Native American Genealogy… The Exploitation of Our Ancestors Makes Them Hard to Find

We know about the Cherokee Trail of Tears. That was one of many. Indians are proud people. But I’ll tell you what, as much as our ancestors wanted to be honest about their Native American ethnicity, the truth is they kept safe by keeping quiet. Even after the killing stopped, European settlers looked down on the Indians. They didn’t understand the way that they lived harmoniously with nature. Many an Indian child was removed from their family and placed in boarding schools where they were taught to live like the Europeans who took their land. The prejudice against Indians was so strong, families with even low percentages of Native American ancestry must have felt very protective of their families and chose to keep it a secret. Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy IV – Native Americans Hidden in Our Family Trees. Available here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500756105