Sen. Elizabeth Warren has apologized to the Cherokee Nation for her decision to take a DNA test to prove her Native American ancestry, according to reports.
“Senator Warren has reached out to us and has apologized to the tribe,” tribal spokeswoman Julie Hubbard said in a statement Friday.
“We are encouraged by this dialogue and understanding that being a Cherokee Nation tribal citizen is rooted in centuries of culture and laws not through DNA tests. We are encouraged by her action and hope that the slurs and mockery of tribal citizens and Indian history and heritage will now come to an end.”
Critics have accused the Massachusetts Democrat, who is running for her party’s presidential nomination, of advancing her career as a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard by claiming Cherokee heritage.
President Trump has repeatedly mocked his potential 2020 challenger by calling her “Pocahontas” — even offering $1 million to a charity of her choice if she took a DNA test that proved her claim.
Warren ignited a storm of controversy in October when she released the results of a DNA test that she said proved a distant relative was at least partially Native American.
Experts determined that the ancestor was “in the range of six to 10 generations ago,” according to the DNA report.
The Cherokee Nation has described Warren’s DNA test as “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,” Cherokee Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. said last year, according to the Tulsa World.
“Senator Warren is undermining tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage.”
In an opinion column for the paper this week, Hoskin compared Warren’s claim of Native American ancestry to a family friend who oversteps boundaries by claiming to be an actual member of the family.
“We know that many people across the nation have treasured family stories about having Native lineage,” he wrote. “There is nothing wrong with being proud of that. However, every day, people make claims of Native heritage and Cherokee ancestry across the country to take advantage of laws intended to level the playing field for Indian Country.”
The Cherokee Nation requires that a citizen be a direct descendant of someone listed on the Dawes Rolls, a tribal census of sorts taken between 1899 and 1906.
He also criticized Trump, however, for mocking Warren, who grew up in Oklahoma.
“Our heritage should not be used as fodder for political derision or mockery,” Hoskin said.
On Thursday, Warren teased an announcement of what is widely expected to be the official launch of her 2020 presidential campaign.
“One month ago today, we launched this exploratory committee to build a grassroots movement to level the playing field,” she tweeted. “On Sat., February 9, I’ll be making a BIG announcement about my 2020 plans.”