Twila Barnes is a respected researcher, writer, and consultant with over twenty years of experience in Cherokee history and genealogy. Although best known for her genealogy blog, Thoughts from Polly’s Granddaughter, and her widely-covered research on the false Cherokee heritage claims of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and others, her writing and research have been featured in the Cherokee Phoenix, Indian Country Today, Los Angeles Times, Boston Herald, High Country News, and multiple television and radio shows, and her consultancy work has ranged from television programming (Finding Your Roots on PBS) to children’s literature (Mary and the Trail of Tears by Andrea L. Rogers) to academic works (Lynn Riggs: The Indigenous Plays, edited by James H. Cox and Alexander Pettit). She has also been a court-certified expert witness on Cherokee genealogy, a research consultant for the Cherokee Nation History and Preservation Office, and for many scholars and researchers. A Cherokee Nation citizen with deep and extensive roots in Cherokee community, Twila is passionate about Cherokee culture, history, and education, and is an experienced curriculum consultant and developer working to ensure accurate and age-appropriate understanding about Cherokee people.

 

More details on Twila’s education, research, and biography are available on request, along with a list of professional references.