Well, I guess I'm 100% Native American since I was born in the United States.
My ancestry is German. They weren't famous or anything, just dirt farmers. I come from a line of warriors from the Civil War on up. I have many interesting anecdotes about the GreatGreat Grandfather in the Civil war and his brother, but long stories.
I grew up adjacent to the Seneca Nation Indian Reservation in WNY, and have done many humanitarian missions to Indian Reservations in the West. Interestingly enough, all of the Indians I met called themselves Indians or American Indians. I've only heard them referred to as Native Americans by the government and people who don't live on the reservation. I never saw a prosperous reservation, even those with casinos. The casinos I saw were managed by a Japanese organization, and outside of a few of the people from the reservation having jobs, the people saw very little of the wealth produced. I saw a lot of government officials showing up to open health clinics, after which they pat themselves on the back and go home, leaving the actual problems behind. Our government has created a tremendous problem with no real way out. Health issues like alcoholism and diabetes are rampant there, along with oral health issues and heart disease, and the government's answer is to build beautiful clinics and feed supplies to them, but not give them the means to staff them. I was at one reservation in Montana where the government funded a community college. The courses taught - Native American Studies. I talked with a number of the residents and the big complaint was - they couldn't get a job with a major in this. They wanted math and science, but the Bureaucrats thought this is what they needed. Those who travelled off the reservation for an education usually returned without one - they were unable to make the transition into the American society due to their isolation.
Just my observation.
