Who can identify as Native? (PBS)

Reservation Dogs is a cultural treasure because it is by and for Indigenous people and others (FX)

1% Cherokee? Who can identify as a Native American?

(PBS Origins) Aug. 20, 2024: What’s the deal with “Pretendians”? Native Tai Leclare and experts dissect what it really means to be Native — whether it’s blood, initiation, or just a claim. This episode digs deep into the complexities of identity and last names in Indian Country.

What does it mean to be a federally recognized tribe?

SCRIPT

Tone: dramatic irony. Scene: Mall on Black Friday

• "You're Native American?"
• "Ugh, yeah, I'm 1% pure Cherokee."
• "How do you figure?"
• "My great great grandmother made love in the backdoor to a man who said he was a Cherokee. He knew all the lyrics to Cher songs and everything."
• "HOW."
• "How what?"
• "How does that make you... Never mind. Happy Thanksgiving." 🙄
• "Thank you! You, too!! Or as my people say, eat cranberry sauce."

(Paul Revere and The Raiders) "Cherokee People"

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• Cher, "Half-Breed," 1973; PBS Origins; Reservation Dogs; Dhr. Seven, Xochitl, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation) (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly