*The entirety of this work is protected by copyright (see Copyright information section).
*To view the newest chronological entries, please scroll down past the first three videos.
*PLEASE NOTE: Several years have passed since I first encountered “the other blog” and a few more have passed since 2020 when I published this blog in response. No updates, changes or additions have been made since that time — including not adding additional documents (except where explicitly noted). In 2021, I contemplated updating all pages; however, I made the decision at that time to keep the original format and order for posterity purposes. Since 2020 I have conducted thousands of hours of further research and numerous DNA studies. That research and those studies are ongoing. That compilation of information will be published in my upcoming book Whitewashed and another book which is on the horizon. Occasional recent developments and announcements can be found listed in chronological order on the “Recent Developments” page.
The oral traditions which formed the backbone of my writing have been confirmed and proven correct with the assistance of family members who belong to the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, the Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma by vetting family trees and through DNA (genetic genealogy).
*The only individuals whose family lines have been vetted in this manner are those who participated in my personal studies. I can express no opinion on the accuracy of family connection claims made by people who did not participate in the studies which I personally conducted.
I am re-posting the July 1, 2021 book recommendation because this is such an important topic and it should NEVER be forgotten.
July 1, 2021: I had a conversation yesterday about an important topic and a book that I reference in the body of the main page of this blog…a “dirty-little secret.” I realize now that the public in general is unaware of this topic — before a few years ago, I had never heard or learned about it during my education, nor is it covered by the media — a topic that has been largely swept under the rug and ignored by the world: the abduction, captivity and slavery of Native Americans in the Americas and their export around the world by Europeans from the time of the very first “Contact” in 1492. In my opinion this award-winning book should be mandatory classroom reading: The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America, by Andres Resendez. Dr.Resendez is a professor and historian at the University of California at Davis. The book is published in e-book, audiobook, paperback and hard-copy formats.
“Since the time of Columbus, Indian slavery was illegal in much of the American continent. Yet, as Andrés Reséndez illuminates in his myth-shattering The Other Slavery, it was practiced for centuries as an open secret. There was no abolitionist movement to protect the tens of thousands of Natives who were kidnapped and enslaved by the conquistadors. Reséndez builds the incisive case that it was mass slavery—more than epidemics—that decimated Indian populations across North America. Through riveting new evidence, including testimonies of courageous priests, rapacious merchants, and Indian captives, The Other Slavery reveals nothing less than a key missing piece of American history. For over two centuries we have fought over, abolished, and tried to come to grips with African American slavery. It is time for the West to confront an entirely separate, equally devastating enslavement we have long failed truly to see.”
“The Other Slavery is nothing short of an epic recalibration of American history, one that’s long overdue…In addition to his skills as a historian and an investigator, Résendez is a skilled storyteller with a truly remarkable subject. This is historical nonfiction at its most important and most necessary.”—Literary Hub, 20 Best Works of Nonfiction of the Decade
“FIST IN THE AIR”
Lil Mike + Funny Bone, filmed January 1, 2022 at the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Bike Run USA.
“Love the message this song sends out to the cause of #MMIW #MMIWG For those who lost their loved ones, for those who are still searching, for those who are waiting to discover remains so they be laid to rest, for those who still grieve, for those whose lives were so abruptly disrupted, who cannot find their balance, for those still waiting, hoping, praying…Let the Healing Begin!!” — RoknRob121, comment posted for video on YouTube
SUPPORT OUR PEEPS! PLEASE SHOP AND SUPPORT NATIVE-OWNED BUSINESSES!
MOTHER ROAD CAFE, CARTHAGE MISSOURI
Proprietor: Lee BlueJacket
If you find yourselves on Route 66 in the area of historic Carthage, Missouri, please be sure to stop by Cousin Lee Bluejacket‘s excellent coffee shop: Mother Road Coffee, conveniently located right across from the courthouse at 325 S Main St, Carthage, MO 64836-1614.
This list was posted by the Native American Times FB page on November 28, 2021. Thank you so much Cousin Saundra Stewart for showing me this great page!
The Shawnee People & Tribe: History, Culture, Affiliations
A general, very informative video about the Shawnee that Cousin Saundra Stewart shared with me:
October 27, 2022
As you probably know, our beloved Bobby BlueJacket passed away on June 3, 2022. I was honored to be selected to write a memorial article for the Eastern Shawnee Tribe’s 2022 pow wow book. His son, Dennis BlueJacket, has graciously given me his permission on behalf of the BlueJacket family to reprint the article here. Please keep Bobby alive in your memory and in your conversation.
September 23, 2022
Please take a few minutes to watch this important message from Seraphine.
My message to Seraphine @Trailing Ellamae: I deeply admire you for having the courage to take action. I feel so bad that you are suffering so. Stay strong. My family, some of whom have walked with you, and so many thousands stand behind and support you and what you are doing. Every day we send our prayers, strength, love and compassion to all of you who have lost your loved ones. Thank you for being brave enough to make a stand for what you believe in 
https://www.facebook.com/100070848637685/videos/653930032664982
August 8, 2022
Please support Seraphine Warren. She is on a mission to raise awareness for MMIR families by walking/running from Sweetwater Arizona to Washington D.C. Please, please donate to this very worthy cause.
Donate: gofundme.com/f/bring-ella-mae-begay-home
Zelle account: Gerald Begay 720-231-1898
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070848637685
Cousin Lee Bluejacket has escorted and looked after Seraphine several days during her journey through Oklahoma, challenging other tribal leaders to be more involved.
Baylee Bluejacket also joined in to raise awareness.
Thank you for your contributions.
August 7, 2022
At last! The results of the Shawnee study have now been introduced to the public:
July 15, 2022
It was my great honor to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony and festivities surrounding the dedication of the Chief BlueJacket statue and official commemoration of July 15 as Chief BlueJacket Day in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was a memorable occasion spent with family. It was a privilege to be able to also spend time with Sayaka Kajita Ganz, the truly gifted artist who created this beautiful work from reclaimed metals which symbolizes the second chance being afforded to BlueJacket, Inc.’s clients. Thank you so much to all of my new super-hero friends from BlueJacket, Inc. for the incredible work you are doing and the major impact for good you are creating in your community. Love to you all.
May 27, 2022
Okay! Traveling season is upon us! If you find yourselves on Route 66 in the area of historic Carthage, Missouri, please be sure to stop by Cousin Lee BlueJacket’s excellent coffee shop: Mother Road Coffee, conveniently located right across from the courthouse at 325 S Main St, Carthage, MO 64836-1614.
I hope you enjoy it as much as Jim Lee, Jeri Lee and I did! Safe travels!
May 15,2022
Family reunion in Sand Springs, Oklahoma! What a wonderful day with my Bluejacket, Silverheels, Tecumseh, Cornstalk family and more! Just like last time…they had to pry us out of the restaurant…and we spilled out onto the street for another hour of chatting afterwards…they couldn’t get rid of us
. Love y’all!
March 20, 2022
I am in the process of creating a new, separate page for my family’s DNA test results, including temporarily removing the majority of the DNA Consultants test results — I am so excited to share with you all that the tests are in the process of being updated to include two new, groundbreaking Shawnee population studies. The two new forensic-level studies are being finalized and are just about ready to be rolled out. We will all need to be patient…It will take a little while before the new test results begin to be sent out to me, but it will be sooo worth the wait!
February 23, 2022
HAPPY 92nd BIRTHDAY DEAREST COUSIN BOBBY BLUEJACKET!!!
Even though you stayed close to home on your special day, I’m so happy we were able to have a nice long birthday chat! Here’s to many more happy years. Sending big hugs and lots of love!
January 25, 2022
Because the following information is so important, I decided to post it again. The original post was made October 10, 2020:
Cousin Linda Rideout shared this great link from the U.S. Bureau of the Census of the United States Government:
January 24, 2022
FOR THOSE WITH NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE OR SUSPECTED NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE:
THE IMPORTANCE OF ORAL TRADITION
— IT IS NOT TO BE BELITTLED NOR DISCOUNTED —
Please be sure to read Cousin Linda Rideout’s great blog page regarding the importance of oral tradition. Linda is a CREDENTIALED, PROFESSIONAL authority.
Link to Linda’s page regarding oral tradition:
Link to page regarding her credentials and work experience:
https://lrideout01.wixsite.com/adkins/about-me
January 1, 2022
Words of Wisdom for the new year:
Lyla June Johnston is an indigenous environmental scientist, doctoral student, community organizer and musician of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineages. She holds a degree in Environmental Anthropology with honors from Stanford University and a degree in American Indian Education with distinction from the University of New Mexico. Her internationally acclaimed performances and speeches are conveyed through the medium of prayer, hip-hop, poetry, acoustic music and speech. Lyla’s personal goal is to grow closer to Creator by learning how to love deeper.
Quote from Lyla June’s 2019 presentation at MIT which struck me. I felt it was especially important to separate out and share here:
“So I know some of you in this crowd are Native American yourself, and even if it’s just a sixteenth or a thirty-second or however much it is, I want you to honor it, BECAUSE THE DAY WE STOP HONORING IT, THAT IS THE DAY THAT THE GENOCIDE IS COMPLETE.” (Bold, italics and caps by me.)
December 29, 2021
HAPPY 88th BIRTHDAY! DEAREST COUSIN CARLYLE HINSHAW!!!
May you enjoy many, many more! Wish I could have been there to help you celebrate! Love you, Cuz!
Party time! Carlyle’s wife and the Leleux family threw a party to mark the occasion. Carlyle and Jayce Leleux cutting it up!
Photos courtesy of Carlyle Hinshaw, permission to post here granted to Dorene Soiret by Carlyle Hinshaw.
Carlyle looking as handsome as ever….You are a testament to a healthy lifestyle…but it doesn’t hurt you inherited some great DNA!
December 28, 2021
If you are looking for some great reading over these cold days of winter, I highly recommend this can’t-put-it-down page-turner about the life of my beloved cousin Bobby BlueJacket by Michael P. Daley. For more videos featuring Bobby, please go to the Images page:
Review from “In Full Blood” (See link below):
“The history of North America is a crime. Thousands of Native Americans lie forgotten in between the pages of history books, murdered by white colonizers for their land and resources — something that still happens today, as we continuously strip away Native American lands and undermine their basic rights.
“In Bobby BlueJacket: The Tribe, The Joint, The Tulsa Underworld, crime and cultural history writer Michael P. Daley centers one of the many Native Americans who, in the early 20th century, were forced into assimilation, disenfranchised at the socioeconomic and political level, and imprisoned for doing whatever was necessary to survive.
“This immersive, narrative history is told primarily through the point of view of BlueJacket himself — sourced through several interviews conducted by phone and in person over a period of five years — with corroboration from law enforcement records, court documents, prison records, periodicals, books, multimedia sources, and interviews with others. It is part biography, part cultural history, part prison study.
“Bobby BlueJacket was born to a Shawnee man, Clyde BlueJacket, and his wife, Ethel Welch (a white woman of Irish, Welsh, and English descent), in 1930. Bobby came into the world on the BlueJacket allotment along the Spring River in Oklahoma, on Eastern Shawnee land. Shortly after his birth, Ethel — “fleeing the poverty, alcoholism, and punishing work that comprised her days on their family allotment” — took Bobby and his older sister, Marjorie, to live in Tulsa.
“BlueJacket’s older brothers, Junior, Dennis, and Tommy, would meet them when they got out of the Seneca Indian School that summer. The school, located in Wyandotte, Oklahoma, was part of a larger acculturation effort that sought to remove Native American children from their homelands and assimilate them into Western (read: white) ways of life.
“Bobby BlueJacket grew up on the streets of Tulsa, where he began “hustling” at just 7 years old. He wasn’t one for school; he spent the majority of his time with his friends, learning from older, more notorious criminals so that he could better his situation and survive.
“In Daley’s book, BlueJacket talks about hawking newspapers, shining shoes, gambling, and stealing “everything that wasn’t tied down.” He says, “We had one aim, and that was to better ourselves financially. And you did what you had to do to make money.”
“BlueJacket’s history of petty crime led to a few run-ins with police, including several stints in juvenile detention centers.
“Then, in 1948, BlueJacket was convicted for killing another teenager (who was white) in one of the most sensational court cases Tulsa had ever seen. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison, a sentence that would have left him in prison until 2047 — with a probation date in the 1990s, at the absolute earliest. For an 18 year-old kid, it was effectively a death sentence.
“Eventually, BlueJacket’s lawyer was able to reduce his sentence — allowing him to pursue a mostly normal life following his release. His time spent in prison is well-documented through his work as a prison journalist and editor, working for one of the many prison publications that cropped up across the country during that time.
“These publications were part of a larger shift in focus to rehabilitation in prisons, which happened to coincide with BlueJacket’s 1948 incarceration. The implementation of rehabilitation programs in Oklahoma prisons gave incarcerated criminals access to sports equipment, printing materials, education courses, and more. BlueJacket took advantage of them all, learning to express himself behind bars — something that would serve him throughout his life, as he gained notoriety for his work.
“By the 1970s, BlueJacket had acted as a journalist, editor, prison rodeo emcee, political impresario, and used tire salesman. By 2016, as Daley was wrapping up research material for Bobby BlueJacket: The Tribe, The Joint, The Tulsa Underworld, BlueJacket had become a respected tribal elder and a dedicated Eastern Shawnee activist. He is also a family man whose generosity is distributed to anyone in his life who needs help — something that happens often, especially following the Great Recession.
“Through BlueJacket’s words, Daley is able to craft a narrative that makes this nonfiction book read very, very smoothly. Daley also provides context for BlueJacket’s interviews, including information about acculturation efforts, prison reform, and statistics that make the emotional impact of BlueJacket’s experiences all the more powerful.
“Bobby BlueJacket is an intense reading experience. The way BlueJacket speaks borders on flippant throughout much of the book, which is striking both because it underscores how normal his experiences are to him and because it highlights how these experiences shouldn’t be normal for anyone.
“As I read this book, over the course of about one week, I repeatedly told people who asked me about it that it was emotionally, mentally, and physically heavy. The size and scope of Bobby BlueJacket adds literal weight to the book, which — including notes — is over 700 pages long.
“Although many books of this length can get bogged down in unnecessary details, poor narrative structure, or uninteresting subject matter, Daley manages to keep the book moving from the first page to the last. Each time I picked up Bobby BlueJacket, I got lost in its pages, even at the points where I was utterly horrified by what I read.
“It’s especially important, in the current cultural climate, to understand histories like BlueJacket’s, as well as their contexts. I highly recommend this book for anyone and everyone, not only because it is fascinating, well-written, and incredibly well-researched, but because it provides layer upon layer of indispensable information told primarily through a first-person account of lived experiences. It’s the kind of narrative history we need more of, especially centering marginalized voices, especially today.”
Bobby BlueJacket: The Tribe, The Joint, The Tulsa Underworld Rating: ★★★★½
http://www.infullbleed.com/2018/02/16/bobby-bluejacket-immersive-narrative-history/
A few links to pages about the book:
December 24, 2021
New photos added to the Reunion page!
November 16, 2021
New Reunion page added!
Please see the new page for more photos!
November 12, 2021
Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma Library, Shawnee, Oklahoma
Outside the Absentee Shawnee Tribal library and offices (historically used as a tuberculosis unit) with our cousins who proudly descend from Tecumseh, Chiefs Little Jim and Joe Billy.
November 9, 2021
Bartlesville, Oklahoma
REUNION: After nearly 250 years of separation, the BlueJacket, Silverheels and Cornstalk cousins are finally reunited!
October 27, 2021
Eske Willerslev and his collaborators continue to make astonishing advances in the area of Native American and ancient DNA…authenticating the relationship between Sitting Bull and his great grandson Ernie LaPointe!
Chief Sitting Bull, 1885, by William Notman, Object No. S/NPG.77.184; National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.
October 20, 2021
October 20, 2021
Vikings were in Newfoundland, 1021 A.D.
“Scientists have known for many years that Vikings — a name given to the Norse by the English they raided — built a village at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland around the turn of the millennium. But a study published in Nature is the first to pinpoint the date of the Norse occupation.
“The explorers — up to 100 people, both women and men — felled trees to build the village and to repair their ships, and the new study fixes a date they were there by showing they cut down at least three trees in the year 1021 — at least 470 years before Christopher Columbus reached the Bahamas in 1492.”
October 17, 2021
Cousin Linda Rideout shared this post a few days ago. Our family has proven and continues to prove that our Adkins and related families have always lived where there was a heavy Native American presence…
And the map she provided shortly thereafter:
October 10, 2021
Native American/Indigenous Peoples Day 2021…spending the day honoring the memory of my ancestors, calling to mind their tribulations, loss…and their courage and strength to persevere.
October 9, 2021
I love this man’s message: Faith, Love, Hope:
October 9, 2021
October 9, 2021
A fabulous new article has been written about genetic genalogist Carlyle Hinshaw by Jakay Jarvis and published by DNA Consultants:
September 26, 2021
I was reorganizing some of the research papers that I have collected over the years and ran across this one from 2006 entitled “Mitochondrial Haplogroup M Discovered in Prehistoric North Americans” by Ripan S. Malhi, Brian M. Kemp, et al., published in the Journal of Archaeological Science that I believe others will also find to be of great interest. Here is a link to the article found on Academia:
September 26, 2021
Cousin Hans shared a great article he found about 21,000 – 23,000 year-old human footprints’ being found in New Mexico!
Photo from the article: “The ancient human footprints found at White Sands National Park in New Mexico, the United States. Image credit: Bennett et al., doi: 10.1126/science.abg7586.
http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/americas-oldest-known-human-footprints-10100.html
Here is a link to the official article in the journal Science:
September 7, 2021
Here’s a great video I just found on DNA Consultants’ website that gives an overview of their science and services:
September 1, 2021
August 29, 2021
Linda Rideout, who has painstakingly reviewed my blog in its entirety, holds a degree in Geography-Anthropology with a concentration in archaeology has found a VERY pertinent piece of DOCUMENTARY evidence proving that the Adkins are well-recognized for their practice of oral tradition. She kindly granted me permission to post a link to her website here:
August 9, 2021
Several family members and I had exchanges on the Geni platform over the weekend. We have provided DNA proof, family tree proof and the proof of our 250 year-old family oral tradition’s was true. We have and are continuing to experience push back by curators and unrelated members. Nothing ever seems good enough or substantial enough…even the DNA proof.
They want documentation proving that it was written down and asked for when was the earliest occurrence where it was written down. The documentation and the evidence has been staring them and the owner of the other blog in the face for years. All they had to do was read.
I posted this morning on Geni drawing their attention to the information:
July 17, 2021
“Peopling of the Americas as Inferred by Ancient Genomics”
Another groundbreaking paper by two world-renowned professors, geneticist Eske Willerslev and archaeologist David Meltzer! “Peopling of the Americas as Inferred by Ancient Genomics,” was published in the journal Nature June 16, 2021 . The article addresses that ancient human migration to the Americas was MUCH more diverse and farther reaching than originally thought possible. A significant and enticing quote from the paper:
“Problems of lineage loss are compounded in the Americas, where the majority of studies of uniparental markers are in present-day populations, which may not be representative of past populations or genetic diversity, owing to the demographic collapse of Indigenous groups after the sixteenth century introduction of infectious diseases by European peoples, and the collateral blows of warfare, famine, enslavement and exploitation.” (Emphasis and italics added.)
A link to the pay-for full article published in Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03499-y
July 13 2021: St. John’s College at Cambridge University’s SciTechDaily published an excellent article: “A Decade of Ancient DNA Analysis has Taught Scientists ‘What it is to be Human,'” an article reviewing “The Peopling of the Americas as Inferred by Ancient Genomics.”
A quote made by Professor Willerslev from the SciTechDaily article:
“We were taught in school that people would stay put until the population grew to a level where the resources were exhausted. But we found people were spreading around the world just to explore, to discover, to have adventures.” (Emphasis and italics added.)
A link to the SciTechDaily article:
I highly recommend both of these enlightening and very enjoyable publications.
July 10, 2021
New blog page live today! I added a new page to the blog entitled “Proof….Beyond the Shadow of an Ancestor.” More detailed DNA comparison and analyses for those descended from Parker Adkins and Bluesky Cornstalk. I shall continue to post new material on the blog daily.
July 7, 2021
The Life and Murder of Chief Cornstalk
July 7, 2021
So many people of mixed-race ancestry have a difficult time documenting and/or tracing their family history due to records incorrectly classifying their families as different races at different periods of time. The subject of the July 1, 2021 entry below reminded me of book I read last year that I believe would be helpful to others in their search: “Africans and Native Americans: The Language of Race and the Evolution of Red-Black Peoples” by Jack D. Forbes. The book is available as an audio book and also in hard cover, paperback, and ebook formats.
About the late Dr. Forbes from Seven Stories Press https://www.sevenstories.com/authors/187-jack-forbes:
JACK D. FORBES (1934–2011) was Professor Emeritus and Chair of Native American Studies at the University of California at Davis. Of Powhatan-Renápe, Delaware-Lenápe, and non-Indian background, he founded the Native American Movement in 1961 and started Native American studies programs across the country. An acclaimed lecturer and activist, Forbes is the author of over a dozen books, including Apache Navajo and Spaniard, and Columbus and Other Cannibals: The Wetiko Disease of Exploitation, Imperialism, and Terrorism.
July 1, 2021
I had a conversation yesterday about an important topic and a book that I reference in the body of the main page of this blog…a “dirty-little secret.” I realize now that the public in general is unaware of this topic — before a few years ago, I had never heard or learned about it during my education, nor is it covered by the media — a topic that has been largely swept under the rug and ignored by the world: the abduction, captivity and slavery of Native Americans in the Americas and their export around the world by Europeans from the time of the very first “Contact” in 1492. In my opinion this award-winning book should be mandatory classroom reading: “The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America” by Andres Resendez. Dr.Resendez is a professor and historian at the University of California at Davis. The book is published in e-book, audiobook, paperback and hard-copy formats.
“Since the time of Columbus, Indian slavery was illegal in much of the American continent. Yet, as Andrés Reséndez illuminates in his myth-shattering The Other Slavery, it was practiced for centuries as an open secret. There was no abolitionist movement to protect the tens of thousands of Natives who were kidnapped and enslaved by the conquistadors. Reséndez builds the incisive case that it was mass slavery—more than epidemics—that decimated Indian populations across North America. Through riveting new evidence, including testimonies of courageous priests, rapacious merchants, and Indian captives, The Other Slavery reveals nothing less than a key missing piece of American history. For over two centuries we have fought over, abolished, and tried to come to grips with African American slavery. It is time for the West to confront an entirely separate, equally devastating enslavement we have long failed truly to see.”
“The Other Slavery is nothing short of an epic recalibration of American history, one that’s long overdue…In addition to his skills as a historian and an investigator, Résendez is a skilled storyteller with a truly remarkable subject. This is historical nonfiction at its most important and most necessary.”—Literary Hub, 20 Best Works of Nonfiction of the Decade
“Beautifully written . . . A tour de force.”—Chronicle of Higher Education
June 21, 2021
One of the major points of my blog is that we all need to stay curious and that we need to keep open minds. DNA technology is still in its infancy. We DON’T have all the answers. Archaeologic excavations of remote and ancient locales are becoming more common and their associated burials are allowing us to learn more about very early human migration patterns –that they are so much more diverse than anyone could have predicted or imagined.
Another example of why we must keep open minds about the origins and the founding haplogroups of America:
Article: “Americas’ Natives Have European Roots: The Oldest Known Genome of a Modern Human Solves Long-Standing Puzzles About the New World’s Genetic Heritage”
While I was adding a few updates to the Resource section of this blog, I realized I had inadvertently filed away and had forgotten to write about an important article and the related research paper that I had read a few years back: “America’s Natives Have European Roots: The Oldest Known Genome of a Modern Human Solves Long-Standing Puzzles About the New World’s Genetic Heritage,” an article by Ed Yong, published 20 November, 2013 in the journal Nature and the research paper “Upper Palaeolithic Siberian Genome Reveals Dual Ancestry of Native Americans,” by Maanasa Raghavan, Pontus Skoglund, Eske Willerslev, et al., published 20 November, 2013 in the journal Nature.
Research Paper: “Upper Palaeolithic Siberian genome reveals dual ancestry of Native Americans”
A pertinent excerpt from the research paper: “On the basis of these features, some scientists have suggested that Native Americans descended from Europeans who sailed west across the Atlantic. However,” says Willerslev, “you don’t need a hypothesis that extreme. These features make sense when you consider that Native Americans have some western Eurasian roots.”
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2013.14213
Scientific American’s write-up about the paper:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/americass-natives-have-european-roots/
More to come…
June 19, 2021
Today I learned of Ronnie Adkins’ passing from Cousin Lynda Davis-Logan. May you rest in peace, dear Cousin Ronnie. You touched so many lives and they were better for it. My condolences and prayers go out to his family. I am so sorry for your loss.
Lynda then posted Ronnie’s obituary to the Adkins Family History Group:
June 14, 2021
A must-read paper:
“To Extirpate the Indians: An Indigenous Consciousness of Genocide in the Ohio Valley and Lower Great Lakes, 1750s-1810,” by Jeffrey Ostler, The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 72, No. 4; published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture.
June 3, 2021
I have been writing about the frequent use of the waterways as a common mode of travel back in the 1600/1700s. It turns out travel by waterway was much like our use of the highway/freeway system in modern-day America. An example exhibiting that use by the military of the time period can be found in the book “An Historical Account of the Expedition Against the Ohio Indians, in the Year 1764,) by William Smith, published in 1766, where tables are given in regard to distance from Fort Pitt, their distance from the confluence of the Ohio and from one port to the next — all via waterways. These aren’t just one-offs, these routes were in regular use:
May 25, 2021
SOMETHING TO PONDER
My family’s forensic-level STR-based autosomal DNA test results include many indigenous population matches such as Brazilian-Belem-Amazonians, Brazilain Amazon, Columbian–Andean-Amazonian-Orinoquian, New Zealand-West Polynesian, New Zealand-East Polynesian, Aboriginal-Northern Australia, Aboriginal-Western Australia, Aboriginal Northern Australia (in a separate study), Tonga and Samoa. It is impossible that these population matches were due to post-1492 contact. I was reading a fascinating paper this morning entitled “Identification of Polynesian mtDNA Haplogroups in Remains of Botocudo Amerindians from Brazil,” by Vanessa Faria Gonçalves, Jesper Stenderup, Cláudia Rodrigues-Carvalho, Hilton P. Silva, Higgor Gonçalves-Dornelas, Andersen Líryo, Toomas Kivisild, Anna-Sapfo Malaspinas, Paula F. Campos, Morten Rasmussen, Eske Willerslev and Sergio Danilo J. Pena; published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on 1 April 2013. One of the passages that I found very intriguing and worth further contemplation and investigation:
“This study is unique in reporting the presence of mtDNA haplotypes considered to be typically Polynesian in the gene pool of an extinct Brazilian Amerindian group. These results have bonafide scientific status as indicated by the fact that: (i) they were found in two different Botocudo skulls; (ii) the initial discovery made with the MN00015 skull was independently replicated in DNA from other teeth from the same cranium in two different laboratories; and (iii) these mtDNA sequences were retrieved from crania collected in the 19th century from an inland Native American population in Brazil.
“Our findings raise an important question: How did these Polynesian sequences show up in an Amerindian population living in a region in the interior of Brazil? We cannot claim to have an answer, but we would like to discuss possible scenarios, presented here in the chronological order of the possible contact.
“The first scenario, prehistoric, is related to the possibility of genetic continuity between the Paleoamericans from Lagoa Santa and Botocudo Indians (26, 27, 37), which indeed originally had motivated this study. It is conceivable that the Lagoa Santa Paleoamericans carried ancient mtDNA sequences related to those of Modern Polynesians, possibly because of a contact with their ancestors, and passed them on to early Amerindians, along with genes associated with Paleoamerican skull morphology. Indeed, there have been several previous proposals that the survival of Paleoamerican morphologies in modern Amerindian groups might be related to gene flow between these groups.”
May 6, 2021
My brother shared this movie trailer with me this morning. I believe it is an important subject about which we should all be aware.
April 28, 2021
I have learned that suggestions have been made on various platforms that I work for or benefit somehow because I post my family’s test results from and write complimentary comments/posts about DNA Consultants. I want to be clear so that there is NO doubt in anyone’s mind. I shall re-post this paragraph from the main page of the blog. This paragraph was included in the original text of the blog when it was first published on June 3, 2020:
*DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT and WILL NOT delete my posts of comments or threads from the AFHG, other FB pages, websites or blogs. I stand behind what I say. If I am wrong…I will freely admit my error and correct it. I DO NOT and HAVE NEVER worked for DNA Consultants in ANY capacity. I DO NOT receive monetary or other forms of compensation from them. I AM a participant in the third phase of their Native American mitochondrial DNA study. I DO believe in the quality of their STR-based technology and appreciate their drilling down into the finer detail of each individual customer’s DNA – something which no other DNA company does. I also appreciate that DNA Consultants has the largest and most extensive populations database available for consumer testing (over 500). I do not know about all of you, but for me, detail DOES make a difference. I have been extremely happy with the quality of DNA Consultants’ products and services; therefore, I give them glowing reviews. (Emphasis added.)
April 4, 2021
Update: In regard to events outlined in the Rebuttal, Chapter 2 page and after several exchanges on Geni, here is a screenshot of how the matter was ultimately concluded:
March 28, 2021
SOMETHING TO PONDER:
Proof that the Native American lines of my family had the opportunity to have had interacted/mated with whites prior to 1492 contact.
I have been holding this piece of information for quite some time. I discovered it while researching early Moravian records. I decided to post this today because I believe I have stumbled upon something important and potentially telling. Considering both pieces of information together, the entry in Schmick’s diary and the passage below written by General John Sevier following his interview of Cherokee chief Oconostota, may have just helped some of the pieces of my family puzzle fall into place…
This is Chief Cornstalk’s first meeting with Moravian Brother Schmick. Original by Johann Jakob Schmick, an entry from his “Diary of the Small Indian Community in Gnadenhuetten at the Muskingum from the Month of March till April 27, 1775.”
“3/7/1775: 2nd…noon after that we got to know from a messenger that the Shaw-chief from Meemkekak would be here soon. When he arrived with his people, he dismounted his horse in front of the choir (of the church) and walked at the head of the group with a small wooden stamp in his hand, together with one captain and 2 councelors [sic] and the other men and women and they all came together at Marcus’ house where they were welcomed by our people. They were all together, among them the daughter of old Paxnous. I welcomed the chief, too, and he and the others were friendly. They were soon lodged in 4 houses and got something to eat. Some of them attended the evening meeting (service), but on March 3rd, the chief with his wife and all his people attended the earliest service. After the service they looked at pictures, and a Mahican Indian, who was able to speak the Shawanoesh language, told them the story of the pictures. They listened attentively to it as well as to some tunes. Josua jun (Junior) played on the Spinett. In the afternoon, the chief and 10 of his men came to our house and said: ‘Brother, I have come to pay you a visit.” I was delighted about this, some of our brethren were present, too, and our living room was crowded. First of all I asked for his name, which was Semackqaan, a Welsh-kornstalk. For that reason he had the wooden stamp with him.” (Emphasis added.)
As mentioned, today I found a great piece of documentation contributed by Sondra Anice Barnes, a 5th great granddaughter of Gen. John Sevier, Tennessee’s first governor, in response to a request written to him in 1810 by a researcher into the history of Louisiana. Gen. Sevier wrote the following:
“Knoxville, 9 October, 1810
“Sir:
“Your letter of Aug.30 ult.,is before me. With respect to the information you have requested, I shall with pleasure give you so far as my own memory will now serve me; and also aided by a memorandum taken on the subject, of a nation of people called the Welsh Indians. In the year 1782 I was on a campaign against some part of the Cherokees; during the route I had discovered trace of very ancient tho’ regular fortifications.
“Some short time after the expedition I had an occasion to enter into a negotiation with the Cherokee Chiefs for the purpose of exchanging prisoners. After the exchange had been settled, I took an opportunity of inquiring of a venerable old chief called Oconostota, who then and had been for nearly sixty years the ruling chief of the Cherokee Nation, if he could inform me what people it had been which had left such signs of Fortifications in their Country and in Pre-Columbian Explorer Sites in the Southeast particular the one on the bank of Highwassee River. The old chief immediately informed me: “It was handed down by the Forefathers that the works had been made by the white people who had formerly inhabited the Country, and at the same time the Cherokees resided low down in the country now called South Carolina; that a war had existed between the two nations for several years. At length it was discovered that the whites were making a number of large Boats which induced the Cherokees to suppose they were about to Descend the Tennessee River. They then assembled their whole band of warriors and took the shortest and
most convenient route to the Muscle Shoals in order to intercept them on their passage down the river. In a few days the Boats hove in sight. A warm combat ensued with various success for several days. At length the whites proposed to the Indians that they would exchange prisoners and cease hostilities, they would leave the Country and never more return, which was acceded to; and after the exchange parted friendly. That the whites then Descended the Tennessee down to the Ohio, thence down to the big river (the Mississippi) then they ascended it up to the Muddy River (the Missouri) and thence up that river for a great distance. That they were then on some of its branches, but, says he, they are no more a white people; they are now all become Indians, and look like the other red people of the Country.
“I then asked him if he had ever heard any of his ancestors saying what nation of people these whites belonged to. He answered: “He had heard his Grandfather and Father say they were a people called Welsh; that they had crossed the Great Water and landed first near the mouth of the Alabama River near Mobile and had been drove up to the heads of the waters until they had arrived at Highwassee River by the Mexican Indians who had been drove out of their own Country by the Spaniards.
“Many years ago I happened in company with a French-man, who had lived with the Cherokees and said he had formerly been high up the Missouri. He informed me he had traded with the Welsh tribe; that they certainly spoke
much of the Welsh dialect, and tho’ their customs was savage and wild yet many of them, particularly the females, were very fair and white, and frequently told him that they had sprung from a white nation of people. He also stated that some small scraps of old books remained among them, but in such tattered and destructive order that nothing intelligent remained in the pieces or scraps left. He observed, their settlement was in an obscure quarter on a branch of the Missouri running through a bed of lofty mountains. His name has escaped my memory.
“The chief Oconostota informed me: “An old woman in his nation called Peg had some part of an old book given her by an Indian who had lived high up the Missouri, and thought it was one of the Welsh tribe.” Before I had an opportunity of seeing it, her house and all the contents burnt. I have seen persons who had seen parts of a very old and disfigured book with this old Indian woman, but neither of them could make any discovery of what language it was printed in (neither of them understood languages, but a small smattering of English).
“I have thus, Sir, communicated and detailed the particulars of your request, so far as I have any information on the subject, and wish it were more comprehensive than you will find it written.” (Emphasis added.)
Added 6/3/2021: From the book “An Historical Account of the Expedition Against the Ohio Indians, in the Year 1764,” by Will Smith, published in 1766:
March 28, 2021
I thought this would be a good place to add more information about the upcoming book which will contain the results of Phase III of the Native American mitochondrial DNA specialty study in which Carlyle Hinshaw, Pete Atkins, Audalene Starr, Debbie Adkins Vance, Lynda Davis-Logan and I are participants, “Cherokee DNA Studies II, More Real People Who Proved the Geneticists Wrong”:
The forward was written by my friend Andrew Ayers Martin, MD, JD, FCAP (also a participant in Phase III of the study):
A few early reviews of the book:
March 26, 2021
Cousin Janine Pelfrey reached out to me this morning to share a link of a review of DNA Consultants by consumersadvocate.org. Because the owner of the other blog and others choose to continually and unfairly attack DNA Consultants’ reputation in the public forum, I feel the need to set the record straight. This review does a great job of summarizing the company in a nutshell (Ha, ha…forgot I had left a review for them almost four years ago! 🙂 A few snippets:
“DNA Consultants DNA Testing Review
“Testing Features – 4 / 5
Link to the full article: https://www.consumersadvocate.org/dna-testing/c/dna-consultants-dna-testing-review?fbclid=IwAR2rbBbts_yPnS9MewSMNzlIcPMdt3LMtsySAL_-OFS1q2wA-Q8XT-WOOR0
March 20, 2021
I wrote a letter to the editor of the newsletter “The Explorers Club” which is published by DNA Consultants where I talk about, among other things, the background of two of my cousins whose test results are posted on the main page of the blog. Dr. Yates was kind enough to respond with some exciting news that he is featuring in an upcoming newsletter. I thought I would share it with you all here.
March 18, 2021
Anthropologist/Geologist/Archaeologist Professor Kenneth B. Tankersley of the University of Cincinnati, had this to say about my family’s DNA test results contained on the main page of this blog:
“Your DNA is amazingly consistent and provides insights into your family ancestry going back almost 100,000 years ago, or as we like to say, since time immemorial. It shows how long your family has been on Turtle Island.”
Professor Tankersley has written a fascinating book that everyone might find of interest (at least I did!) entitled “In Search of Ice Age Americans.”
Origin and Definition: Turtle Island
“Turtle Island is the name many Algonquian- and Iroquoian-speaking peoples mainly in the northeastern part of North America use to refer to the continent. In various Indigenous origin stories, the turtle is said to support the world, and is an icon of life itself. Turtle Island therefore speaks to various spiritual beliefs about creation and for some, the turtle is a marker of identity, culture, autonomy and a deeply-held respect for the environment.”
February 19, 2021
Profile of Dr. Andrew Ayers Martin, a fellow participant in Phase 3 of the Native American mitochondrial study being conducted by the authors of “Cherokee DNA Studies, Real People Who Proved the Geneticists Wrong.” I have had the privilege of knowing Andrew for almost a year. He and his storied family have done so much for so many over the generations, including inoculating the Cherokee and area settlers against small pox in the 1800s. I am proud to call him my friend. Thank you for all you do, Andrew.
February 15, 2021
Compelling and significant discovery. Please see the profile of Joan W. Bennett:
January 8, 2021
I was conducting some research today and ran across this page from the Book of Mormon Evidence containing a link to a DNA Consultants article which discusses my participation in Phase 3 of a specialty mitochondrial DNA study.
October 16, 2020
Linda Rideout, Adkins NA, Melungeon Métis Gedmatch Research Group, October 16, 2020, 3:43 a.m.
“I have been meaning to comment on Dorene Soiret’s blog for some time, and finally am taking the time to finish this. Before I continue, let me tell you a little about myself. I graduated Summa Cum Laude with an undergraduate degree in Geography-Anthropology. My concentration is in Archaeology, specifically, Africanist Archaeology. I also have a minor in Global Studies, and a Certificate in GIS (geographic information in science). I am nearing completion of a Master’s Degree in GIS. I have worked twice as an intern with the Smithsonian Museum, once for an ethnographic project of the Maya, and the other mapping an entomology project in the Amazon basin. I have also worked on a NASA-funded mapping project in Maine. I currently work for local government as a digital cartographer (as a simplified term for my position of GIS Analyst).
“I have spent a significant amount of time (total of about 9 months over a few trips) doing archaeology and geography in Africa. Those projects included excavating footprints attributed to Homo erectus, working with historic period sites, and excavating skeletal remains from a coastal mosque and returning them to the US where they are in the process of having DNA extracted and analyzed. I have also worked on a Colonial-period archaeological project at the William Ladd site in Maine (founder of what is now the United Nations). I have worked on several paleo-Indian sites in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, including a site where the native population documented their encounter with Europeans via petroglyphs. I just want anyone reading this to understand that I have spent a lot of time reading anthropological material. I have spent a lot of time researching and implementing anthropological methodologies.
“The quality of material and throughness of Dorene’s information in her blog is on par with any body of research in terms of substance and accuracy. She relays facts in a way that is consistent with quality research methods. She contrasts her point of view from other blogs by taking a rounded approach that includes something that is missing from other blogs, and that is – the understanding that ANY well-regarded ethnographic or anthropological approach to Native American culture includes a consideration of oral history of that culture.
“Native Americans (and other cultures) have recounted their histories on cave walls, rocks, pyramid walls etc, using ochre and other materials since time immemorial, they also passed on vast amounts of their culture via oral storytelling. It was MORE than just story-telling. It was a way to RECORD their culture, their world view and their heritage. Oral history is MORE than just an accepted and expected part of ethnographic research – it’s a qualifying and necessary step towards understanding the ENTIRE picture. And that is what Dorene’s blog successfully does.
“The Tsimshian people of America’s northwest used oral traditions as a way to document their family histories all the way back to the Pleistocene. Courts of law questioned the validity of their oral histories, but archaeology has repeatedly validated these histories. Genealogical lineages, the movement of people across their landscapes, and historical events that have been told by the Tsimshian for generations have been shown to be precise and accurate. (See: TIME, ORAL TRADITION, AND TECHNOLOGY by Martindale, Shneiderman and Turin).
“Martindale states “Communities with oral traditions demonstrate our human capacity to formalize and solidify memory over generations”. When I read one particular blog that Dorene debunks over and over again, it is clear that it is written by a person who is unfamiliar with the importance of oral history. That author totally disregards family histories. Whoever is the author of that ‘other’ blog lacks an understanding of valid and accepted methodologies if they do not take oral history into account as ANY anthropologist would do. The author ignores that oral tradition ‘solidifies” memory. In doing so, the ground upon which her genealogical work is built becomes muddied.
“When working with the Dasanech people of Eastern Lake Turkana in Kenya, I had the chance to interview a family where the male head of the family had several scars, each a short line in a column coming down his upper arm. When asking what they were representative of, I was told that each was for killing someone who had stolen the tribe’s cattle. Those ‘scars’ were a method of story-telling. That man would be able to tell an individual story for each of the lines – who the foe was, how the person went about stealing the cattle, the day of the week, how he met up with the foe in order to enact his retribution for the theft. They were no longer just ‘scars’. They were historical reminders. That father would tell his children these stories, and those children will tell their children one day. That is how oral tradition works. That is how Native American oral traditions work. And that is what is ignored by some arm-chair genealogists.
“There is one other part of Dorene’s work that I would like to comment on, and that is in regard to Dorene’s continued yearning to stay current in genetic technology. In the same way that most cultures have changed with technology, going from oral histories, to written histories, to audio-recorded histories, to web-based histories, etc., etc., etc., so too does the field of genetics change. More samples are added to be compared with. Improvements to lab methodologies improves accuracy.
“There is still a long way to go in terms of DNA testing:
“’While DNA has the potential to generate connections that other historical sources do not, it is highly contingent on who has tested with the particular platforms that you have and what their relationship to you is.’
Stallard M, de Groot J. “Things Are Coming Out That Are Questionable, We Never Knew About”: DNA and the New Family History. Journal of Family History. 2020;45(3):274-294. doi:10.1177/0363199020906853
“Furthermore, the understanding of the human genome grows each day. Modern DNA-testing facilities admit this, while the ‘other’ blog’s author rejects it:
“’The pioneering work begun at SMGF has helped AncestryDNA expand its services faster than anyone else in the field and will continue to grow and have an impact on the future scientific understanding of genetic genealogy.’
https://www.ancestry.com/dna/smgf
“’The state of DNA science is always progressing!’
https://dnaconsultants.com/…/Master.Basic-Am-Indian.CERT_.0…
“I’m bringing this up because the MOST important part that is missed on the ‘other’ blog, is that a new test has been done. Actually – let me reword that. This fact is not ‘missed’ by that person. It is IGNORED. It’s also my understanding that in addition to the new test data being excluded, it’s also being hidden across various internet genealogical sites. In what world is that type of work passed off as ‘valid’ research???????? Not in mine. And I believe it would be ‘laughed’ out of ANY legitimate researcher’s office.
“There’s truly no ‘ART’ in presenting a body of so-called self-authoritative work when it ignores and rejects good methodology, current facts, and updated data.
“Keep up the good work, Dorene! I look forward to reading more.”
Linda in the field:
October 10, 2020
Linda Rideout shared this great link from the U.S. Bureau of the Census of the United States Government:
October 9, 2020
I found a reply by Cousin Sarah Bea from December, 2017 on Adkins Family History Group in response to a thread posted by the owner of the blog, where Cousin Sarah talks about the first-hand account in her family of her great aunt’s being taken into captivity by the Shawnee; in particular, that she was given over to the care Chief Cornstalk’s family and treated well:
Another account of being able to verify family oral tradition:
“History of the Graham Family,” Clayton, West Virginia, by David Graham, 1899. Excerpt from the archived website of the Library of Congress. I also own the book.
http://www.genealogymedia.com/transcriptions/history-of-the-graham-family/
p. 97: “This account was given the writer substantially as stated by David W. Jarrett, who is a son of Elizabeth’s sister, Jane, and he says he has it from the lips of his mother.” (Emphasis added.)
p. 93: “After becoming thoroughly convinced that Elizabeth had been carried into captivity, the next task of Col. Graham was to locate her whereabouts and, if possible, secure her return. Months of anxious and unceasing search located her among the Shawnee tribes, whose wigwams were [95] situated at what is now Chillicothe, Ohio. She had been adopted by a squaw of one of the chiefs of the Cornstalk family of that tribe and, while it was doubtless a source of great jo’.y [sic] to those fond parents to find their long-lost child alive and well and well cared for, though in the home of a savage chief, yet a new anxiety awaited them, but little less terrible than that which they had already experienced, the work of rescuing and seeing her once more around the hearthstone of their own home. To this task Col. Graham directed his energies and several times visited the Shawnee towns and as often met with new obstacles and disappointments, none of which were probably more heart-rending to him than to know that his child had learned to love her savage home, and that in turn she was loved and doted on by her adopted mother. As the tender twig is easily bent and made to grow in new directions, so were the inclinations of this innocent child readily diverted from the scenes of the past and made to love the passing events which surrounded [96] her, and she being well cared for and never mistreated by the Indians, it was but natural that she loved them. It is also said that before her return a love more passionate than that for her adopted tribe or mother had seized her youthful breast and that a young warrior would soon have claimed her for his “white” squaw. As to the truth of the story, that she had an Indian lover, we do not vouch, but having learned it from her own descendants, we think it worthy of mention. After fruitless efforts and at least two contracts, which were violated and backed down from by the Indians, Col. Graham finally succeeded in 1785 in ransoming and bring his daughter back home, after an absence of about eight years. The price paid for her release was the release of an Indian prisoner whom the whites held, thirty saddles and a lot of beads and other trinkets, and, according to the summing up of the various traditions, about $300 in silver.” (Emphasis added.)
October 8, 2020
From a post I originally made on Adkins Family History Group back in July. The screenshot is from Geni. Below is a fresh screenshot of Geni, taken October 8, 2020:
Update March 30, 2021. The origin of the screenshot above are from
October 7, 2020
Here are two statements that seem to be contradictory (red underlining):
- October 2, 2020, Lincoln County VW Genealogy page:
2. January 24, 2018, Geni:
I found a very relevant 2001 post by Ronnie Adkins regarding DNA results that the owner of the blog re-posted in 2018:
Twenty years later, we now have a more accurate and complete picture of our family’s DNA which DOES contain Native American DNA…our family DOES have Indian blood and we are so very proud of it!
September 14, 2020
The owner of the blog has uploaded an actual screenshot of the HVR1, HVR2 and Coding Regions Match list for the test she administers for Audalene Starr; however the implication still remains that there is some type of strength of relationship. Just to clarify: FTDNA has confirmed that, as to the order in which the matches are listed, there is NO strength of relationship.
September 10, 2020
Well, well…wonder of wonders….Sarah, the owner of the blog, after years of adamantly refusing to post the actual DNA test results of Audelene Starr has finally done so. I am sure she realized that the posting of her “fuzzy” screenshots that nobody could read, edited images and her own incomplete and retyped so-called “results” just wasn’t going to cut it. The years of her intentional refusal to post the complete and actual DNA test results cries out for an explanation. Unfortunately, there are continuing misrepresentations about strengths of relationships and origins that remain. In my humble opinion, her failure to explain her actions casts a serious shadow over her forthrightness as well as to the truth of many of her published claims. I hope her explanation regarding her actions will not take several more years.
September 10, 2020
I was able to locate the link to an article I had previously posted on Adkins Family History Group on December 10, 2019. It was in response to a comment made by the owner of the blog who was insisting that Native American mitochondrial DNA can only be haplogroups A, B, C, D and X:
“Dorene Soiret: Even Roberta Estes is expanding the list of Haplogroups that are Native American! Scroll down past the A,B, C, and D and their subclades…She is also finding that F and M mitochondrial DNA as being Native American…Mind you, they are her notes, but give it a read and see what you think.
August 23, 2020
Due to some luck, for some reason I was able to visit the Wikitree site today. I now know why and who got me kicked off that site. There is nothing that is inaccurate in this post. So much for letting her blog stand on its own…
August 15, 2020
I came upon what I believe is a very important article regarding the stereotyping of Native Americans by the mainstream public. I believe we should all familiarize ourselves, “Stereotyping Native Americans,” by Arlene Hirschfelder and Paulette F. Molin, published February 22, 2018 by Ferris State University, Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. This article demonstrates and proves why it is so important to examine both sides of the coin — not just one…
From the section entitled “‘Tomahawks and Knives’: Stereotypical Violence”:
“Almost any portrait that we see of an Indian, he is represented with tomahawk and scalping knife in hand, as if they possessed no other but a barbarous nature. Christian nations might with equal justice be always represented with cannon and ball, swords and pistols [7].
“Throughout U.S. history, Euro-Americans committed countless acts of violence against Native people. Such acts include extermination or genocide, theft of Indian lands and resources, captivity and enslavement, forced removals from homelands, and schooling aimed at destroying Native cultures.
“Violence continues today. A study by the U.S. Department of Justice shows that ‘American Indian and Alaska Native women and men suffer violence at alarmingly high rates.’[8]
“In an American Psychiatric Association blog post, research scientist Melanie Peterson-Hickey observes that high suicide rates among Native Americans are well documented, noting that the “trauma resulting from a history of race-based policy, discrimination and oppression has significant and longstanding impact.”[9]
“Nonetheless, as Tuscarora Chief Elias Johnson has pointed out, American Indians are represented as barbarous, with tomahawk and scalping knife in hand. In contrast, Euro-Americans are depicted as innocent victims of savagery, especially from Indian males. (Emphasis added.)
“It is believed that European representations of Native people as violent date back to as early as 1591, when engraver Theodor DeBry engraved and published artist Jacques LeMoyne’s 1564-65 drawing of Indian scalping. Furthermore, from the 17th to the 19th centuries, non-Indian observers portrayed Indians intent on “savage war” more violent than “civilized” combat of European and American governments. Increasingly lurid details of Indian savagery also appeared in captivity narratives, published from the 1600s to the 1800s, accounts of non-Indians captured and held prisoner by Indians. Dime novels, inexpensive booklets first marketed in 1859, became popular as well. This bestselling fiction portrayed Indians as savages preying on defenseless Euro-Americans.” (Emphasis added.)
August 9, 2020
In the midst of a conversation Lynda-Davis Logan and I were having, we stumbled upon this article regarding oral tradition of Native American in families. (This article was republished by the author of the article in November 2019.):
August 6, 2020
Sarah Burns Atkins has made certain allegations on the opening page of her blog. I place this information here to refute her allegations and to, in fact, shed light on what has transpired:
This “note” was added in July 2020 when she made an update:
- I have and do disagree with her research.
- I have made no vindictive or false statements.
- I state and present facts and evidence.
- I have no need to “attempt to assassinate” nor “denigrate” her character; however, I can and will debate the issues. I am not going to sit back and let her do those same things to me and my family that she is accusing me and my family of doing to her. I have every right to ensure that my and my family’s good name, reputation and our history is reflected accurately in any forum.
- I have no need to stoop to the level that I am being accused…
The facts DO speak for themselves and I am documenting them here:
- February 8, 2020, at 3:07 p.m.
- February 9, 2020, at 6:06 p.m.
- February 11, 2020, at 10:27 a.m.
Sarah Burns Atkins sent emails to Lynda Davis-Logan. Lynda Davis-Logan and I have copies of the emails. (Permission to post granted by Lynda Davis-Logan.)
In those emails, the owner of the blog:
- Accuses me of being a liar.
- Accuses me of being dishonest.
- States that I was a “blatant, malicious liar.”
- Accuses me of destroying “real Adkins family history.”
- Accuses me of “selling” DNA tests (when, in fact, I have personally paid for every single test which I have posted on Adkins Family History Group).
- Accuses my writing of being a “fallacy.”
- Accuses me of “irreparably damaging” the Adkins family history page.
- Accuses me of “secretly” offering Adkins FB members a 20% discount for ordering tests.
- Accuses Dr. Yates of joining the Adkins Family History Group to “milk it for sales,” when, in fact, he is a member of this Adkins family, a descendant of William Adkins, Sr. and Elizabeth Parker, and he has made numerous contributions to the page.
- Accuses me of being paid or receiving special discounts for my “sales activity.”
- Accuses Lynda Davis-Logan of “encouraging untruthful comments and innuendos.”
- Specifically, in the email of February 8, 2020, the owner of the blog wrote, “Before leaving the page, I went back and removed all of my comments I could find that were generated by Dorene’s activity on the page. The field is how [sic] wide open for sales pitches from Dorene, Donald Yates, Debbie Adkins-Vance and you.“
August 6, 2020
Posted on Facebook. (Permission to post here granted by Michelle Watts.)
August 6, 2020
A relevant quotation I found by a descendant of Tecumseh on Geni:
About Charlotte Smith:
August 3, 2020
I noticed that my two comments from 2018 have been removed again by the owner of the Parker Adkins & Blue Sky blog, or, perhaps, their re-posting was inadvertent while in the process of updating.
August 2, 2020
Bluesky oral tradition as conveyed by Nancy “Nannie” Adkins as conveyed to son Rick Lear:
“The Story of Little Berry and Charity Adkins, as related to my mother, as a small child. Nancy ‘Nannie’ Adkins was born August 30, 1845 in Wayne County, WV. The daughter of Owen Adkins and Nary Jane Damron of Wayne County, Virginia. She married Jesse Queen in Boyd County, Kentucky on April 20, 1862. Following Jesse’s death in 1926, we find her living in 1930 with her son, James A Queen [in the house of her son] and his new wife, Nancy Melissa Duty. They married on February 12, 1905. Nannie Adkins Queen died February 18, 1936 in Cabell County, West Virginia.
“Nannie was the mother of my Grandfather James A Queen 1865-1951. Aunt Edith told me ‘Granny Nannie’ smoked a pipe and chewed tobacco. Aunt Edie’s job, as the youngest child, was to sweep the floors [dirt] and clean the fireplace hearth. Grannie Nan would spit ’baccer juice’ onto to the hearth. Aunt Edie said, “I’d get so mad,” but Mommy would say, “she’s old and we love her.”
“Nannie Adkins Queen, ‘Granny Nan’ was the provider of many stories about the Adkins’ family. She related to my Mother, Nila Mae Queen 1924-2015 and her sister, Nola Edith Queen 1928-2017, of how her mother would make the girls wear long sleeved dresses and bonnets, because the sun would turn them dark. Of the Littleberry story, she told her grandchildren about how her Great-grandfather Littleberry and his sister Charity, came to be with the family.
“’One day, after a trip, Parker Adkins returned home and had two small children with him. Both had Black hair and dark eyes and were very young. The story goes on that their mother had died and she was a Shawnee Princess by the name of Blue Sky. Blue Sky was the daughter of the Legendary Chief Cornstalk, that was the Indian leader at the Battle of Pt Pleasant. The white men killed him and his son at a Fort.’”
July 26, 2020
The owner of the blog has reinstated my two comments that had been removed. The “Third Response” remains “unpublished.”
July 26, 2020
The owner of the blog e-mailed screenshots of the Charity test subject’s FTDNA mitochondrial test results to the Charity test subject and an administrator of the Adkins Family History Group. The screenshots sent via e-mail in pdf to the Charity test subject and the administrator are blurry and almost unreadable. The administrator of the Adkins Family History Group posted the test results to the page. The MITOCHONDRIAL test results DO CONTAIN NATIVE AMERICAN MATCHES.
July 25, 2020
The owner of the blog claims she has attempted to post the screenshots of the Charity test subjects FTDNA test results; however she alleges the links are “broken” and she is working to fix the problem.
Update 8/25/2020: As of August 15, 2020, the screenshots of the test results have not been posted, but, rather typed-out “results” have been posted.
July 25, 2020
I learned that the owner of the blog is informing the Charity Adkins test subject of her test results.
July 22, 2020
The Charity Adkins direct-line female descendant of Charity Adkins instructed the owner of the Parker Adkins & Blue Sky blog to post her mitochondrial test results. Permission to post granted by Audalene Starr.
July 20, 2020
The owner of the Indian Reservations blog has re-posted an updated version of the Parker Adkins story which includes the comment by Sarah Burns Atkins, again without “publishing” my reply. I waited a period of time to give the owner of that blog the opportunity to publish my reply. As of August 11, 2020, my reply had not been posted, so I reached out again in a reply:
July 17, 2020
It was my great honor to be interviewed by DNA Consultants. Here is a link to the interview:
July 10, 2020
It has been determined the mitochondrial DNA of NEITHER the Charity (Audalene Starr) AND the Keziah (Jeane Chaffin) test subjects are the result of a heteroplasmic event, BUT that their mitochondrial DNA is NATIVE AMERICAN in origin. Audalene Starr (and, therefore, by proxy, the mitochondrial DNA of the Keziah test subject) is a participant in Phase 3 of the same Native American mitochondrial DNA specialty study in which I am a participant conducted by the authors of “Cherokee DNA Studies: Real People Who Proved the Geneticists Wrong.”
June 29, 2020
Indian Reservations blog owner has completely removed the profiles of Parker Adkins and “Mary Blue Sky ‘Fry.'”
*June 22, 2020
I had a very long, detailed chat with the direct female-line “Charity test subject.” She is the person whose FTDNA mitochondrial test results the owner of the other blog bases her claim. Well, guess what, folks…not only has the owner of the blog not shared the Charity test subject’s full and complete test results with all of us — please let this sink in — THE OWNER OF THE BLOG HAS NEVER SHOWN THE CHARITY TEST SUBJECT THE TEST RESULTS FOR HER OWN DNA — THE PERSON WHO OWNS THE DNA!!! NOR HAS THE OWNER OF THE BLOG EVER GIVEN HER THE LOG-IN INFORMATION ON FTDNA TO LOOK AT HER OWN DNA TEST RESULTS!!!
June 20, 2020
The other blog owner’s comment still remains. It still remains in the public forum on the Indian Reservations blog and appears incorrectly as if it was unanswered. I sent this follow-up comment this morning. I am posting it step by step as I posted it so that no claim can be made that it was never sent/received.
My comment:
“I was just discussing with a colleague the problems that I and other Adkins family members have had and continue to have with the owner of the Parker Adkins & Blue Sky blog. Additionally, we have had the same problem with Indian Reservations, other blogs, Wikitree, Geni and other forums that did not or refused to publish our comments, expressions of concern (including documentary evidence and DNA) and our attempts for years to correct these errors, factual and otherwise. He reminded me of the definition of “fake news”:…he said that fake news comes in two flavors: the first is to disseminate information which is false…the second, and equally dangerous, is refusing to disseminate valid information about the truth and leaving a false impression…
June 18, 2020
Cousin Sharon Fussell posted a comment to the “Indian Reservations” blog site. It is worth mentioning that Sharon is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. I am posting the comment here because the author has not yet seen Sharon’s comment or has chosen not to “publish” it:
“Ok now I have to make a comment, I can not stay quiet anymore. I just wrote one and it disappeared probably never to be posted. I have been doing genealogy research for over 3 years on the Adkin’s side of my family. I have gone over and over it several times and it does show the Parker Adkins and Mary blue sky Adkins had 2 children Littleberry Adkins and Charity Adkins. They are my 5th GGF and 5 GGM on my mother side of the family. The paper the anonymous has written is very articulate and she has references to back up everything she put in that paper. I personally own several of the books that she used for references plus the oral history of the family. My Great Uncle who is 91 years young and very healthy knows the oral history as well. Anonymous is not going to put their name on this paper if they didn’t have the facts. So for now I am done ranting, there is no irrational behavoir [sic] and if the person thinks there is then it is on them.”
June 17, 2020
I am posting this comment from the Indian Reservations blog site because the owner of that site has not yet seen my reply or has chosen not to “publish” my reply, but, again, it creates the appearance that I did not respond to “Sallie.” I did respond as you can see below.
I posted my reply as soon as I became aware, June 15, 2020 at approximately 7:30 p.m. The reply will not be “published” for the public to see until the owner of of the “Indian Reservations” blog authorizes it to be posted, so I kept a copy. Lynda Davis Logan and Debbie Adkins Vance have also submitted responses to this particular reply on that date and about that time and are awaiting their responses to be “published.”
My reply to “Sallie” submitted to the “Indian Reservations” blog June 15, 2020 at approximately 7:50 p.m.:
“Firstly, I am the “anonymous” who posted the link above to The Case for Bluesky and Parker Adkins. Sallie’s accusation that I e-mailed it to her is false. I did not send it to her. I am not in the slightest way interested in discrediting her or anyone else’s real history. I myself have been the victim of false and misleading claims, defamatory allegations and statements taken out of context . I have done a great deal of research and I have posted it for all to see. If anyone disagrees with it, they should say so and indicate the historical/DNA support for their position and let others decide. The point is people who make personal attacks and post false accusations like the one above are admitting that their factual position is weak and all they have remaining is to attack the author personally. Sad.”
6/14/2020
Audalene Starr’s Gedmatch number noted as once again available for match
October 15, 2018 – October 16, 2018
We are able to document other instances where family members have reached out to the owner of the Parker Adkins & Blue Sky blog with documentation of our family oral tradition:
(Theresa provided her phone number here…but I redacted it for privacy reasons.)
