Johnny Depp, Cherokee?

Some information on Johnny Depp's Cherokee background:

Johnny Depp--LifeDepp was born in Owensboro, Kentucky to John Christopher Depp, Sr. and Betty Sue Palmer. He was raised primarily in Miramar, Florida, where his family moved in 1970. He has one brother and two sisters (Debbie, Christie, who is Depp's personal manager, and Danny). The Depp family is mostly of Irish and German descent.

Depp's maternal great-grandmother, Minnie, was a full-blooded Cherokee and Depp also has Cherokee ancestry on his father's side.Johnny Depp (Cherokee maternal grandfather according to Depp himself)

Is Johnny Depp being shunned by Oscar because of his Cherokee background?Far as I know Johnny Depp has been nominated 3 times & stunning performances each time. Are they scared he's going to pull a Wounded Knee stunt, like his pal Marlon Brando? What's with the bad press, just recently? &... joining the dots here, the critics putdown of Mr Depp's directorial debut "The Brave." Let's not be naive folks, surely they are playing politics not entertainment. What do others think about this?How much Cherokee is Johnny Depp?Johnny Depp's Cherokee ancestry is only assumed. He's one of those "my great great grandmother was a Cherokee Indian Princess" types with no real proof that she was/was not Cherokee. His ancestor does not appear on any of the rolls or censuses taken of Cherokee people, even those taken by Cherokee people when accounting for their own. Due to the lack of proof, there is no way of calculating his blood quantum. I suppose the best one could do is say he has presumed Cherokee ancestry.All the Tattoos of Johnny DeppHe has fourteen known tattoos till now, including the "head of Cherokee Indian chief" for his ancestral heritage, the name of his first-born child "Lily-Rose" over his heart, his mother's name "Betty Sue", and a sparrow flying over water with the his son's name "Jack" below it.The latest addition is "Silence Exile Cunning."Johnny Depp:  CherokeeLike the famed Cherokee warriors of old, Johnny Depp has entered into a domestic partnership and mated with a European pop singer. No young brave could return to the village a man unless he carried over his shoulder some French or Lithuanian songstress with a frame so slight her bones are nearly hollow. In the lean years when pop stars were few and far between, some Cherokee were allowed to substitute snub-nosed supermodels or quirky bug-eyed actresses, and Depp has not strayed from exploring those cultural avenues as well.

Depp’s L.A. nightclub, the Viper Room, was named after the deadly Serpentine Viper, which the Cherokee held sacred as the hottest place to bring an impressionable young Disney Channel starlet with a bra full of speed balls. It’s no coincidence that the Viper Room rests on the picturesque Sunset Strip, either, since this is the name of the erotic dance in which Cherokee women engaged to encourage the sun to go down.Comment:  The last item is satirical, in case you couldn't tell.

<sarcasm> I'm glad we got Depp's background straight. His maternal grandfather or great-grandmother was Cherokee, or his ancestors were Indian-princess types. </sarcasm>

Let's suppose he's 1/16th Cherokee. He starred in Dead Man and The Brave, and he has a tattoo. That's about it for his Indian identity.

That might be good enough for an Indian role in a minor movie. But enough to play the iconic role of Tonto? No way. The role should've gone to someone who's recognizably Indian.

Depp's alleged Indian ancestry comes from the Eastern Cherokee of Kentucky. Tonto presumably was an Indian from the Texas area--perhaps a Comanche or Apache. Having him played by someone who's 1/16th Eastern Cherokee is several degrees less authentic than having him played by a full-blooded Canadian Mohawk (Jay Silverheels).

And none of these Internet sources has any credibility. In fact, Depp himself doesn't have any credibility. Until he shows us a family tree linking him to a documented Cherokee ancestor, his claims are worthless. They're no different from the claims of millions of other Americans descended from a "Cherokee princess."

For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.

P.S. My former sister-in-law looks like a blonde homecoming queen, but she's a quarter Cherokee. She works at Disney, too. I guess that qualifies her to play Pocahontas or Sacagawea in an upcoming movie.