"Growing up American Indian, I wish I had a quarter for everyone who gushed to me about being "part Indian," because I'd have enough money to open my own casino. Some were white, some were black, young and old — didn't matter. Having that American Indian legacy was an immense source of pride and assuaged centuries of guilt. Nine times out of 10 that Indian blood flowed from a great-great-grandmother who was a Cherokee princess.

So this whole kerfuffle over Elizabeth Warren and her Cherokee grandmother was really no surprise to me. What did surprise me was how badly she handled it. It should never have become a hot-button issue right through to her first debate with Scott Brown.

But it did; that's when I really got ticked off. Brown didn't just push the button, he cast a stereotype that is commonly accepted in this country and misrepresents a significant population of American Indians."

Get the Story:
Paula Peters: A Cherokee princess in every family (The Cape Cod Times 9/27)

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