French? First Nation? What Culture do you claim?

I have always been a bit of a Frankophile. With the maiden name Disque, (means record), I always knew about my dad’s French and German history and embraced it. However, my mom’s side is a whole different ball of wax. On my trip across Route 66 with Dannelle Gay, the Traveling Cheesehead, our First American stops made me ask questions.

The Story

My mom tells the story that her grandfather left Oklahoma from a Pawnee Indian Reservation. He, then stopped and worked for a farmer, taking on his surname of Pearcy. Thus, according to the family, we have Native American heritage. Although back in my mom’s youth, it wasn’t revered the way it is today, all we have is this oral history. But to complicate matters, my 23 and me DNA test showed no First Nation heritage. I had questions. Who am I? What is my heritage, what do I claim?

First Nation stops along the Mother Road.

Route 66 is an amazing way to see America, and a stark reminder of who was here first. On our journey, Dannelle and I traveled a little over 2,400 miles, and almost 1,380 of them traverse through Native land. With more than 25 Native Nations, it is a wakeup call to remember our nation’s origins during this 250th birthday year.

Stops in Missouri

Missouri was the start of sightings of Native American history with a quick view of the Osage Trail Legacy Monument in Cuba.

The monument is a 35’ tall 80-foot-long metal sculpture depicting an Osage family traveling west along the Osage trail which crosses Route 66. The sculpture is behind the Cuba Visitor’s Center. We missed the paintings by George Catlin of the Osage, and I would like to go back and see that sometime.

Oklahoma

A wonderful cultural stop was the Cherokee Nation Anna Mitchell Cultural & Welcome Center. The Cherokee Nation was our first Native American encounter. Outside is the amazing “A Bundle of Seven Arrows” statue representing the seven matrilineal clans.

Oklahoma is home to 392 miles on the route with approximately 85 lie within the Cherokee Nation reservation. We saw many artistic endeavors of the Cherokee people at the Center including pottery and jewelry. One wonderful opportunity Dannelle and I enjoyed was the chance to sign our name along with other visitors on their Route 66 wall.

Approaching Tulsa, the Welcome sign also had an unofficial Cherokee symbol reminding us of who lived on Route 66 long before there ever was a scenic byway. The Welcome to Tulsa sign was erected in May of 2026 and is 42 feet tall.

In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma cowboy history is part of the Oklahoma story, and we saw that firsthand at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. While most of the museum was on the cowboy history, native American heritage was also included sharing clothing and more.

Before visiting the First Americans Museum, we stopped at Exhibit C Gallery.

History at Exhibit C Gallery the First American art Gallery accompanied our visit to the First Americans Museum which they say is “One Place, Many Nations”. If I learned anything at this museum and gallery it was that within the US border, there are many distinctive First American Nations, each with their own cultural diversity and history

I learned a lot about First Nation art, origin stories, and much more.

Many more

There were many other Native American connections along Route 66, the Pueblo’s in Arizona, the early Native American religious stories in Santa Fe, New Mexico and many more. Connections to First People nations were made all along the route, only making me ask, where in this picture, do I fit in? Or do I fit in at all?

Asking Questions

Kristin Gentry of the Chickasaw Nation took us through the Exhibit C gallery in Oklahoma City, and I summoned up my courage and told her my story. I told her that my DNA showed no Native American DNA, but family stories said otherwise. Kristin took me seriously. She said that at times people were adopted into families. At other time the genes have been so diluted that they don’t show up.

Did it answer my question? Not totally although Kristin did say that no one can totally claim heritage legally without document-backed genealogical proof. The proof must include an ancestor on an official tribal roll. I don’t have that, so while I can lay claim to my French and German roots, the rest of my story remains a bit murky.

But isn’t that what America is really? A melting pot, a little of this and a little of that, mixing our very best of us to create a one-of-a-kind nation. So, I am a true American, a Heinz 57, and that makes me smile. What culture do you claim?