for her to recognize the Indigenous communities she's related to.
- It concerns me & many others that some people may falsely claim Indigenous heritage. I'm grateful that the lady has been reprimanded, and I hope that she can let go of any false narrative she created. It's important to respect the Indigenous community and not to make false claims of heritage. It also amazes me that non-indigenous people read these newspapers articles not thinking about what children stolen from our communities.
- There's just no excuse to support this pretending female lawyer. She's in a lot of trouble from the bar association in BC. Like ibsaud its murky waters for those who do not get it. For decades we've welcomed home our lost relatives.
- In the article there's no mention of any extended family or how many 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th cousins are indigenous.
It sounds my like someone lying on taking piss test by using some one elses piss in order to pass a drug test. Until some actually sees the person pissing in a cup the sample in question is questionable.
This article has a specialist say she submitted but it was not supersized.
There's the rub (please read the articles that follow) U’ll elaborate more on indigenous ways of know.
“I’ve been thinking about the fascinating questions and answers that could emerge if METL actually shared her DNA test results, and not just vague representations of what was found.
There are many factors that go into constructing an individual’s genetic ancestry analysis. Remember, these are not close biological relative tests that verify genetic connections between parent and child or between siblings. Genetic ancestry tests trace probable genetic connections (often distant) between individuals and “populations” original to continents. These tests are precise in some ways, e.g. the calculations they use, but imprecise in other ways related to sample sizes and how “population” categories are named and determined. Groups that are widely disparate geographically (say ranging from the north to the tip of South America) can be grouped into a population called "Indigenous" or "Native American." So-called Indigenous DNA markers are not specific to one Nation, People, or Tribe (whichever word you prefer). Also, “Indigenous DNA” alone (i.e. without tribal or nation genealogical documentation) is strongly found in individuals/populations sampled who identify not as Indigenous, but as “Hispanic” or “Latino.” Yes, they have so-called Indigenous ancestry, but Indigenous peoples are not defined only by such ancestry. And many who have it do not have an ancestor who lived among an Indigenous or tribal people for centuries. They have for centuries identified as other than what we today call Indigenous. Finally, there have been rare instances in which so-called “Native American” markers were found in individuals with verifiable ancestry in other parts of the world, and none in the Americas. Therefore, such tests cannot be used alone without genealogical and other paperwork to make robust determinations about an individual's biological, social, and political relationships or status. They can help, but they are not alone definitive.
METL’s DNA test may well open up other scenarios for her ancestry, which she may or may not have suspected. But without comparing and triangulating her test results with documents and interviews with living people, we cannot assume the test proves her very specific assertion about being CREE from NORWAY HOUSE. She didn’t just claim to be “Indigenous.” Her specific claim has been strongly contradicted by genealogical, historical, and interview evidence.
Hold on and wait for actual data. If it is not forthcoming, the extensive genealogical and historical work done on METL’s ancestry to date remains authoritative.
And by the way, if she did want to sue CBC and use those test results as evidence in her case, she’d need to release them. Then those of us who understand the intersections of DNA, genealogy, and Indigenous nationhood could examine them. Right now, she’s getting away with using her alleged test results as evidence in support of her to-date heavily challenged claims while not letting us see the evidence.”
(Kim TallBear (She/Her) • 2nd Professor and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience, and Society at University of Alberta, Faculty of Native Studies)
The psychological damage is what was created so many who deny. Deny what its like to grow up in an indigenous community.
Growing up as a Treaty I didn't realize all the different communities of indigenous people who were considered lower class than the Treaty people. The Sioux, Metis & Inuit were lower than Treaty people. As a treaty, if married any anyone who was not Treaty I would lose my status. Those from a lower caste who married a settler gained a higher caste status.
Now this pretendians tell their traumatic story as that of a Science Fiction novel. Those who read & accept these stories are not holding space for what trauma really is unless they stop denying their own shame of being non-indigenous.
All people experience trauma!
The need to control a narrative that suits their trauma from the fictitious, romanticized, almost mythological origins of being indigenous, is damaging.
The results of trauma are real. The focus for all Indigenous people is entering into a renaissance for our youth by challenging these claims. The respect of learning from elders & seeing the sacrifices made not just these 100 years rather thousands is here.
I have relatives who actually are making an effort to find their orgins with the help of indigenous communities. When a pretendian lies about the lack of connection they are completely wrong.
It amazes me how public media focuses on the high achievements of these pretendians’s pretenses.
Its like their ego wants to believe alien life is searching for them as a way of escapism. This colonial way of thinking that their standards is higher is so full of fallacies.
The question they don't understand is what makes them think they are above the Creator, Grandfather or Grandmother. The saying we are related means just that. ‘We are raised to know those that came before us!’ This helps us!
Its these same people & their ancestors who did nothing when thousands of children who were dying in those hell holes called ‘Indian Residential Schools.’ Canadian government cared nothing about Caste an indigenous people belonged. Indian Act created this & its these pretendian ancestors who made themselves the highest Caste in Canada. SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!
Systemic racism exists from that of ‘knowing how to talk’ when in the company of non-infigenous for the sake of safety leaving non-indigenous people silent, or appearing to be complacent.
A Caste system created by the Canadian government, elevated non-indigenous women into two castes putting them belonging to two castes: non-indigenous & treaty status. They not realizing, from their pack of education or lack of taught indigenous protocols, there was an even lower caste than what they married into. Within a Caste system there existed an even lower Caste, the culture of the ‘untouchables’ or (Sioux, Metis, Inuit). When these women either married or in common-in-law believe their privilege gives them authority is WRONG! It onky elevated them into two upper Castes.
They do a disservice to all those indigenous people who are reconnecting from being displaced. Stolen, adopted or fostered indigenous children, many search using their DNA & connections to the LAND.
When I gather smudge its not a ‘commercial enterprise’ rather way to identify, using protocols to help actual indigenous people reconnect with their Tribal ancestors, so they know who cane before them.
Pretendians are like Sweetgrass. When I think of buying Sweetgrass rather than picking its so expensive. Decades ago nobody cared about Sweetgrass but now its a trend because it majes money, a way of idenrifying as upper Caste. Identifying as indigenous is a trend. But like all trends it as no purpose. Its lije an adduction. Their is no spiritual practice of reconnecting to the land or their tribe. For them, these pretendians, must traces their own ‘old world tribal connections.’ Way back before they were christainized’
Example, IF her European ancestors were WITCHES then she must connect with those ancestors using their protocols & not OURS. I see this happening in a twisted way. They are so far removed from their ancestors, these ‘settler’ or ‘colonial’ have lost their tribal roots from the OLD WORLD.
It was foretold of a WHITE SPIRITUAL ANIMAL will appear. This was centuries before Columbus. For 500 hundred years now this spiritual animal has lived in the NEW WORLD.
Never in the history of humanity was or is there threats of mass extinction. It took 500 years & only noe are more & more people confused. Imagine a WHITE ANIMAL killing 100 million indigenous peoples im the Americas. Now, imagine the A-bomb capable of mass extinction events. Now, look at Climate change & the lack of disrespect for ALL ANIMALS & ALL LIVING THINGS.
I tend to believe, in a spirutual sense that Creator isolated the indigenous peoples of the Americas for a spirutual teaching. Just think about what we as humanity (ALL HUMANITY) that we did so wrong thousands of years ago. We are experiencing these facts in our sciences.
Yet evidence shows our ancient ancestors (ALL ANCESTORS) were connected then separated. CREATORS’ WILL BE DONE…
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