Cherokee Nation rebukes Elizabeth Warren over DNA test

Progressive idol and likely 2020 Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was in the news today after she released the results of a DNA test that showed she may have American Indian blood -- somewhere between 1/64th (6 generations ago) and....... 1/1024th (10 generations ago).

From Allahpundit over at HotAir.com:

In fact, here’s a superb catch by George Conway (yes, that George Conway) from an NYT story on genetics and ancestry in America published in 2014:

"The researchers found that European-Americans had genomes that were on average 98.6 percent European, .19 percent African, and .18 Native American."

A genome that’s .19 percent native works out to 1/512. So, do the math. The best-case scenario for Warren, that she’s 1/64th native, would mean that around 1.6 percent of her genome is Native American, about 10 times more than the average European-American. The worst-case scenario, 1/1024th, would mean it’s around .10 Native American — roughly half the share the average European-American has. It’s possible, in other words, that Fauxcahontas is less native than the typical white American.

The Cherokee Nation issued the following response this afternoon:

Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr.

Cherokee Nation responds to Senator Warren’s DNA test

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. issued the following statement Monday in response to Senator Elizabeth Warren’s DNA test claiming Native Heritage:

"A DNA test is useless to determine tribal citizenship. Current DNA tests do not even distinguish whether a person’s ancestors were indigenous to North or South America," Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. "Sovereign tribal nations set their own legal requirements for citizenship, and while DNA tests can be used to determine lineage, such as paternity to an individual, it is not evidence for tribal affiliation. Using a DNA test to lay claim to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong. It makes a mockery out of DNA tests and its legitimate uses while also dishonoring legitimate tribal governments and their citizens, whose ancestors are well documented and whose heritage is proven. Senator Warren is undermining tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage."