Dido. Well stated! ----- Original Message ----- From: "JMSchohn" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, August 09, 2008 12:08 PM Subject: [CREEK-SOUTHEAST] On who is a wannabe >I have never considered someone with Indian ancestry and no tribal ties to >be a wannabe. When I think about wannabees, I think about the folks with a >"Cherokee Indian princess" great great grandmother or the boy scouts at pow >wows with not one drop of Indian blood but the finest regalia money can >buy. I think about New Agers who are "Indian in their heart," or even >better, "Indian in a previous life." > > As tribal historian and genealogist, I have met many people searching for > their heritage. There is a longing there to find out who they are and they > have little more to go on than whispered rumors in their own family. > Sometimes I can help them document who they are and sometimes not. Often, > I can point to traditions in their family that they didn't know where > Indian, or to physical features that reveal their ancestry. But those > folks aren't wannabees. Those folks are our lost cousins, and for those of > us who are fortunate enough to have always known who we are, our job is to > help them find their way home. > > Michelle > > >