LaPointe has also been clear about what the DNA study did not mean: that the family’s identity depended on the science, that the study created their relationship to Sitting Bull, or that scientific documentation is what gives their claims legitimacy.

The family knew who they were before the study.

The study added a layer of documentation.

Those are different things.

The distinction LaPointe draws is important and reflects a broader principle: Indigenous identity, kinship, and cultural belonging are not determined by genetics.

They are determined by the living relationships, community recognition, cultural practices, and family histories through which Indigenous people know and maintain their identities.

Genetics can provide one form of additional documentation in specific contexts, but it is not the foundation.