Natives aren't really integrated into the population within the US. They're concentrated either on reservations, or in the general area of states where reservations are. North of the Border, they still live in the areas where they are originally from. And it is pretty difficult to find a pure-blood Native that isn't at least chubby.
It's true that many in the US can claim some Native blood, especially Blacks from the South (my own maternal great-great grandparents, and great grandmother were Cherokee and Blackfoot from North Carolina). Though I know that part of my family history, I don't go around claiming it. I don't know someone that truly wants to embrace that - it isn't my place to define someone else's identity. But it is a little strange when someone that doesn't look Native at all claims the heritage so proudly.
It's true that many in the US can claim some Native blood, especially Blacks from the South (my own maternal great-great grandparents, and great grandmother were Cherokee and Blackfoot from North Carolina). Though I know that part of my family history, I don't go around claiming it. I don't know someone that truly wants to embrace that - it isn't my place to define someone else's identity. But it is a little strange when someone that doesn't look Native at all claims the heritage so proudly.
"The best kind of pride is that which compels a man to do his best when no one is watching."