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Reviews
Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science by Kim TallBear
ralowe's review against another edition
4.0
still starving for ways to whittle away at the "truth" of the nation i turn my attention to the molecule. kim tallbear is a true student of donna haraway, hoping rather lightly for a common ground between tradition and science in a thick present. this book explores the many problems of confusing DNA for blood as metaphor and material. this book was on a friend's syllabus since there are so few actual native women in genetics who go deep into the unholy mess of race and its colonial production vs the understanding of patrilineal ties of kin and sovereignty. this text never really skimps on the expected consequences of this joining, and while the social science is turned on the producers of medical science in a provocative power inversion, it doesn't quite go all the way like haraway's *primate visions* beyond low-key social-justice-centered romp
vonny3492's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.0
I do not think I was the audience for this book. It was very science heavy and I found that difficult to follow without helpful contextualizing by a class or something.
littlebookterror's review against another edition
3.75
Even if you've just started to dip your toe into Indigenous literature and Indigenous media in general, you have probably come across discussions on who is "really Indian". Whether it's the callout of Gwen Benaway to properly elaborate on her claimed mixed Anishinaabe/Métis heritage (which she has not adressed since then to my knowledge); the discussions surrounding Rebecca Roanhorse's identity (including both the status of enrollment and the anti-Blackness in Indigenous communities as factors that (dis)prove her family lines); or if we're talking film, recently the casting of Sokka in the new live-action Avatar has brought controversy (again, bringing back talk of enrollment status and colorism as reasons for either side); just a week ago I saw a comment claiming Moniquill Blackgoose was a "pretendian" (as far as I know she is an enrolled member of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe) and found out about Elijah Forbes's debut with the most peculiar review on Goodreads (I cannot find any additional information).
Whatever opinion you have on any of these cases, the ability to be enrolled in a tribe, connections to a direct ancestor and cultural knowledge of your heritage are usually the first things people call into question. This book tries to explain part of the problem where these conversations stem from.
The author rightfully notes that this research project quickly moved beyond its focus to discuss the use of Indigenous DNA at large and how the average person interacts with similar knowledge acquired through the various DNA testing services that are (or were) available.
It's an absolutely fascinating topic that's totally up my alley even if my combined knowledge of professional English and genetics has declined enough that I cannot say I understood every single sentence in here. (But I would totally love to return to this at a later date when I have read some more on this topic.)
It feels a bit unfair to critique this novel for the things it does not go into detail into that were of personal interest to me: what were the historical and politics reasons for each tribe to decide on their enrollment rules, why are you not allowed to enroll in multiple tribes, what are the tension between enrolled and non-enrolled tribe members.
Now, parts of these things were addressed (but maybe with a reader with more basic knowledge in mind; TallBear mentions this book is written with Indigenous readers in mind first of all) and I particular loved its focus on the present: how a researcher can and should engage with the communities they want samples from, how unethical sharing of samples is, how the role of governmental bodies can positively and negatively impact (future) projects and the general question of why or how DNA should be discussed in the broader landscape of race/racism, geneology and science in general. In general, it captures this common wish I've seene echoed in other parts of the internet that people wrongfully believe that getting the DNA tested will give them answers to questions of identity and belonging when that it not how all thiis works.
I generally think it's a sign of science nonfiction when I have new questions to ask and a wish to learn more; it means the book is both aware of its limitations and well-written enough to explain its major themes to me si that I can start building on this new information. This book did both.
I'm gonna have to look at some more books on both Native American politics in regards to tribal structures specifically and probably some genetics as well but this offered some great perspectives from someone who is both active in the field and Indigenous (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, but also Cheyenne and Arapaho, and Flandreau Santee Sioux).
Whatever opinion you have on any of these cases, the ability to be enrolled in a tribe, connections to a direct ancestor and cultural knowledge of your heritage are usually the first things people call into question. This book tries to explain part of the problem where these conversations stem from.
The author rightfully notes that this research project quickly moved beyond its focus to discuss the use of Indigenous DNA at large and how the average person interacts with similar knowledge acquired through the various DNA testing services that are (or were) available.
It's an absolutely fascinating topic that's totally up my alley even if my combined knowledge of professional English and genetics has declined enough that I cannot say I understood every single sentence in here. (But I would totally love to return to this at a later date when I have read some more on this topic.)
It feels a bit unfair to critique this novel for the things it does not go into detail into that were of personal interest to me: what were the historical and politics reasons for each tribe to decide on their enrollment rules, why are you not allowed to enroll in multiple tribes, what are the tension between enrolled and non-enrolled tribe members.
Now, parts of these things were addressed (but maybe with a reader with more basic knowledge in mind; TallBear mentions this book is written with Indigenous readers in mind first of all) and I particular loved its focus on the present: how a researcher can and should engage with the communities they want samples from, how unethical sharing of samples is, how the role of governmental bodies can positively and negatively impact (future) projects and the general question of why or how DNA should be discussed in the broader landscape of race/racism, geneology and science in general. In general, it captures this common wish I've seene echoed in other parts of the internet that people wrongfully believe that getting the DNA tested will give them answers to questions of identity and belonging when that it not how all thiis works.
I generally think it's a sign of science nonfiction when I have new questions to ask and a wish to learn more; it means the book is both aware of its limitations and well-written enough to explain its major themes to me si that I can start building on this new information. This book did both.
I'm gonna have to look at some more books on both Native American politics in regards to tribal structures specifically and probably some genetics as well but this offered some great perspectives from someone who is both active in the field and Indigenous (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, but also Cheyenne and Arapaho, and Flandreau Santee Sioux).
dashadashahi's review against another edition
4.0
While this book's scientific jargon was occasionally confusing for me (I am a mere humanities student), I did really appreciate the historical attention paid to conceptions of blood and identity and how many modern genetic and DNA mapping technologies are shifting Indigenous identity from blood to DNA language. Clearly, replacing one colonial construct for another is problematic even if, as TallBear notes, DNA tests do have some perceived benefits.