People will form social groups however they choose, and occasionally adopt signs of a particular social group. Absent such signs, this does not change how they are perceived by other members of society.
Sayoc looks white, and gets treated as if he were white, regardless of his ancestry.
Sure, no doubt. And this is a recurring "problem" with many Eastern tribes, for instance. Some members viewed as white, others as black, regardless of how they self-identify.
Because so many Narragansett of Rhode Island would pass as black to many people, someone once suggested to me that they were no longer "Indian". My response was, that since the tribal members had met each summer since 1676, when they were 100% Narragansett, at what point between 1676 and the present day would a Narragansett have stepped forward at their annual gathering and said, in so many words, "hey, why are we kidding ourselves, we are not Narragansett anymore". I don't think that point would ever have been reached, but some non-Narragansett will continue to make the judgement based on appearance, and not the cultural identification recognized by the Narragansett themselves. On the other hand, I know many Narragansett, who, while racially mixed, are also easily recognized as having native ancestry. Upon winning federal recognition, any individual with an ancestor listed on tribal rolls at the time the state of Rhode Island illegally detribalized the Narragansett in the period 1882-85 were recognized as members of the federally recognized tribe.
This is an older article, dealing with these tensions as they relate to the Pequot of far eastern Connecticut.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...b44-91c1-17805008f20b/?utm_term=.257238118229
"Tribal membership has soared from about 30 in 1983 to 550 today. The Pequots, however, don't look like the Indian on the buffalo nickel. More than half are predominantly African American and the rest are mostly white. Most tribal members are less than one-eighth Pequot; the tribe has eliminated a previous one-sixteenth "blood quantum" requirement. Anyone who can trace lineage from either a 1900 or 1910 reservation census may join the tribe -- and almost instantly become a millionaire.
This has become a flash point for critics like Larry Greene, a self-described "real American" who complains that the Pequots are not "real Indians" but have simply assumed an Indian identity for financial advantage. Not all locals share this view, but in recent years, the majority of voters in Ledyard, North Stonington and Preston have passed measures to limit Pequot development, fearing loss of political control, tax revenues, and their small-town way of life.
"This is a total scam job," Greene rants. "They just want special privileges. These are guys who used to be on welfare."
One look at "Skip" Hayward, Pequot tribal leader at the time of federal recognition, and it's easy to understand why he would be considered white:
