Genetic Ancestry Testing with Tribes: Ethics, Identity & Health Implications

Daedalus ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 147 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanibaa' A. Garrison
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Genetic Variants ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
The United States ◽  
Genetic Ancestry ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
Family Stories ◽  
Native American Tribes ◽  
Recreational Use ◽  
Over Time

Genetic ancestry tests have gained in popularity across the United States as more Americans seek answers about their ancestral past. The tests have been used to verify or dispute family stories about ancestors or to allow people to seek a sense of belonging with a particular tribe or community. They can also be useful in medical research to identify genetic variants across populations. At the same time, assumptions about genetic testing – and the very idea of a “genetic” identity – pose challenges for communities that are defined in terms of political, social, and cultural identities. This essay explores a range of uses of ancestry tests and their potential implications for Native American tribes and communities. It concludes that the scientific and recreational use of genetic ancestry testing continues to increase over time, but limitations of the consistency of results across platforms and the generalizability of knowledge remain.

The United States of America

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Dayton
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Native American ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
The United States ◽  
Limited Range ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Large Country ◽  
Federal Authority ◽  
Native American Tribes ◽  
Sovereign Authority

The United States of America is a physically large country, occupying nearly 3.5 million square miles. Its population of more than 321 million persons is distributed unevenly across its physical area, with over half living in a state located on either its east or west coast. It comprises fifty states, two commonwealths, three territories, and a number of island entities variously called possessions or territories. In addition, there are currently 566 federally recognized Native American tribes, each of which has sovereign authority with respect to a limited range of matters. The capitol city of Washington, DC, is an independent district not located within any state; it has a local government and is also subject to federal authority in some areas.

Improving Citizen Participation in Environmental Decisionmaking: The Use of Transformative Mediator Techniques

1993 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
C P Ozawa
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Native American ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Federal Agencies ◽  
Waste Incinerator ◽  
Policy Dialogue ◽  
Native American Tribes ◽  
Settlement Negotiations ◽  
Solid Waste Incinerator

Recent experiences in the United States suggest that mediators employ a number of techniques designed to resolve disputes over critical technical components of decisions. Some of these techniques, called ‘transformative mediator techniques’, both increase the knowledge base for decisions and enhance the abilities of resource-poor groups to protect and promote their interests. In this paper, elements of transformative and nontransformative mediator techniques are identified and discussed. Examples of mediator techniques are drawn from three cases: A regulatory negotiation to develop emission standards for wood stoves, a policy dialogue concerning a proposal to construct a solid-waste incinerator in New York City, and settlement negotiations in a fishery dispute involving three Native American tribes, the State of Michigan, and two federal agencies.

First Americans

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Grillot
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
World War I ◽  
The United States ◽  
Tribal Sovereignty ◽  
World War ◽  
Native American Identity ◽  
Native American Tribes ◽  
First Americans ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The U.S

This book depicts a forgotten history that explores how army veterans returning to reservation life after World War I transformed Native American identity. Drawing from archival sources and oral histories, the book demonstrates how the relationship between Native American tribes and the United States was reinvented in the years following World War I. During that conflict, 12,000 Native American soldiers served in the U.S. Army. They returned home to their reservations with newfound patriotism, leveraging their veteran cachet for political power and claiming all the benefits of citizenship—even supporting the termination policy that ended the U.S. government's recognition of tribal sovereignty.

New Discoveries and New Directions for the Archaeological Archives at the Autry Museum of the American West

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 280-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karimah Kennedy Richardson ◽  
Anna Liza Posas ◽  
Lylliam Posadas ◽  
Paige Bardolph
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
American West ◽  
The United States ◽  
Storage Facility ◽  
Sound Recordings ◽  
Scholarly Publications ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Native American Tribes ◽  
New Policies ◽  
And Storage

ABSTRACTIn 2003, the Autry Museum of the American West merged with the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, which housed the second largest collection of Native American objects in the country. Included within this collection is the Braun Research Library Collection, which consists of works of art on paper, rare books, scholarly publications, manuscripts, photographs, correspondences, maps and sound recordings, and other archival materials, many of which relate to the early development of the disciplines of archaeology and anthropology in the United States. For over a century, both national and international researchers have used the museum's collections and archival materials with a relative open access. However, due to the culturally sensitive nature of many of these collections and the growth of how information can be made accessible, the Autry institution is currently developing procedures that affect access, especially for those researchers who wish to study archaeological archives. Staff from multiple departments are collaborating on addressing these concerns, including developing new policies while improving access to Native American tribes, communities, and researchers in preparation for the new off-site Autry Resources Center and storage facility where the collection will be housed in the future.

The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska: The Process of Restoration of a Federally Terminated Tribe

1992 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Grobsmith ◽  
Beth Ritter
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
The United States ◽  
United States Government ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
General Welfare ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
History Of ◽  
Native American Tribes ◽  
Government Data

The Northern Ponca, a small Plains farming and hunting tribe were legislatively terminated as a federally recognized tribe in 1962. Less than a decade after their termination, they reorganized in an attempt to reverse this decision, and proceeded with legal action to restore their status as a federally recognized tribe. During the 30-year period during which their federal status was lost, their population dispersed, their economic status, health, and general welfare declined, and their ability to practice their culture diminished. This article documents their efforts to restore their federally recognized tribal status, which would enable them to resume eligibility for services to which other Native American tribes are entitled. Following a review of aboriginal Ponca culture and the history of their relations with the United States government, data on the contemporary Northern Ponca are presented. The complex process of achieving restoration is outlined, from the formation of a non-profit tribal corporation to the development of the Ponca Restoration Act. The authors have served, as consultants to and witnesses for the tribe and assisted in preparation of materials for use by the federal government. The Ponca Restoration Act was signed by President Bush on October 31, 1990.

Tribal Courts, Restorative Justice and Native Land Claims

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 359-386
Author(s):  
Zia Akhtar
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Restorative Justice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Native People ◽  
Customary Law ◽  
Land Claims ◽  
Judicial Process ◽  
Native American Tribes ◽  
Judicial Procedures

The Native American tribes in the United States have maintained distinctive customs which they practice within their ‘eviscerated’ sovereignty. The tribes exercise their jurisdiction as ‘sovereign’ nations under devolution of their lands granted by the federal government, which still has a right of preemption and the power of alienation. The tribal courts exercise the restorative justice principles that are integral to their judicial procedures and where the emphasis is on healing. The disputes in tribal courts are settled by mediation through Peacekeeping Circles that restore the parties to the pre-trial status and there is input from elders in the community. The Native people not only have to differentiate and preserve their justice framework, but also claim title to land where it has been extinguished by treaty, eminent domain or Executive order of the us government. The argument in this paper is that the restorative justice principle is part of the customary law of the tribes in the us and in Canada, and their dormant land claims can be revisited if this judicial process is maintained in the context of sustaining their customs within the federal legal framework.

scholarly journals European genetic ancestry associated with risk of childhood ependymoma

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 1637-1646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenan Zhang ◽  
Quinn T Ostrom ◽  
Helen M Hansen ◽  
Julio Gonzalez-Maya ◽  
Donglei Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Native American ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Genetic Ancestry ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Admixture Mapping ◽  
Central Nervous System Tumor ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Race Ethnicity

Abstract Background Ependymoma is a histologically defined central nervous system tumor most commonly occurring in childhood. Population-level incidence differences by race/ethnicity are observed, with individuals of European ancestry at highest risk. We aimed to determine whether extent of European genetic ancestry is associated with ependymoma risk in US populations. Methods In a multi-ethnic study of Californian children (327 cases, 1970 controls), we estimated the proportions of European, African, and Native American ancestry among recently admixed Hispanic and African American subjects and estimated European admixture among non-Hispanic white subjects using genome-wide data. We tested whether genome-wide ancestry differences were associated with ependymoma risk and performed admixture mapping to identify associations with local ancestry. We also evaluated race/ethnicity-stratified ependymoma incidence data from the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (CBTRUS). Results CBTRUS data revealed that African American and Native American children have 33% and 36%, respectively, reduced incidence of ependymoma compared with non-Hispanic whites. In genetic analyses, a 20% increase in European ancestry was associated with a 1.31-fold higher odds of ependymoma among self-reported Hispanics and African Americans (95% CI: 1.08–1.59, Pmeta = 6.7 × 10−3). Additionally, eastern European ancestral substructure was associated with increased ependymoma risk in non-Hispanic whites (P = 0.030) and in Hispanics (P = 0.043). Admixture mapping revealed a peak at 20p13 associated with increased local European ancestry, and targeted fine-mapping identified a lead variant at rs6039499 near RSPO4 (odds ratio = 1.99; 95% CI: 1.45–2.73; P = 2.2 × 10−5) but which was not validated in an independent set of posterior fossa type A patients. Conclusions Interethnic differences in ependymoma risk are recapitulated in the genomic ancestry of ependymoma patients, implicating regions to target in future association studies.

Old Hickory's Violent Past Medical History

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (11) ◽  
pp. 1717-1722
Author(s):  
Don K. Nakayama
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Native American ◽  
Medical History ◽  
The United States ◽  
United States Senate ◽  
Present Condition ◽  
Past Medical History ◽  
Andrew Jackson ◽  
Native American Tribes ◽  
Prison Camp

The past medical history (PMH) of Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) reflects one of the emblematic nicknames in Americana, “Old Hickory.” As a 14-year-old Rebel volunteer in the Revolutionary War, he survived a blow from a British saber and smallpox that he contacted in a prison camp epidemic. In 1806, Jackson challenged a rival who had made the mistake of maligning his beloved wife Rachel. He deliberately allowed his opponent to shoot him in the chest, and then killed him when he took his turn. A gunshot shattered his arm in an 1813 street fight that involved Thomas Hart Benton, who later became his ally in the United States Senate during his presidency. His PMH would not include a duel in 1787, where both parties shot and somehow missed; an escape from a party of Indians in 1791; a shootout in 1796 with the future governor of Tennessee; and in 1833 and 1835, the first two assassination attempts on a United States President. Wracked from a lifetime of maladies and wounds, he sought relief through heavy doses of nostrums laced with heavy metals and self-phlebotomy. He likely hastened his own death. The PMH gives perspective on a patient's present condition. In Jackson's case, it reveals traits that allowed him to survive and thrive in a dangerous age. His belligerence, fiery temper, and intransigence were qualities that led to success in war against the British and the Native American tribes of the southern United States, and in a political career that climaxed as the seventh United States President.

scholarly journals Engaging Colonial Entanglements: “Treatment as a State” Policy for Indigenous Water Co-Governance

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sibyl Diver ◽  
Daniel Ahrens ◽  
Talia Arbit ◽  
Karen Bakker
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Native American ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
The United States ◽  
Environmental Pollutant ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Water Quality Standards ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Native American Tribes

In the United States, treatment as a state (TAS) provisions enable eligible Native American tribes to assume the same responsibilities as state governments in setting and implementing water quality standards (WQSs). Following the introduction of TAS through 1987 amendments to the US Clean Water Act (CWA), forty-four US tribes have enacted TAS tribal standards, which may be more stringent than those of neighboring states; can incorporate cultural and/or ceremonial uses; and can be used to influence pollution levels coming from upstream, off-reservation users. To evaluate TAS as a model for Indigenous water co-governance, we examine how Native American tribes are advancing tribal sovereignty and environmental sustainability through TAS, and we engage with conflicting views on whether and how Indigenous self-determination can be advanced through existing bureaucratic and colonial governance systems. We specifically analyze environmental pollutant listings in tribal water quality standards for the forty-four TAS tribes. Findings suggest that TAS tribes are creating more culturally relevant WQSs, which are typically as comprehensive as, and often more stringent than, analogous state regulations. Tribal standards are diverse, and TAS tribes can set standards independently from neighboring states and one another. Further analysis reveals the complexities of TAS policy, whereby colonial entanglements both enable and constrain enhanced Indigenous self-determination.

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