French Roast News

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Just out from theNew York Times, Senator Scott Brown — who yesterday expressed a more cavalier “boys will be boys” attitude about the racist actions of his staff members — has issued a statement saying that he “regrets” what he considers “unacceptable” behavior of his staff members who participated more than once in the tomahawk chops and Indian war whoops at campaign rallies.

The mockery of Elizabeth Warren for embracing her Cherokee Indian heritage has brought a demand from the Cherokee nation that Brown apologize. As Rachel Maddow reminds us, Scott Brown has never proven for a moment that Warren has lied about her heritage. He only says that she doesn’t “look” that she has Cherokee blood. Brown attacked Warren in his recent debate on this issue.

The principal chief of the Cherokee Nation had asked the senator to apologize for what he called the “downright racist” gestures of Brown supporters at a campaign event Saturday in Dorchester, Mass.

Related reading: Where Did the Tomahawk Chop Come From?Slate

Cherokee Nation Demands Brown Apology

Principal Chief John Bakers, official head of the Cherokee nation, issued a statement today denouncing the “disrespectful actions” of members of Sen. Scott Brown’s staff.

The rally show above took place in Boston on Monday.

The conduct of these individuals goes far beyond what is appropriate and proper in political discourse. The use of stereotypical ‘war whoop chants’ and ‘tomahawk chops’ are offensive and downright racist. It is those types of actions that perpetuate negative stereotypes and continue to minimize and degrade all Native peoples,” Baker said. “The individuals involved in this unfortunate incident are high-ranking staffers in both the senate office and the Brown campaign. A campaign that would allow and condone such offensive and racist behavior must be called to task for their actions.

Related Reading: Marcia Dawkins: Elizabeth Warren and the Politics of Racial Passing Huffington Post

Elizabeth Warren’s Claims

The neutral Christian Science Monitorshares with readers the story of what is known about Elizabeth Warren’s claims to have a Cherokee heritage.

In May 2012, The Atlantic wrote an in-depth story Is Elizabeth Warren Native American or What?

Warren’s claims to Cherokee status rest on the assertion that her great-great-great-grandmother O.C. Sarah Smith was Cherokee. Earlier this year the New England Historic Genealogical Society issued this statement which was a clarification about Warren’s ancestry.

NEHGS has not expressed a position on whether Mrs. Warren has Native American ancestry, nor do we possess any primary sources to prove that she is. We have no proof that Elizabeth Warren’s great-great-great-grandmother O.C. Sarah Smith either is or is not of Cherokee descent. Our initial research indicated that various members of Ms. Warren’s extended family made references to being Cherokee, citing secondary sources, but we advised that additional research on the subject was needed.