Can celebrities really manifest their dream roles through style choices?
The indigenous community in North America is expansive, with more than five million Native Americans and 574 federally recognized tribes in the US alone. Though their history has been burdened by the trauma of colonization, Native American culture remains gloriously rich, so perhaps it's no wonder why many people like to know if they have some Native blood in their family's history.
Public figures have used claims to Native American ancestry to appeal to a level of diversity, though many lack the documentation to be eligible to become an actual tribal member. It’s good to keep a healthy suspicion around when and why these claims are being made. For many families, this Native ancestry can be a kind of romantic ideation fed down through generations, however paradoxical that might be to the discrimination still experienced by indigenous communities to this day.
It’s important to note that it is one thing to have some Native American blood in your ancestry, and a whole other to consider yourself Native American, or even partly so. One should also consider that it's likely that many of these ancestral relations have violent connotations, which is part of the reason why it takes more than just some Native blood in you to claim membership to a tribe.
Click through to see a list of stars who have self-identified Native American ancestry based on their parents or grandparents, or sometimes even DNA tests, and who have publicly claimed it in some way, shape, or form.
The vocalist for the legendary Red Hot Chili Peppers owes his Native pride to his grandmother, who was reportedly part Mohican. Kiedis has multiple Native-design tattoos, including a large Haida Thunderbird across his back. In a 2007 interview with People, Kiedis explained that his Native heritage also helped inspire the name of his daughter, Everly Bear.
Not many people know that Jimi Hendrix identified as African-Native American. The late legendary guitarist's grandmother was Cherokee, and his family continues to celebrate its proud Native American heritage, Smithsonian Magazine reports.
There's been much debate around Elvis Presley's lineage, with claims that his great-great-great grandmother White Dove was a full-blooded Cherokee. A 2019 genealogy study conducted by DNA Consultants found that, forensically speaking, the "King" had more Native American heritage than any other, which included Cherokee and Chippewa/Ojibwe.
The 'Aquaman' (2018) star has spoken at length about his background, which includes Native Hawaiian heritage from his father. Momoa's mother, who raised him in Iowa, is part German, part Irish, and a small part Native American thanks to her own mother. He told Rotten Tomatoes, “My grandmother has a small amount of Native in her. She’s Pawnee.”
The actor honors his roots through philanthropy, including recently donating more than 1,500 cases of his Mananalu Pure Water to the Navajo Nation to help their COVID-19 efforts and donating the profits from his On the Roam lifestyle brand face masks. His tattoo is also a dedication to his culture, as the shark 'aumakuea is said to be a family spirit or guardian in Hawaiian mythology.
Billy Bob Thornton grew up in Arkansas, but his father was Irish-American and his mother is reportedly both Italian and Choctaw Indian.
Though her father is of German and Slovak descent, and her mother is primarily a mix of French Canadian, Dutch, and German, Jolie has noted that she has Iroquois blood in her through a 17th-century Huron ancestor. Her late mother, Marcia Lynne "Marcheline" Bertrand, claimed Native American ancestry herself, and she and her partner, Native American poet and activist John Trudell, founded the All Tribes Foundation to benefit Native Americans, NBC reports.
The incredibly talented sisters and solo acts have Native American ancestry through their mother Tina's family lineage. Originally from Texas, Tina is reportedly Creole (with African, Native American, and French ancestry).
The famed American action hero can thank his maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother for his slice of Native American heritage. They were both Cherokee, according to AAA Native Arts.
In his autobiography, 'Godfather of Soul,' Brown himself stated that he had Native American ancestry and that his father was of mixed African-American and Native American descent. His heritage included the Apache tribe, according to the AA Registry.
Tiger Woods has Native American roots through his late father Earl Woods, who once identified himself as “half-black, one-quarter American Indian, and one-quarter Chinese.” The Guardian confirmed that “Woods is indeed a rich mix of racial and ethnic heritage. His father, Earl, was of African-American, Chinese and Native American descent. His mother, Kultida, is of Thai, Chinese and Dutch descent.”
One of the most iconic voices and performers in Hollywood, James Earl Jones’ grandmother was reportedly part Cherokee and Choctaw. It's said that's why he narrated the documentary ‘Black Indians: An American Story’ (2001), which explores issues of racial identity between the mixed-descent peoples of both Native American and African American heritage.
Blake Lively received a huge amount of backlash after claiming in a L’Oréal foundation makeup commercial that she was not only part German and Irish, but part Native American too. NBC reports that according to Cherokee Nation Tribal Registration, there was no documentation of Lively's connection to a direct Cherokee ancestor listed on the Dawes Final Rolls.
The actress told Harper’s Bazaar Arabia in 2015, “I like being magical and I like having freedom when I dress. I have some Cherokee background in me so I’m in for anything tribal or Native American.” According to Fox, her six times great-grandmother was said to be of the Powhatan Native American tribe, which would make Fox of 1/256 Native American ancestry. Besides her own claim, the star has no documented Native heritage.
The famed actress found out while appearing on ‘Lopez Tonight’ in 2011 that she is 13% Native American via her mother’s Quebecois ancestry—a lesser number than she had anticipated, since she says her father was 50% Native American. In November 2014, she appeared on the popular ancestry DNA testing TV show 'Finding Your Roots,' which showed she was 22.5% Native.
The actor is a Kentucky native, and after he received some backlash starring as Tonto in ‘The Lone Ranger’ (2013), Depp told Entertainment Weekly, "My great-grandmother was quite a bit of Native American, she grew up Cherokee or maybe Creek Indian. Makes sense in terms of coming from Kentucky, which is rife with Cherokee and Creek." His claims are regarded with much suspicion.
The young pop star once said in 2008 that she “begged” her dad for a Mercedes but he said no because of the pollution. "He’s like, ‘As a Cherokee, I really don’t think you want to do this.’ And I’m like, ‘Dad, I’m not that Cherokee,'" Miley said. Billy Ray also has some Native American tattoos, though many Cherokee have pointed out that his tributes are not actually Cherokee.
By far one of the most controversial claims to Native American ancestry, Cher had always listed her father as being of Armenian heritage, while her mother was of Irish and German descent. But when Cher's single ‘Half Breed’ took off, she suddenly claimed that she was "1/16th Cherokee" on her mother's side, Mental Floss reports.
People were quite dubious when Diaz claimed she has Native American ancestry on her mother's side. Diaz's father, Emilio Diaz, is a second-generation Cuban-American, and her mother Billie is reportedly of Native American, Italian, and German descent, though it's not clear if this ancestry has been verified.
The actress, producer, and television host is of Native American and African-American descent and is proud of her heritage, according to IMDb.
The singer, actress, and civil rights activist was the daughter of a banker and an actress. Both parents reportedly had a mixed heritage of African American, European American, and Native American descent. "I was unique in that I was a kind of black that white people could accept. I was their daydream," said Horne regarding her appearance, Smithsonian Magazine reports.
The Democratic senator received heavy scrutiny when she tried to claim her Native American ancestry—particularly from Donald Trump, who offered to donate US$1 million to charity if Warren were to take a DNA test. So, on October 15, 2018, she released DNA testing that confirmed she has distant Native American ancestry, between six and 10 generations prior, CNN reports, though Trump did not come through on his end.
One of the greatest boxers of all time, Joe Louis was born in Alabama, in a shack in the cotton-field country near Lafayette. Besides being African American, he was reportedly also part Native American, thought to be Cherokee.
Famed singer-songwriter Tori Amos dominated the airwaves in the '90s, and told Esquire in 1999 that she "[comes] from very strong women on both sides." Amos also claimed that her mother's side has Native American heritage, as she told the Guardian her maternal grandfather was Cherokee.
Born on a cotton plantation, the iconic songstress’ mother Annie Mae Keith was reportedly of Cherokee and African descent, by many accounts. Though Kitt had little knowledge of her father, it was reported that he was a son of the owner of the plantation where she had been born.
Famed New York singer and rapper Princess Nokia is afro-Indigenous, with Taíno roots that stem from the Arawak people who lived in the Caribbean and Florida, Oprah Daily reports. "I am a Yoruba, Taino, Puerto Rican girl with really brown skin, full curly hair, and a spirit that does not quit. When I hear the drum and speech of my ancestors, I am compelled. I see it and I know it," she told Teen Vogue.
Musician Ben Harper’s late father, Leonard Harper, was reportedly of African-American and Cherokee ancestry, and his paternal grandmother was part Cherokee.
The ‘High School Musical’ actress has come under fire numerous times for cultural appropriation of things like wearing dreamcatchers as accessories, but apparently she is actually part Native American, as her father is of Irish and Native American descent. Some argue she can wear what she likes as long as she's buying these accessories from Native people.
Actress Irene Bedard has been a fixture in Hollywood for more than two decades, from voicing Disney's hit 'Pocahontas' (1995) to starring on shows like 'Westworld.' It makes sense that the actress, born in Anchorage, Alaska, usually plays Native American characters because she's the daughter of an Iñupiaq Eskimo and a French Canadian/Cree (Metis), according to AAA Native Arts.
Actor Forrest Goodluck hit his big break starring opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in 'The Revenant' (2015), and he has a diverse Indigenous background. Goodluck is reportedly Diné on his father's side, and Mandan, Hidatsa, and Tsimshian on his mother's.
The actor has described his ethnicity as a combination of African American, from his father's side, and Native American/French, from his mother.
Sources: (People) (Homeschool Academy) (Oprah Daily) (Teen Vogue) (Rotten Tomatoes) (DNA Consultants) (CNN) (The Guardian) (AA Registry) (Biography) (NBC) (Mental Floss) (Entertainment Weekly) (The Guardian)
Celebrities who claim to have Native American ancestry
Famous individuals who have Native American heritage
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The indigenous community in North America is expansive, with more than five million Native Americans and 574 federally recognized tribes in the US alone. Though their history has been burdened by the trauma of colonization, Native American culture remains gloriously rich, so perhaps it's no wonder why many people like to know if they have some Native blood in their family's history.
Public figures have used claims to Native American ancestry to appeal to a level of diversity, though many lack the documentation to be eligible to become an actual tribal member. It’s good to keep a healthy suspicion around when and why these claims are being made. For many families, this Native ancestry can be a kind of romantic ideation fed down through generations, however paradoxical that might be to the discrimination still experienced by indigenous communities to this day.
It’s important to note that it is one thing to have some Native American blood in your ancestry, and a whole other to consider yourself Native American, or even partly so. One should also consider that it's likely that many of these ancestral relations have violent connotations, which is part of the reason why it takes more than just some Native blood in you to claim membership to a tribe.
Click through to see a list of stars who have self-identified Native American ancestry based on their parents or grandparents, or sometimes even DNA tests, and who have publicly claimed it in some way, shape, or form.