Historically, indigenous people knew who they were, and today most continue to trace identity through descent, lineage, and clan, but the federal government's preoccupation with a formal definition has caused many problems. Indeed, there is considerable variation within branches of the federal government as to how Native people are defined, and these definitions are often at odds with State and Tribal definitions.
-from Indigenous Identity What is it, and Who really has it? by Hilary N. Weaver
American Indian Quarterly/Spring 2001/Vol.25, No.2 page 247
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