Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. released a statement saying “a DNA test is useless to determine tribal citizenship,” adding that Warren is “undermining tribal interests":
“Current DNA tests do not even distinguish whether a person’s ancestors were indigenous to North or South America. 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.”More: Did Elizabeth Warren Just Kill Identity Politics? If the Massachusetts senator is now a person of color then the term has no meaning.