The Cherokee Nation says Sen. Elizabeth Warren has privately apologized to them for her handling of her claims of heritage.
Oklahoma news outlets say Ms. Warren, who is preparing a presidential run, apologized for her public use of a DNA test to show she has distant ancestry that could be Native American.
“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,” said Julie Hubbard, the tribe’s executive director of communications, told local news. “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.”
That mention of slurs could be a reference to President Trump, who derisively calls Ms. Warren “Pocahontas” for her ancestry claims.
Ms. Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, had listed herself as Native American in a registry of law professors, and was touted by Harvard University, where she was a professor, as a trailblazing “woman with a minority background.”
Asked later about the claim, Ms. Warren later said she wasn’t responsible for it, but defended it, saying family lore had always said she had Native American heritage.
Under fire from Mr. Trump and as she prepared a presidential bid, earlier this year she took a DNA test that showed she had Native American DNA dating back perhaps six or more generations in the past.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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