Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science

(Paperback)

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Who is a Native American And who gets to decide From genealogists searching online for their ancestors to fortune hunters hoping for a slice of casino profits from wealthy tribes, the answers to these seemingly straightforward questions have profound ramifications. The rise of DNA testing has further complicated the issues and raised the stakes.

Reviews

"Native American DNA is a book of far wider scope than its title, establishing the author as a leading authority on the topic. The politics of tribal DNA is but the starting point of a complex analysis that encompasses the whole framework in which DNA is appropriated in the study of human populations. Molecular geneticists, science studies researchers, legal scholarsand of course Native Americanswill find their horizons considerably broadened and newly engaged."Troy Duster, New York University

"Native American DNA is a gracefully written, powerfully argued, and urgently needed examination of indigenous identity and politics after the genomic turn. This is pathbreaking work."Alondra Nelson, Columbia University

"Provocative and incisive. . . Native American DNA is undoubtedly a key text."Medical Anthropology Quarterly

"TallBears description of the science of DNA testing is remarkably clear, and her skepticism about its claims is well founded."Journal of American History

"Essential reading for researchers in all fields of Indigenous studies."American Indian Quarterly

Author Bio

Kim TallBear is associate professor of Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin.