Question about heritage/ethnicity

[BlackPuppy]

This is confusing! I am an American citizen, and my mother's side goes back to the Dutch and New Amsterdam/New Netherlands in the 1600's. My father's side is more recently from Germany in the 1800's. I consider my heritage German and Dutch. I think the term used most often is "ancestry". "I am from German and Dutch ancestry." C'est vrai?

 

[Lyzelle]

I was born in America. But that's about it. Although sometimes I feel like there was a mixup and I should have been Canadian. :lol-sign:

But my mom's side is all mixed up, but pretty typical. I think we traced it back to the war, but from there most records are lost. Mostly River Rats and poor business folk(school teachers, tax collectors, side farmers, etc). On her dad's side, it's unknown. Her adoptive dad's side is very obviously Norwegian/Swedish, and really close up too.

My dad's side is Native American, not sure on the tribe. My grandmother was NA/French, though, so I think that makes me an 1/8th or something?

My adoptive dad is where things really get interesting. He was born to a more prestigious(?) family in England, but the woman wasn't married at the time. Paul was adopted out to an American military family from Mississippi. He tried doing some digging when he got older into his mother, contacting his mother, the family, etc, but every time he'd open that door, we'd start getting threatening phone calls at 3am and such.

Fun fact: English royalty don't like their illegitimate children snooping.

He was definitely Southern, though, no matter where he was born.

But that's it for me. I don't say I'm NA, French, English, or anything. Mostly I'm from a bunch of poor River Rats who made their living on the Wabash River. (Ewww).

I'm a mutt!

 

[sillysally]

So how does it work if you are mixed race? Do you (general) put down the race you look most like physically or the one you most identify with?

 

[Fran101]

So how does it work if you are mixed race? Do you (general) put down the race you look most like physically or the one you most identify with?

I usually put "other" if there is an "other" option.
Sometimes there is a mixed option even

For my college applications I always put "other". Didn't stop them from putting me on all the diversity pamphlets though lol :rofl1:

 

[Lyzelle]

DH is black on his mother's side, Italian/Jamaican on his dad's side. It's kinda neat.

He generally always goes with just "mixed", though. If anyone asks, he elaborates. But only because everyone seems to think he's Mexican. (??)

 

[Fran101]

DH is black on his mother's side, Italian/Jamaican on his dad's side. It's kinda neat.

He generally always goes with just "mixed", though. If anyone asks, he elaborates. But only because everyone seems to think he's Mexican. (??)

Everyone always thinks I'm Mexican too :rofl1: maybe that's like the go to random race you're assigned if people don't know.

I always get mexican or morrocan.
Copper skin, dark hair, brown eyes. People tend to just guess.

 

[Renee750il]

I have friends here who are from Chuuk, an island in Micronesia. Their kids keep getting told they're "Mexican" in school -- like they don't know where their father and uncles are all from, and haven't been back to visit several times during their lifetimes

 

[Pops2]

If your grandmother was 100% native American, Native American IS the appropriate box. The appropriate box isn't what your skin color most closely resembles, it's who your ancestors are.

that is only 1/4 First Nation, most nations won't allow you to enroll as a full member at that low of a percentage and the fed will not recognize you as native american if you can't enroll w/ one of the nations.

 

[Renee750il]

I've got several friends and acquaintances who are in the Book at 25%, Pops, but that's all Cherokee around here.

 

[Romy]

What % is accepted depends on the tribe. Pasqua Yaqui will accept you at 25%. Some tribes want to be in contact anyway because they like to keep track of where the people of their lineage end up even when they're low percentage.

 

[Pops2]

I've got several friends and acquaintances who are in the Book at 25%, Pops, but that's all Cherokee around here.

each nation gets to set it's own standards for full enrollment. what they include depends on how it affects the tribe's income & expenditures. you can claim to be anything you want on forms, census or what have you, but for federal & tribal benefits you have to meet their standard of proof.

 

[Red.Apricot]

My boyfriend is (mostly) Mexican and Pakistani. He just puts 'other' on all the forms. No one ever knows 'what he is.' People come up to him speaking all sorts of languages hopefully, which is kind of neat.

 

[milos_mommy]

My kid will be Native American (not status), White, Hispanic, and Black. They can fill out there forms however they please, but as long as I need to do it for them I'll probably check mixed race or white/hispanic.

 

[Renee750il]

each nation gets to set it's own standards for full enrollment. what they include depends on how it affects the tribe's income & expenditures. you can claim to be anything you want on forms, census or what have you, but for federal & tribal benefits you have to meet their standard of proof.

Several have gone to school on it. The Cherokee seem to have come to the conclusion that there is strength in numbers I believe they spearheaded the movement that resulted in Native American nations being able to run gambling businesses on their lands.

 

[Dogdragoness]

Not saying it was right, just saying that employers do a lot of stuff they "aren't supposed to" like hire minorities & women because they "have to".

 

[Pops2]

well after hollywood began pumping out "noble savage" characters it became cool to have native heritage. if they ever get a complete map of the human genome & use it to determine benefits A LOT of "native americans" are going to be real butt hurt.

 

[milos_mommy]

I don't qualify for Iroquois status, and I have the info about what reservation my great grandmother was born on...her mother's gravesite...family photos of them in full Iroquois dress, Iroquois dolls, etc...but my grandfather wasn't full blood so I can't get status, and I don't think my mother (who is 1/4 Indian) can either.

The Iroquois culture is definitely a dying culture, only a handful even know the languages, etc. It's really sad.

 

[Dogdragoness]

My boyfriend is (mostly) Mexican and Pakistani. He just puts 'other' on all the forms. No one ever knows 'what he is.' People come up to him speaking all sorts of languages hopefully, which is kind of neat.

Yeah my OH gets that all the time too, he's Mexican decent but he doesn't "look" Mexican (whatever that means lol) he has been called Greek, Native American etc lol

 

[Romy]

Yeah my OH gets that all the time too, he's Mexican decent but he doesn't "look" Mexican (whatever that means lol) he has been called Greek, Native American etc lol

When you really sit down and think about it, the "brown" variety of Mexicans are native American. A lot of them just don't know what tribe. Some do. My kid's dad was Pasqua Yaqui, some are Mayan and they're aware of it, huichol, etc.

And plenty don't know. But they sure aren't of 100% Spanish descent either.

 

[Dogdragoness]

When you really sit down and think about it, the "brown" variety of Mexicans are native American. A lot of them just don't know what tribe. Some do. My kid's dad was Pasqua Yaqui, some are Mayan and they're aware of it, huichol, etc.

And plenty don't know. But they sure aren't of 100% Spanish descent either.

Yes, you are correct. That didn't occur to me, OH's family is of Aztec decent.