This morning’s publication of Senator Elizabeth Warren’s genetic ancestry test results, which showed she has at least one Native American ancestor many generations ago, have once again brought issues of genetics and identity to the forefront of political discourse. As a geneticist who specializes in Native American population history, I’ve often been a vocal critic of using commercial DNA tests for claiming identity as a Native American. Furthermore, as geneticist Dr. Deborah Bolnick of the University of Connecticut explained, simply showing that a person inherited some of their genome from a Native American ancestor does not show that she herself is Native American. "She’s more careful in distinguishing her want for understanding where her family stories can be correlated with other sources versus using DNA evidence for asserting tribal membership. But unless you can prove descent from a Cherokee person or member of any tribe since that tribe began constructing citizenship rolls no tribe cares if you have Native American DNA.

Source: Forbes October 15, 2018 21:00 UTC