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["Lynda" <lurine AT com-pair.net>]

O.K., don't anyone get their bloomers in a bunch or anything, but whenever I 
see that I have to laugh.  There's a story told in my little corner of the 
world about an old auntie who had a young man come to her and tell her he 
was "part Indian" and she asked him what part.  And, since we're talking 
about the Cherokee, here's a Cherokee poem that addresses this also:

I BE TSALAGI!!

This morning I looked in the mirror,
I stared intensely at what I saw,
Trying to figure out if it was
My eyes, my nose or my jaw.
~
Maybe it's my ears, I thought,
or maybe it's my chin,
I'm sure that I will figure out
what is my "part' that is Indian.
~
Maybe it's my arms, or hands
or some little internal gland,
I sure hope I can soon find out
what "part" is Indian.
~
You see to some that means a lot
to them it's a big deal,
So maybe it's my knees or toes
or maybe my left heel.
~
But, you see, I don't understand
what this "part" stuff means,
Because in my heart I know
just who and what I be.
~
That from the top ofmy Tsalagi head,
to the tip of my Tsalagi toes,
~
With every beat of my Tsalagi heart
Every fiber of me knows
That it is not the "degree of blood"
That makes me what I be.
~
It is the spirit of Tsalagi
that dwells within, you see.
~
So with every breath I take
I'm as sure as I can be that.....
~
I BE TSALAGI!!

Lynda
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "bobf" <bobford79 AT yahoo.com>


> I don't know, but I can see, after thinking for a second or so, why the 
> term I used would not be acceptable.  Since he probably looks white, I 
> would say maybe "half Cherokee" ?