Cherokee descent, "being of Cherokee descent", or "being a Cherokee descendant" are all terms for individuals with some degree of documented Cherokee ancestry but do not meet the criteria for tribal citizenship.[1] The terms are also used by non-Native individuals who self-identify as Cherokee despite lacking documentation or community recognition.
As Gregory D. Smithers has discussed, a large number of Americans believe they belong in this category: "In 2000, the federal census reported that 729,533 Americans self-identified as Cherokee. By 2010, that number increased, with the Census Bureau reporting that 819,105 Americans claimed at least one Cherokee ancestor."[2] By contrast, as of 2012 there were only 330,716 enrolled Cherokee citizens (Cherokee Nation: 288,749; United Keetoowah Band: 14,300;[3] Eastern Band: 14,667[4]).
^Circe Sturm, Becoming Indian: The Struggle over Cherokee Identity in the 21st Century. Santa Fe: School for Advanced Research Press, 2011, p. 5
^Smithers, Gregory D. (October 2015). "Why do So Many Americans Think They Have Cherokee Blood?". Slate.
^"Pocket Pictorial". Archived April 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission. 2010: 6 and 37. (retrieved June 11, 2010).[failed verification][full citation needed]
^EBCI Enrollment Office (10 July 2012). "EBCI Enrollment facts". Cherokee One Feather. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
The Cherokee Nation (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ Tsalagihi Ayeli or ᏣᎳᎩᏰᎵ Tsalagiyehli), formerly known as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the largest of three...
his birth. His father was of part German ancestry. His mother was half Cherokee. His older brothers were Jack Garner, also an actor, and Charles Warren...
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she was "part Cherokee" and that she had "Native heritage". She told The New York Times that she was of "Eastern Band Cherokeedescent" and that playing...
Merrillville, Indiana, near Gary. She self identifies as Cherokee, and is of Scottish, and Irish descent. She is the eldest daughter in the family, with three...
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ZZ Top) and "Mama Lynn". She has stated that she is of one quarter Cherokeedescent and that she eventually met her biological mother. At an early age...
recognized Cherokee tribes. The Southern Cherokee Nation of Kentucky is also on the Cherokee "Fraud List," a list of 212 fabricated tribes that Cherokee Identity...
1959). Ted was a coal miner and subsistence farmer. The family claims Cherokee heritage on Lynn's mother's side, but have not been officially recognized...
whereas her mother was "Creek, Cherokee and Hillbilly". Her maternal grandmother, Priscilla, is of part Norwegian descent. Keough's paternal grandmother...
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identifies as having Cherokeedescent through his mother, who is of Irish descent on her other side; his father is of Italian descent. He was named in part...
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two were married and divorced twice. Jones has said he is of part Cherokeedescent. He was raised in Midland, Texas, and attended Robert E. Lee High School...
bus driver, and a truck driver. Norris has stated that he has Irish and Cherokee roots. Norris was named after Carlos Berry, his father's minister. He was...
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made part of Anson County. Anson County's border stretched west to known Cherokee territory. Historical records are unclear as to which parts of Anson County...
Angeles. His mother is a Swede of Japanese descent, while his father is an American of German and Cherokeedescent. Barnet's grandfather was swing musician...
and Scots-Irish descent and her mother, Maxine Sneed, was of Black Canadian descent. She also self-identifies as being of Cherokeedescent through her mother...
Rolling Stone in 2023. Hendrix was of African American and alleged Cherokeedescent. His paternal grandfather, Bertran Philander Ross Hendrix, was born...
Kelsey Asbille. She has falsely claimed descent from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and a "Cherokee identity". In response, the EBCI issued...
Eugene Dorris Kilmer. His mother was of Swedish descent. His other ancestry includes Irish, German and Cherokee roots. His parents divorced in 1968 when he...
American. She grew up Cherokee or maybe Creek Indian. Makes sense in terms of coming from Kentucky, which is rife with Cherokee and Creek Indian". Depp's...
Dutch, English, Scots-Irish, and Scottish ancestry. Reynolds also claimed Cherokee and Italian roots. During his career, Reynolds often claimed to have been...
Marcella Ofelia Quintanilla (née Samora), who self-identified as being of Cherokee ancestry, and Abraham Quintanilla Jr., a Mexican American former musician...
former model and retired actress who claimed Irish, English, German, and Cherokee ancestry. Her paternal grandparents were Armenian Genocide survivors. Cher's...
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