Hillary Clinton claims Native American ancestry.

[Zorra]

She also claims that all her grandparents are European immigrants.

In her 2003 autobiography, "Living History," Hillary claimed Native American heritage. She wrote that her grandmother on her mother's side belonged to a family with “French Canadian, Scottish and Native American ancestry.”

The words in the excerpt below are from Hillary's autobiographical book, "Living History", and may be found on page 2, paragraph 5, of the book. The link to her book is below this excerpt:



https://goo.gl/A8sZ4E

The website at the link below says her claims of Native American ancestry are unsubstantiated and undocumented, but I'm sure the website must be mistaken, and that Hillary will explain where her Native American ancestry came from very soon, long before the Democratic National Convention, despite the fact that she has also claimed that all her grandparents were European immigrants.

Birth Name: Hillary Diane Rodham
Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Date of Birth: October 26, 1947
Ethnicity:
*English, Welsh (father)
*Welsh, English, Scottish, French, French-Canadian, remote Dutch (mother)
snip---
In her autobiography, Living History (2004), Hillary stated that her maternal grandmother was of part Native American ancestry. The official website of the National First Ladies’ Library lists Hillary as having Native American ancestry. However, no Native American (or Native Canadian) ancestry has ever been documented/verified for Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Hillary’s ancestral lineage can also be written out as such, with approximate fractions:

*43.75% English
*31.25% Welsh
*13.28% Scottish
*11.62% French/French-Canadian
*0.1% Dutch

http://ethnicelebs.com/hillary-clinton

In Iowa, Hillary Clinton claims 'all my grandparents' came to the U.S. from foreign countries
snip...
Clinton was speaking at a business roundtable inside an Iowa produce store when she related her personal family heritage to the struggles of undocumented immigrants trying to work in the United States.

"I think if we were to just go around this room, there are a lot of immigrant stories," Clinton said, according to a video of the event. "All my grandparents, you know, came over here, and you know my grandfather went to work in a lace mill in Scranton, Pa., and worked there until he retired at 65. He started there when he was a teenager and just kept going. So I sit here and I think well you’re talking about the second, third generation. That’s me, that’s you."

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/apr/16/hillary-clinton/hillary-clinton-flubs-familys-immigration-history-/

The oft used "well, she has evolved since then" meme probably won't be at all appropriate for this one, genetically speaking.

[Travis_0004]

1. So is that more or less native american than Elizabeth Warren?

[Zorra]

5. I don't know. But Elizabeth isn't running for POTUS. nt

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

12. She's the Bernie Sanders' fans alternate choice.

Don't deny otherwise.

[sabrina 1]

59. Who is the Hillary fans second choice?

[RiverLover]

73. Elizabeth Warren actually DOES have Native American ancestry. THAT's the difference.

Elizabeth Warren Is Part Native American
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/05/elizabeth-warren-is-part-native-american

[RandySF]

2. As did Elizabeth Warren.

Scott Brown and the Republicans tried to make it an issue and failed. Are we going to take that page out of the Republican playbook?

[sheshe2]

44. Apparently we are....

Remember this...

Cherokee Nation Demands Scott Brown Apologize For 'Downright Racist' Taunts

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/cherokee-nation-scott-brown_n_1916404.html

Ya know, I have been told I have a % of Mohawk in me. I have traced some of my ancestry, I don't have the money to do more.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. And I really and truly don't care.

I don't give a damn if she's part Klingon. I have reasons for preferring Bernie to Hillary, but this irrelevant bit of trivia sure isn't one of them. Can we stop with the nit-picking and stick to the serious issues?

[Zorra]

7. A presidential candidate telliing the truth is an important issue to me. nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. This is probably something she was told by family members.

I doubt she is lying, and I am not going to demand she submit to a DNA test. This is trivial bullshit, just like it was with Elizabeth Warren. Don't embarrass the Sanders supporters who care about serious issues.

[Zorra]

17. It's your choice to feel however you want to feel.

Nobody is asking Hillary to submit to a DNA test

[Thinkingabout]

14. Where did she not tell the truth, most of us have at least four immediate grandparents and many are

Lucky to have information on several generations, prove she is lying. Yes some of her grandparents came from Europe but does not say she is lying. We need some truth here. BTW, I also have Native American ancestry.

[Sunlei]

88. Ask Bernie Sanders if he would EVER start trivial bullshit like this OP.

[John Poet]

16. HILLARY Is Part KLINGON ?!

I KNEW it! Well, I didn't know it, but.... I KNEW it!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

18. Doubtful, but if she was I wouldn't care.

In fact, it would make me more likely to vote for her.

[bravenak]

4. Have you gotten her blood test results?

Many blacks have some and it was never listed since we did not get birth certificates. She may have a ancestor with some blood from generations ago. I remember how mad people were when Scott Brown pulled this type of thing on Elizabeth Warren.

Thank god we are not into such Rovian Tactics!!

[jwirr]

25. You are correct about African Americans having some Native

blood. Very early on many black slaves would run away to Native villages. Much of that has been documented.

Also in my state at least one slave family in Michigan (the Bonga family) married into Native families and worked as voyagers. Their descendants are listed on the treaties as interpreters. In census they were listed as black so we know a lot about them. My family are descended from them.

As to Hillary's Native blood from what I know about the tribes in Canada it is very possible that she is right but like Elizabeth Warren she needs to be able to prove that.

[bravenak]

36. If she is using it a bunch then yes, prove it. But this is like the thing with Warren, imo.

Last edited Mon Oct 26, 2015, 12:27 PM - Edit history (1)

Not really that big of a deal. I can trace mine back to the Dawes rolls, but there is no connection to the culture so I do not make claims of membership. I am not a member.

[jwirr]

82. Exactly. When anyone tries to make a big thing of it politically

I think they are way off the mark. It is not an issue and never should be.

[sheshe2]

46. I was able to trace my paternal family...

Great grandfather and grandfather to Canada. It is said that we have Mohawk blood. I can't prove it, never had the money to dig further. It doesn't show in me, I am blond, I got the German side. My grandfather and dad, very black hair, very different features. Darker skin. It showed. My sister to a lesser extent.

I agree~ Thank god we are not into such Rovian Tactics!!

[bravenak]

54. I traced my mother's side!! We found records of her great grandma and family on the rolls.

I think there needs to be more of this exploration of our diverse genetic histories and show how connected we all are. Yes, girl, I hate Rovian tactics! You know me!

[sheshe2]

60. Oh ya, I know you girl.

Eight years ago, I did ancestry.com. I was unemployed and had some time. Geez...I found passenger manifests for my maternal grandfather and family to come from Switzerland.

Ha! I found a document with my dads fathers signature...cool. Wish I had the money to delve further.

Ha~ you rock.

[NBachers]

51. Nice to see you, Bravenak- making too much sense again, I see. Be Careful!

[bravenak]

52. Lol, I know! I'm trying to be good.

[madaboutharry]

6. Canada is a foriegn country with an indigenous population.

There could be a Native American ancestor from that lineage. There are many Canadians, both English and French, who have Native American ancestors. Maybe someone will ask her and give her an opportunity to explain this.

[Zorra]

8. I'm sure someone will.

However, I believe one of the articles says she has no documented First Nations ancestry from Canada.

[sufrommich]

10. I feel like I've stumbled into The Drudge Report.

Between this and the Bill Clinton/Katy Perry crap,it's hard to tell the difference.

[zappaman]

21. Yup.

[Agschmid]

37. Yup.

[sheshe2]

61. Not sure it can get lower.

[Hekate]

66. It can and it will, rest assured.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. Senator Sanders should bring this up at the next debate.

eom

[NanceGreggs]

29. That literally ...

... caused a spraying of beverage all over my desk.


Thanks so much for that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cha]

39. Yes, it worked out so well for Scott Brown.

[zappaman]

13. Ok. n/t

[DemocratSinceBirth]

15. What do you think of my suggestion that Bernie bring it up at the next debate?

eom

[zappaman]

20. I think it's a great idea!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

23. I hope the seminal poster recommends it to him...

Perhaps he can make a commercial where he dresses in traditional Native American garb to mock her.

[historylovr]

38. Traditional Native American garb?

[Scootaloo]

49. These glimpses into your mind are fascinating

[sheshe2]

63. Scott Browns Republican supporters did a bang up job on Warren.

Scott Brown staffers do "Indian war whoop", "tomahawk chop"

Published on Sep 25, 2012

9/22/2012, nearby Eire Pub in Boston, at a rally for Scott Brown including former Mayor Ray Flynn. Some supporters of Elizabeth Warren were also gathered around with signs. Here you can see Brown's staffers making "war whoops" and "tomahawk chops", presumably in reference to Warren's Cherokee heritage. Identified in video making the chop are Brown's Constituent Service Counsel Jack Richard (camoflage shirt) and -- we believe -- Massachusetts GOP operative Brad Garrett, front and center with tan baseball cap and gray hoodie, leading the whoops and chops.

[DURHAM D]

33. LOL Before he brings it up he should verify that

Hillary claimed minority status when she applied to Wellesley or Yale.

[CheshireDog]

19. This is so sad

Are the Bernie supporters like combing through all of Hillary's books looking for some random inconsistencies?

It comes across as very desperate

[Zorra]

24. Some DUers actually read books. nt

[zappaman]

27. And for those of those that do read books...

This is sad.
And pathetic.

[NCTraveler]

92. And apparently they have an opinion about the content of the op. Nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. Not all of us waste our time with such trivia.

There are important issues to be addressed but this isn't one of them.

[madamesilverspurs]

22. Seriously?

This is concerning? Excuse me while I don't faint with worry.

[RandySF]

28. .

[Historic NY]

30. Try doing genealogy sometime.....

people say they came from place, it ends up being entirely different and better yet how was it initially recorded. We have an entire ethnic population in my town from 1880 forward that list themselves from different Eastern European countries. I can't tell you how many records have completely different birth locations. We just list them here now as Russo-Poland because its difficult to establish as the Ottoman Empire disolved.

There are lots of misnomers in family trees . Whats in your closet???? Do you really know???? I've been involved in genealogical studies for more than 20yrs and today I recommend people do the DNA swab, its more than helpful in getting to the actual source.

[DURHAM D]

34. So true.

My great grandmother provided three different countries of origin to state and federal census takers. She probably thought it was none of their business.

ETA: Actually the borders kept changing.

[Zorra]

48. I'm an amateur genetic genealogist. Good genealogists never use

sketchy documentation for proof, and yes, the DNA never lies.

DNA testing for genealogical purposes is great if other family members (known or unknown) have also tested. If there is a large database that contains related tested subjects to compare to, this can prove family relationships.

I use three different DNA testing companies for my genealogical work, depending on what I need to discover. Men are easiest because I can work with autosomals, STR's, and SNP's to find definite indisputable matches. NGS has made testing for SNPs fast and simple.

Reasonably extensive autosomal testing with the well known DNA testing companies (the ones that provide haplogroup results) gives a reasonable breakdown of an individual's ancestry. In the case of testing for Native American ancestry, male haplotypes are Q and C. Female Native American haplotypes are A, B, C, D, and X, but not exclusively as some subgroups of these haplotypes are found in non indigenous American populations.

Of course, a person can have native American DNA without belonging to one of the above haplotypes. depending on the ancestral DNA combinations of her or his parents. But testing positive for a Native American haplotype means that the lineage itself is Native American.

Many people claim ancestry to royalty, famous people, or tribes, until they take a DNA test.

Hillary may be part Native American, but her extensive family tree does not seem to indicate that she is.

Anyway, my poor friend nadin felt compelled to stop posting on DU because she was hounded about her ancestry by a certain political interest group here on DU, so I don't think it is at all unreasonable to question a Presidential candidate's claims of having minority ancestry.

[stevil]

69. Wow

DNA test is the new birth certificate! It was only a matter of time.

[leftofcool]

74. But you obviously don't know much about NA history.

If you did, you would know that many NA women married Scots/Irish men early on thus never being listed on the Dawes Roll which was no doubt the case for the Della Murray family. And yes, I am well aware of the history as both my great grand parents are on those rolls. At least Hillary didn't use NA ancestry as a means to get into Harvard taking away a minority spot for a real NA.

[Zorra]

96. Interesting assumption there. nt

[historylovr]

50. That's a very good point.

Boundaries shift. Names of towns change, or the town itself disappears. So it's definitely a challenge at times. The DNA test has been very helpful on top of doing my own digging. As far as what's in my closet? Some stories I was told have proven true; others have not. I have no First American ancestry, and the only outlaw I'm related to is John Peters (Johnny) Ringo. Less savory characters I'm related to will remain unnamed.

[NanceGreggs]

31. I hear Trey Gowdy wants to hold a hearing on the matter ...

He said that armed with ammunition like this, he's sure he can break HRC in an hour or less.

[sheshe2]

64. Yes...

To the sum of 4.5 Million more dollars of the tax payers money.

It's almost Halloween, guess we are in for another witch hunt.

[olddots]

32. Hillary .......How ?

[okasha]

35. Intermarriage between Native Americans

and French Canadian voyageurs, as well as Scots exiled after the 1745 uprising, were very common. Lots of intermarriage between Jacobites and Southeastern nations, too.

[BainsBane]

40. I guess this must be another one of those disagreements on "policy"

[betsuni]

58. Heh.

[Skidmore]

70. Heh, heh.

[mcar]

85. ..

[MasonDreams]

41. Who Cares? White woman speak with forked tongue.

[Scootaloo]

47. Seriously? You're gonna go for pastiche?

[MasonDreams]

83. I'm sorry, I respect art and the rights of artists. I should redo.

I guess I do care. I'm not a fan of what folks from the UK, France, and Spain have done to North America, the land and the people.
Enough of the Borg, I need a few days off in the woods. Flush all this crap out of my head. I regret any pain I may have caused.

[Cheese Sandwich]

42. She's as white as they come. She also lied about her family being more recent immigrants.

She should just wear this as a lapel pin

[Thinkingabout]

55. You still have not proven she is not from Native American ancestry, then you don't have anything.

[Cheese Sandwich]

56. How would you prove something like that?

[Scootaloo]

72. I'm sure you can make the point without demanding that a negative be proven.

Hinging your position around a logical fallacy like that just leaves you with no position at all.

[Matariki]

43. What is your point?

[longship]

45. What a load of shit!

That is all I have to say about this kind of elementary school yard tactics.

Grow the fuck up people.

Get serious. And for Christ sakes, stop this immature sniping.

It is really getting tiresome and it makes DU suck.

Fucking two year olds around here.

Tired of the immaturity.

[still_one]

62. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[demosincebirth]

53. I thought all white americans claim a little native american anscestry.

[SidDithers]

57. The right hates Hillary. The fringe left hates Hillary...

and they use similar tactics to attack her.

Sid

[DemocratSinceBirth]

76. +1/nt

[Hekate]

65. Millions of white Americans have a trace of Native American ancestry. Should we deny it?

On my mother's side, Solomon L. landed in Massachusetts after 1620, and within the first several generations of my family genealogy, someone with Pequot ancestry married in. That knowledge has always been there. As it happens, the ancestors my mother's family most resembles are the Irish that came in the mid-1800s (there are photos). My father gave us the Irish surname, but according to my mother's extensive genealogical work, his side of the family is mostly French and German. Welcome to America.

None of us has any claim on any tribe, and with millions like us we don't think we're in any way special to have such a distant ancestor from a colony the family left long ago -- but why would we want to deny or conceal something that actually gives us a genetic link to this land?

If the ancestor were in fact closer to us in time, like a grandparent or even great grand, I certainly see no reason why someone like Elizabeth or Hillary should conceal or deny such an important part of her heritage.

[Scootaloo]

71. And many millions more make the claim without any such ancestry

The sheer number if Cherokee princesses that must have existed to supply great-grandmothers to every blonde, blue-eyed man and woman claiming that ancestry in the US must have been ASTRONOMICAL. Like, enough princesses to fill a major metropolitan area.

Yup, there's lots of white people with Native ancestry. For all I know (or care) Clinton could be among them.

But there's a whole lot more white people who claim such ancestry, simply as some sort of genealogical fashion accessory, or worse, as some excuse to "lay claim" or excuse some sort of anti-native bigotry. "Yeah, it's okay when I do it, I got a little Indian blood in me" is a phrase that comes up astonishlingly often when people are trying to appropriate native culture or making the case for violating Native Rights.

[d_r]

77. I agree with you

It seems like every southerner has that Cherokee Princess.

On the other hand, that phenomenon is a good demonstration of how much interaction and assimilation there was between the Cherokee nation and the white settlers, which somehow makes the trail of tears an even worse betrayal. One of the very lowest points in our nation's history if you ask me.

[okasha]

94. I used to explain, very carefully,

to people who claimed that grandma was a Cherokee Princess that there never was any such thing.

A few years ago I stopped popping a blood vessel over it, and started replying that my grandmother was a Cherokee Marchioness. None of them knows what a Marchioness is, and they're very, very impressed.

[betsuni]

67. If there was a Nobel Prize awarded for nitpicking, this OP would win.

[moobu2]

68. And nitpicking at nothing at that.

[customerserviceguy]

75. I've been doing a lot of genealogical research lately

on my French-Canadian heritage, and indeed, Hillary did come up in a Wikipedia entry as being a descendant of one of "The King's Daughers", the women that the French crown recruited throughout France to send over to the New World.

The population there had little influx from either the mother country or other nations during that time, and some of the residents were the children of the earliest French settlers and First Nations women. I've seen family trees where you had about three native women (in a couple of cases, the same one) at the 7th great-grandparent level or so, one fellow's website put it at about 1/57th of his heritage was native.

Hillary's probably about the same amount, virtually undetectable by DNA tests.

[historylovr]

89. But would it really be so difficult?

I have 2% Middle-Eastern DNA, according to my test results. My nearest possible Middle-Eastern ancestor was born just over 900 years ago. I know it depends on how much DNA was passed down, but I'd think the odds would be good to find genetic markers from 400 years ago.

Anyway, I also have a King's Daughter for an ancestor.

[customerserviceguy]

90. Well, it's pretty much random

Theoretically, DNA splits 50-50 as it goes through each successive generation, and if you figure four generations per century, that's 2 to the 16th power for a person with an ancestor from 400 years ago. At that point, you've got over 65 thousand great-grandparents at that level. Even with three generations to a century, you've still got 2 to the 12th power, or over 4,000 great-grandparents at that level. Even a half dozen First Nations ancestors at that point, and you're still talking about way below 1%. She may have some, but not enough to really brag about.

I suspect that you have more Middle-Eastern DNA than you can trace genealogically, and most of it is ancient DNA from many years ago, that infiltrated European DNA during various travels and conquests. Besides, at this point, it's really all 95% speculation, and essentially a parlor game at this point. Maybe we'll know more later.

I'm hoping to find a King's Daughter; I'm adopted, and I'm actively using genetic genealogy to try to figure out who my great-grandparents are, even if it would be challenging to find my biological parents.

[historylovr]

93. Yes, that would make it more challenging.

And I hope you have success in your search.

[PeoViejo]

78. Some of the worst enemies of Native Americans

were other Native Americans who fought for the Corporate driven genocide of the Tribes. So, this claim don't mean squat.

[MineralMan]

79. This is about the silliest issue about Hillary I've seen.

I've been told that I have some Cherokee in me. I can't imagine why that would matter to me or anyone else, true or not. I don't care, and am not interested in genealogy. I'm this old guy who is whatever I am. I know my parents and knew my grandparents. That's far enough back for me.

Nobody, but nobody cares about this nonsense. If that's the best you can do, you're not doing very well, I think.

[PatrickforO]

80. I wouldn't be surprised.

Some people in my family thought my paternal great-great grandmother had Native American blood. Which, if true, means I do also. But it would be miniscule if so, because even if she was half Native American that would render me...about 1/32 I guess...like I said, miniscule.

So, again, it wouldn't surprise me if Clinton has a little Native American blood. And it ISN'T something to go after her on, just as it wasn't for Warren.

[Thinkingabout]

81. If Hillary denied her Native American ancestry then she would be lying.

Also, still waiting for your proof, if not I will leave this in column of your opinion only.

[treestar]

84. Why is this a problem?

A lot of people think they have some Native American ancestry but may not be able to prove it. Why is that worse than claiming any other type?

[hedgehog]

86. Unless you can document that she often claims Native ancestry in one place and

four immigrant grandparents in another place, it's time to move on. It's very easy for people making the same speeches day after day to slip a gear or have a brain fart and make a mistake. I am reminded over all the fuss when Joe Biden was accused of plagerizing a speech from Neil Kinnock. He was dragged over the coals and I think it killed his campaign. It later came out that this was his standard stump speech, given several times a day, and it usually included the information that he was paraphrasing Mr. Kinnock. He just happened to forget to give Mr. Kinnock the credit on that single occasion.

[Sunlei]

87. pretty interesting family history. French-Canadian is rare & did 'mingle' with Native Americans

It's really kind of sad to see how similar attacks are crafted with the Anti-Mrs. Warren republicans and Anti- Mrs. Clinton, democratic party people?

What will anti-Mrs. Clinton do next? the tomahawk chop mocking? like republicans did to Mrs. warren? (over family history, much of which is passed down oral)

[NCTraveler]

91. Sounds like a good read.

I'll have to get a copy. Thanks for sharing.

[blackspade]

95. Come on now, what is the purpose of this post?

Even my family supposedly has Native American ancestry as well, but there is little documentation for a variety of reasons.
Many people think that their family history is "fact" when the reality is less so.

Ginning this up serves no purpose. Let's stick to issues.