Unrecognized Native American 'Tribe' Makes Offer to Elizabeth Warren
The leader of an unrecognized and “mixed-blood tribe” in Oregon has officially offered Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren membership.
Founded in 2009 by individuals who were rejected from existing Native American tribes for not meeting bloodline requirements, the “Una Nation” in Oregon is made up of members who are of mixed ancestry.
The “king” of the Una Nation, Richard B. Lake III, says a potential member only needs one Native American or indigenous ancestor to qualify for their group, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Because of the lax membership requirements, the Una Nation is courting Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren to join its ranks.
“If she’s Native American, or of Native American decent, that means she’s a mixed blood,” said Lake, also known as King Richard II Ziwahatan.
“We stand by her in her statement that she is part Native American.”
The Una Nation sent Warren a “welcome packet,” which includes a certificate of tribal enrollment, to her Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., offices.
“We’re granting her, as a gift, enrollment in the Una Nation … When she’s asked next if she’s a member of the tribe, hopefully she’ll be able to say proudly she’s a member of the Una Nation, who accept me for who I am,” Lake explained.
“We want to ensure that people like us — like her — are not overlooked or pushed aside any longer.”
The enrollment offer employs grandiose language.
According to the Free Beacon, it partially states:
“In keeping with our mission to bring Mixed-Bloods together as the Una Nation, to have something of our own and somewhere to preserve our cultural heritages and share our histories with each other; something that has been done for thousands of years, we grant enrollment within the Una Nation, as an Indigenous American Mixed-Blood, to Elizabeth Ann Warren, Senator from Massachusetts.”
It also states that the membership offer applies to Warren’s son and daughter as well as her husband, Bruce Hartling Mann.
According to the Free Beacon, the Una Nation claims to have been recognized by the mayors of Springfield and Eugene, Oregon, but it has no such status from the federal or state governments.
The membership offer comes as Warren is still taking criticism for claiming Native American history throughout her life.
The Democratic senator, whom President Donald Trump routinely calls “Pocahontas,” apologized after releasing a DNA test that indicated she was somewhere between 1/64 and 1/1024 Native American.
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