was elvis presley native american?

No. Elvis Presley was not Native American, but he did have distant Native American ancestry on his mother’s side, according to family accounts — though this has not been fully confirmed by documented genealogy.

Here’s a breakdown:

1. Ancestry Background

• Elvis was of primarily Scottish, Irish, German, and French descent.
• His mother, Gladys Love Smith, came from a poor Mississippi family with deep Southern roots.
• There are long-standing family claims that Elvis had Cherokee ancestry through his maternal grandmother or great-great-grandmother.

2. Cherokee Claim

• The most commonly mentioned ancestor is Morning Dove White, who was allegedly a full-blooded Cherokee and a great-great-grandmother of Elvis.
• However, no verified documentation or tribal enrollment records conclusively prove this link. Much of it relies on oral history passed through generations.

3. What Historians Say

• Some biographers (like Peter Guralnick) note the claim but treat it as anecdotal.
• There’s no strong genealogical evidence to list Elvis as Native American in a legal, tribal, or cultural sense.Here is a simplified family tree of Elvis Presley, showing his parents, grandparents, and the alleged Cherokee ancestor “Morning Dove White.” This name appears in some family stories but is not confirmed by official records.
• ✅ Summary:

Elvis Presley was not Native American by identity or official descent, but there are unverified family stories of Cherokee ancestry in his distant lineage.