<p>i am 1/16th inuit but iv only found out about 4 months ago after looking through my family tree.... when i write this on my college applications how can i prove it to them?</p>
<p>I'm sorry, not to sound rude, but that doesn't mean ****. At least I don't think it does.</p>
<p>Loads of white people have SOME american indian ancestry. Its not that big of a deal, I think</p>
<p>Agreed with the above. In addition, even if it were more, it would be somewhat disingenuous of you to put it down, as you haven't considered it part of who you are until recently. That is, unless you have some other affiliation with the native community (ECs, etc.), I wouldn't put it down.</p>
<p>Let me explain something about scholarships and affirmative action programs that consider race as a factor.</p>
<p>The purpose is not simply to get warm bodies with a little colored blood in them, or to get people of slightly different shades, inside their ivy-covered walls. The purpose is to correct a historical wrong. Native Americans in this country were treated atrociously and thus had limited options when it comes to higher education. They are underrepresented in higher education because the deck is stacked against them, so special programs for them in terms of scholarships and affirmative action for admissions are there to put some balance into a system that's already disadvantaged them. In addition to that, Native American students (as well as students from all groups) add cultural diversity to a school. They add a different perspective from the mainstream, mostly white culture that dominates the U.S.</p>
<p>The United States is a country of mutts. I have some white ancestry (actually, I have more white ancestry than you have Native ancestry) and some Native ancestry as well, but when I step out the door, people treat me like a black woman because that's what I look like and that's what I am. If you've been raised as a white person (or whatever race you are), identified as a white person until 4 weeks ago, and -- arguably most importantly -- if other people identify you as a white person when you step outside your door, you've benefited from white privilege and you trying to claim Native ancestry on your college application is more than a little disingenuous.</p>