The Enchanter's Theorem

So, the Ant and I are digging into some genealogy on my mother's side of the family. This is the side that has been extremely secretive about our origins my whole life. In other words, I've known nothing about them, up to and including, I didn't even know names. And when I would ask, well, a stone wall is a more attractive conversationalist.

All I have to say is, ha.

The Internet is a great, great tool and a great destroyer of these sorts of secrets.

One of the great family secrets was that there's Indian blood in the family, but no one would say which tribe.

I know now.

Pauma and Choctaw. Pauma on the Great Grandma Olivas side and Choctaw on the Payne side. And apparently the Paynes go back to the 1720s in this country, which would make me eligible . . . for the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Weird.

It's...odd.

I don't see the big damn deal to keep all of this secret. But then I wasn't around when these decisions were made and I'm not a product of that particularly racist time when Indian blood would have literally been the kiss of death.

But it's comforting to know. And right now I heart the Internet so hard for giving me the family history I always wanted.