My mother's great grandmother was full Cherokee, but, sad to say, my mom's side of the family kept the extent of their Native American ancestry downplayed, due to the intense discrimination and persecution that great, great grandmother had experienced, and until I was about 30, I thought I was only 1/32 Cherokee. Little, if any, of the cultural heritage was passed down to my mother as such. And that has been a source of great regret for my mom and her siblings and for us later generations.

My mom's older brother's features clearly showed the Native American ancestry, more than his mother did or my mother does. Grandma could have got land, I'm told, but wouldn't apply because she and grandpa were too proud to accept "charity" on any grounds.

Genie