http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Wondolowski Was reading through Wondo's wiki and saw that he is a member of the Kiowa tribe. It got me thinking, is he the only Native American to play for USMNT? Did a small search but couldn't find anything.
Do you consider Hawaiians "Native Americans?" Some do. Some don't. Kamani Hill is part Hawaiian. Brian Ching is just from Hawaii; Kamani Hill is actually part-native Hawaiian. [Kamani being a Hawaiian word, actually]
I don't think Native Hawaiians consider themselves Native Americans. Geographically speaking (in other words not politically speaking) Hawaii isn't in the Americas. It's a Polynesian Island. So the aboriginal people there aren't considered "native Americans." For the same reason I don't think the Chamorro people in Guam consider themselves "native Americans." On the other hand, the Eskimo, Athabaskan, Aleuts, etc. in Alaska are generally classified by some as "native Americans." They're in the Americas after all.
I believe he's a member of the Wondolowski band of Kiowa. Well known warriors during the 1821.....wha? Polish you say? Nevermind.
What about Latinos who have native blood. Or do Indians from south of Pale Face's border not count???
On the US census Alaska Natives and Hawaiians are distinguished separately from Indians in the rest of the United States. The simplest explanation for the Alaskan distinction is the Alaska Native Claims act which with the exception of one single tribe in Metlakatla, created any entirely separate framework for the US government relations with Alaska Natives as compared to Indians in the continental United States. You can get even further into the distinctions because Inuit and Aleut (the few that are left) are genetically quite distant from the rest of the America's indigenous population, but considering this is a thread about the US soccer team, it's probably not relevant. To my knowledge no Alaskan, native or otherwise has ever played for the US team.
As this is a not uncontroversial issue, I would think the starting point would be to look to the federal government's legal structures in place. Not my area of expertise, but I believe that fed legislation of the past 50 years was put in place to put the responsiblity in the hands of the more than 500 various Tribes to determine who is and is not a member. I also think that there was some legislation passed or proposed in this respect re: Native Hawaiians. It would be worth taking a look to see whether the Bureau of Indian Affairs has anything w/r/t Hawaiians. So, we know that the Kiowa Tribe recognizes Wondo. The next question would be whether other players are similarly recognized. Ching is a native of Hawaii but is he a "Native Hawaiian'? Kamani Hill's father is from Trinidad and mother is from Hawaii. Same question I guess. In any case, it is interesting topic but the sort of that can always be fraught on BS. I like Wondo and its cool that he is Kiowa...particularly because I may or may not have participated as a young kid in a well meaning though arguably problematic YMCA program and my "tribe" may or may not have been the mighty Kiowa. Thanks, Dad.
if Brian Ching went to Kamehameha High School, which he did, you need some native Hawaiian blood in you. And he's from Haleiwa, Hawaii which is in the North Shore. A lot of blood-Hawaiians live up there.
I was going to ask what tribe, then felt it was worth checking Wikipedia and noticing they're both Jewish... Well played.