Filmmaker Statement

Growing up as an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, there almost always comes a moment when someone non-native finds out you are Cherokee. When that moment comes, there’s usually a slight pause, a slight twinkle in the eye, followed by a sequence of words so common, it could be scripted: “Wait, you’re Cherokee?” “Yes” “Wow…you know, my great-grandmother was Cherokee”. Sometimes you’ll hear that their grandmother was also a “Cherokee Princess.” Either way, the story is the same, regardless of whether your lineage is Cherokee or another tribe. This phenomenon has happened to every native so many times throughout their life, and it annoys each and every one of us. But when you probe further and ask why it bothers us, the answers always vary. Speaking for myself, I’m tired of being expected to validate someone’s genealogy. What annoys me more, is when that same person brings it up every time we meet when instead, they could be doing their own research. I