Andrea Smith
![Image](http://web.archive.org./web/20210912123654im_/http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mi-aWhyLFnE/VaDC7ymhv8I/AAAAAAAALrc/UGT5LQWCfnY/s400/Great_seal_of_the_cherokee_nation.svg.png)
Some of the posts about the Andrea Smith, is she or isn't she Cherokee issue. My thoughts on this are currently larger than my energy level to write or type. Today was a long day, with plenty of things happening and so I'm not sure I could tackle a topic like this right now. There are ways that this brushes up against Chamorro issues, but also ways that I see this as being distinct and a facet of Native American life, the ways that they determine authenticity, the sources and forces in which it is formed. ******************** Why Realness Fails Us in Native Studies Chris Finley https://againstpoliticsofdisposability.wordpress.com/ In the shadow of the Rachel Dolezal scandal, mostly non-Cherokee Indigenous academics have raised an alarm about Andy Smith’s identity once again. I want to point out that it is mostly tenured faculty that are doing this. I want to know why you have an investment in Andy’s identity in particular. Indian identity has always