I am Native American and English. My people were here to greet my people. My father was 50% Indian from Maine. My mother was an Adams as in John, Samuel. Her family owned a farm here in East Boston. Her mother died when she was nine and her father when she was ten. The farm was sold and the money was used for her medical care. She had polio. Now the farm (after two other owners) is a housing development. And it is ironic that two of my children have lived there. Son #1 is still there.
The tribe is rather wealthy now. They sued the Federal Govt. and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to get back their land. Every one who is registered with the tribe and over 21, gets a monthly check. I am entitled to register. But the only thing Indian I have ever done is open a can of corn. I don't feel I am entitled to anything. My youngest son is a quarter Cherokee on his father side. So he too is entitled to registered. But he feels as I do. Had he gone through the trouble to register, he could have gotten all his college for free no matter how many years he attended.
A friend of the family did a tree and traced our family back to the early 1700's on my father's side. She is now working on my mother's side. My grandfather was full Native American from the Passamaqqody Tribe in Maine. He migrated to Nova Scotia to find work, then down to Massachusetts. I always state the Native American first and check it off when asked about my background. The English side? Well they were rabble rousing trouble makers and disloyal to their King.
If you saw a picture of my mother, she looks exactly like John Adams.