Ed: My name is Ed Scott.

♪♪ All my life, I've felt a connection to the Native American culture.

And uh, I don't know anything about my ancestry.

I was adopted.

♪♪ So, you know, I decided to go on this journey to see if I can't find out why I feel such a connection to the Native American culture.

This is my Generations Project.

♪♪ [airplane whooshing] ♪♪ [airport intercom] ♪♪ [JFK recording] Let the word go forth from this time and place that the torch has been passed to a new generation.

Woman 1: I really never thought that finding out about your ancestry could change you the way it's changed me.

♪♪ [soft piano music] ♪♪ Ed: I was adopted when I was, you know, just a baby, so I didn't know where my original birth parents, you know, what they were, where they came from or anything about them.

♪♪ First thing a lot of people will say is are you an Indian, are you Native American?

Um, you know, and I'll go, well, yeah, I believe so.

♪♪ Woman 2: Whenever we go anywhere, people say, what tribe are you?

It never dawned on me that he would be anything but Native American.

He looks Native American.

♪♪ Ed: Earlier I took a DNA test, and I got the results back.

And they were confusing because it basically says that, well you know, you don't have any Native American in you.

♪♪ Why I'm going on this journey is I wanna know where this Native Americanness is coming from.

Where I feel this, where I live this, where I feel so connected.

I want to know where that's coming from.

♪♪ Now we're going to the Sorenson Lab, and hopefully sit down with-- with somebody who can give me some answers.

I have some questions for you.

You ready-- you got answers?

Lars: I hope I have answers.

I hope I have all the right answers for you.

Ed: You got a place where we can sit down?

Lars: Yeah let's, why don't we walk back to our board room back here, Ed: All right.

Lars: sit down and talk.

Ed: I have this information here that, uh, I got from the other testing... Lars: Okay.

Ed: center.

And I need more information 'cause...

I don't know.

I feel like, that I'm Native American.

- I've looked a little bit into their technology, and they're not as strong as we think they ought to be.

We developed a lot of new tests to be able to help people answer questions about their genealogy, and so... all we need to do is get a DNA sample from you, which is very simple-- cheek swab.

- Okay.

We can start to fill in some of these pieces of the puzzle to kind of put things together in perspective of who you are, where you came from.

- I appreciate your help.

- Great, thank you, and this'll be great... - It'll be interesting to see what you actually found.

- Well we'll-- we look forward to getting you test results, um, very soon.

[reflective music] Ed: We did the test.

So I'm, you know pretty excited about that.

Except you have to wait 14 days to get the results back.

But, you know I guess anything that's worth having's worth waiting for so, and so we just have to wait and see what it says.

♪♪ Right now, we're on our way to see a specialist that helps people like me that are adopted.

Her name's Deanne.

The information is there, it's just that you don't know where to look.

Maybe she can help me with a game plan.

Deanne: Ed!

Ed: Ed Scott, Both: Nice to meet you.

- What you need to know is you need to know what state your adoption was finalized in and what district court.

In those papers, there is, uh-- the first part of it says, uh, 'petition,' Ed: Mm-hmm.

- okay, what do you wanna do.

Well your petition is to open your birth records so then you have a motion to open those birth records.

But Ed that's where you start.

Ed: Okay.

You have a guess?

What do you think?

- Oh I'll tell you Ed, if you don't have some Native American blood in you, I'll eat my big toe.

Ed: [laughs] Deanne: I gotta be honest with ya.

♪♪ Yes, I was wondering if somebody could answer a few questions on adoption records.

♪♪ Okay.

I've tried to follow the steps that Deanne gave me.

I've went to the court house.

I was fortunate enough to, uh, get the records.

Deedra: So where's the... Ed: So there's a paper missing.

♪♪ Deedra: The release paper with the mother's name.

Is there anything else?

Ed: [searchingly] No.

[flapping] - It's not there.

There's something missing.

Ed: They tell me that all my records, paper and on microfilm, had been destroyed.

Which was a real downer.

There's still some things I could do, so I go up to Family Services 'cause I had made the request for the other non-identifying information, and it has a little bit of information about the birth mother.

It says she was Caucasian, with English and Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry.

And then on the father's side, he was Caucasian it says he was Scottish and Irish.

♪♪ Wow, I don't look like any of them people [laughing] Deedra: I feel kinda, like we get so excited about something and then it's not there.

♪♪ [music fades] [paper shuffling] [gasping] Oh... honey, wait.

- What's this?

[flap] [silence] [crinkling] [tearing] My original birth certificate.

[sniffle] Ma-- uh-- [sniffle] full maiden name is Dolores Gibson.

Deedra: [quietly] Gibson.

Ed: Okay this is a big piece now that... [sniffle] I put it to rest you know-- Deedra: You need a name, you needed a name... - I just had-- just have a name.

And that might be good enough, here, with this.

It still doesn't answer my question.

But, man that's a huge part now.

So now we can go figure this one out.

We should go to the internet right away.

Deedra: [laughs] ♪♪ [under music] Okay go to Dolores Gibson, 1928.

♪♪ That'd be the year, 28, 29... Ed: OBITS, let me look at this obituary, 'cause here it is-- Deedra: Dolores Gibson-- - Yeah, let me look at that.

- Obituary... Ed: We found an obituary.

Found out that she's dead.

And there's some siblings that are still alive, ♪♪ and they live fairly close.

♪♪ What do you say to somebody that... - I don't know.

I don't know how to approach it... - I mean, "Hey, sis."

You know, long lost brother here you know.

- That sounds good.

♪♪ - Yeah-- will you call?

- No.

- [sigh] ♪♪ Well I don't know what to say.

I'm gonna really mess this up, okay?

- No you're not, I think you're gonna do well.

♪♪ Ed: Hello is Denise home?

♪♪ - Denise, uh, my name's Ed Scott.

And I was adopted, and so I've been searching for relatives.

♪♪ - [gasping] Oh... Denise: [quiet sob] - Well... [stammer] ♪♪ Ed: My hopes is, is that this journey's gonna provide me with an answers.

♪♪ I'm excited to see what she has to offer and what she has, and uh...

I just wanna know more about her.

♪♪ Wondering, you know, is this gonna change things, is this gonna change who I am, the way I feel and what I do and... and how I look at life?

I'm excited.

I'm really excited to go.

You always want to know everything.

Where did she come from?

Who was she?

How did she feel?

♪♪ Hello.

- Hi!

Ed: How are you?

Are you Denise?

- I am.

- I'm Ed.

[tender music] ♪♪ Denise: You're my brother.

- You think?

[laughs] Denise: There-- there's no question about it.

- Aw, I know.

- Come on in.

Ed: [laughing] Okay.

- My home's your home.

Ed: All right.

♪♪ Denise: Dad got into a fight with a couple of guys and they had knives.

And Dad took the knife away from one of the guys, so he ended up stabbing this guy, and unfortunately dad went to jail for almost a year.

- Hm.

Denise: Well Mother found out she was pregnant after he was incarcerated.

After he got out of jail... that's when he found out that Mother had given you up.

Ed: Mm-hmm.

Well, you know, when you think about that, you know, she probably gave me a great gift at that time.

- I think-- you know what, she did-- Ed: Because, and that's the way I feel, is...

I've had a good life.

She showed me a picture of the old house where they grew up and everything.

So I thought it'd be really fun to, you know, I had a lot of curiosity, I'd like to go see the house if it's still there.

[click] So this was where, uh... where my birth mother lived, though-- was born, right?

Denise: Yes.

[film rolling] Ed: She just happened to have had some old film that was on DVD, so we actually got to see the family.

Denise: That's mother, she's in the kitchen preparing dinner.

♪♪ Okay there's Carolyn, Marilyn, and Nancy-Ann.

Ed: Now these are the other sisters right?

Denise: Right.

Ed: Okay.

The reason that I'm doing this is I'm really interested to know if there's any Native American in my ancestry.

Denise: Yes we do have Native American in our family.

We are Native American through our mother's mother, which is our grandmother.

Um, her name is Jane Mae Shupe.

♪♪ She is full blood American Navajo.

- So my grandmother was full-blooded Navajo.

- Mm-hmm.

- See that's an important piece for me.

Because I wondered in my biological side if there was any Native American.

I was wondering what my father's side was.

♪♪ Denise: He is Scottish.

- My biological father was Scottish.

All right-- Denise: He is Scottish.

I'm Scottish.

You're Scottish.

- [chuckling] Okay.

- We're Scottish.

- Maybe a little bit.

♪♪ When I was talking to Denise I found out that my grandmother was Navajo.

And so this gives me some insight as to maybe why I feel, uh, such a connection to the Native American culture.

So that made me feel really good.

♪♪ It was a huge piece of what I'm looking for that brings me back exactly to my-- to why I'm doing this, in the beginning.

♪♪ And I want to know more about it now.

We're driving up the canyon to uh, meet with a family genealogist who has information about the origins of my grandmother and her Native American ties.

♪♪ Woman 4: Well I know a lot of family tradition, and I have a lot of family records.

We called your grandma, Aunt Jen.

Ed: Okay.

Woman 4: And she's my grandpa's sister.

Ed: Oh.

[music fades] Well I've always felt like, that I was Native American.

But I don't know.

♪♪ So my grandmother was full-blooded Navajo.

See that's an important piece for me.

Woman 4: The family tradition that we have of Native American in this family is Harriet Chalista [indistinct] Andrews is the daughter of Keturah Eliza Button.

And I was always told that Keturah was Native American.

Ed: Mm-hmm.

Woman 4: And as I did the research, I have found records of a Keturah that would fit here, Ed: Mm-hmm.

Woman 4: that's possibly the first Native American in our family.

- Okay.

- But that removes it quite a bit farther than your grandmother.

Ed: Okay, and that was the one that, you know, I was told was Native American.

And your records or what your research has shown you is that it's a couple or three generations... - Farther back.

- farther back.

Holly: In our family, we have known that Uncle Alf was not Dolores's biological father.

Ed: Oh.

Okay so I-- let me get this straight.

I have on the maternal side, maybe three or four generations back, some Native American.

Holly: That's correct-- - And now I still don't know... [laughing] okay, on this paternal side whether... Holly: You do-- we don't know who Dolores's father is.

♪♪ I don't know who it is.

- I don't either.

Holly: Yeah, I don't know who... - [laughs] Ed: The way I feel right now is... [laughs] I don't-- [laughing] I don't know, it's like okay here we go.

I'm on this trip.

I've learned all these things and I get excited, real excited about something.

And all of a sudden... there's another hole.

[thoughtful piano music] ♪♪ I was taken back a little bit when I found out that my biological father was Scottish.

I would like to see just how Scottish, Scottish is, and where they came from, and what they-- you know what they went through and endured.

♪♪ [hinge squeaks] Man 2: Good morning!

Ed: Good morning!

Ed: Ed Scott, how are you?

Man 2: Dan Stuart.

Ed: Oh, nice to meet you.

- Utah Scottish Association, and on behalf of the association, I've come here today to share some information about your heritage.

- Well, I just found out that-- I don't know anything about it.

[laughs] - Well wonderful.

We've come prepared to share that kind of information with you.

- Well great.

- In fact if you'll come with me, - All right.

uh, we'll be happy to share that with you now.

- Okay.

[volume fading] Little bit nervous I don't know much about it.

Dan: Well, well... [bagpipes, drums playing "Scotland the Brave"] ♪♪ ♪♪ [inaudible] ♪♪ Crowd: Fáilte.

Ed: Thank you!

Woman 5: [distant] Welcome home!

- Welcome!

"Fel-see?"

Ed and Crowd: [laughter] - Fáilte is, uh, Gaelic for 'welcome,' so... - What is?

- Fáilte.

Crowd: [laughing] - Oh.

- So... - I have to learn a new language.

- There you go!

All: [laughing] Dan: We'd love to have you join us in this attire.

Ed: Okay... Dan: And we'd like to give you a few minutes to get into that.

Ed: [laughs] Dan: Be happy to help you.

Uh, being a Scottsman, you need to dress like one.

- I have nev-- [laughs] Okay.

Crowd: [laughing] - It's gonna be odd I think.

Dan: Well the first time is a little different.

- It is a little different, huh-- - But it'll grow on you.

- Okay.

[laughs] - So listen.

We're gonna take leave of all of you for a few minutes here and get Ed properly attired.

- Now then.

[laughs] Dan: Okay?

All right.

Ed: Okay.

♪♪ You guys-- I don't know how you go outside... ...get cold...

Crowd: [laughter] ♪♪ Crowd: [chatter] ♪♪ [cheering] [clapping] [impressed exclamations] ♪♪ Ed: They uh, wanted to show me the bag pipes.

Man 3: [faint] ..the valve on the end... Ed: I got an opportunity to hold one and try to make it play.

By the time I got through blowing it up and trying to make it work, and getting one squeak out of it, Man 4: [laughter] Ed: I was almost on the verge of passing out.

[laughs] Dan: We wanted to share your-- your Scottish ancestry with you, and it turns out, lucky you, uh you have Scottish ancestry on both sides of your family.

- Oh wow!

- Your father's a McClendon.

And your mother was in the Gibson family.

This would be, uh, your father's line here.

These names here, uh, as you can see from closer inspection, are all Scottish names.

So many generations back.

This is-- Ed: There's no doubt?

Dan: No doubt.

Right, these are the names, the dates, the places.

And you can see where all these folks were born and where they died and, um, and so forth.

Ed: I was able to uh, see my family tree and learn that the Gibsons, as well as the McLendons, were both Scottish.

I don't know who would have thought that.

Who would have thought my journey would have taken me here?

If I have this rich history on this side, rich history on the other side, I'm very fortunate.

♪♪ When I went to this, uh, Scottish reception... it was-- it was a shock.

♪♪ Found out more about my biological side, and, uh wearing the kilt and all of the apparel that goes along with it I can't remember the names of it-- it was so fast, but after wearing it and standing in the shoes and feeling, you know what it felt like, uh, to be that culture, uh... meant a lot to me.

♪♪ You know, the further I get into this, the more fortunate I feel because it is part of who I-- you know, who I am, so.

You know, I have a really great and strong history on the Scottish side.

♪♪ But it still doesn't address the core of the why that I've been, you know, searching for so.

My why is, uh, why do I feel that I am Native American?

♪♪ Okay right now we're gonna go over and we're gonna talk to a medicine man.

And uh, one of the things that, uh, that I was hoping for is when I meet the medicine man that maybe he'll be able to explain some of my feelings.

♪♪ [contemplative, adventurous music crescendos] ♪♪ Well I've always felt like, that I was Native American.

But, I don't know.

Man 5: There's an author who wrote, every person, no matter who, what, where you're from doesn't matter.

Everyone has a hole in their soul that needs to be filled.

Some people look towards, um, religion.

Some people look towards family.

Some people look towards music, um, whatever it is.

We're all looking for something that we can relate to.

Um... whether if it shows that you are or are not an Indian, you know, um... it's something that you can feel inside.

- Mm.

- And that you've related to your whole life.

And something that you've used to, um, become a better person.

Ed: I don't know about the hole, but I've always felt that way, so... Man 6: My great grandma who I grew up with, she used to say yeah there's people who have what we call a Indian heart.

You know they understand... all these philosophies, they understand all these different things just-- the understanding between this connection, between this part and this part in the center.

Because we believe this is our center.

Our heart is our center.

I know a lot of times, and uh...

I've come across this situation.

A lot of times people feel kinda confused, they feel kinda, well what do I do now, you know.

And so I wanted to give you a couple of gifts.

Maybe hold just a little ceremony with you and for you.

Maybe teach you some things to further your identity as it is.

[laughs] - Okay.

Lacee: So I was gonna try to light up my sage and clean off you, as a person.

But also clean away some of the disappointments if you have any, you know, clean away some of the misunderstandings, these kinds of thing-- to help give you a clear sight into what's going on.

You know my nephew and I both support you as a person.

You know, even though you're not native in color, you know you have some of those feelings inside, and that's what's important.

♪♪ Ed: It's been a really long journey.

And I've brought out emotions that I tried to suppress.

♪♪ I still wanna see a DNA test, so it isn't over yet.

[chuckles] There's still-- there's still something out there that I can find and discover.

♪♪ And maybe I'm still a little apprehensive because how am I gonna feel when that-- when that test comes back?

♪♪ ♪♪ Today's the day that we're gonna go out and uh, get everybody together, and get something to eat.

And tell them a little bit about the journey, tell them where we have been, and why we went on it, and what we found out while I was along the way.

Deedra: He's gonna share everything that he's learned over this whole time now.

I know little pieces of it, but I don't know the end.

I don't know how it all ties together so I'm really excited.

I can't wait.

Woman 5: I think he is Native American.

He's lived his entire life as though he is Native American.

His religion and the things he believes in.

- I think he is.

[laughs] - I think he's got a portion.

I don't know if he's got as much as he thinks, but I hope he does.

♪♪ Woman 6: I do not know if he is.

Who knows.

He could just be a mixed bag of surprises.

♪♪ - Hi guys.

Ed and Family: [laughs] Ed: Okay.

First of all, I don't have any biological proof that there's any Indian in me.

And so I went and had a DNA test.

So!

Man 7: The final answer.

- This is the answer.

Man 8: Open that puppy up!

Ed and Family: [laughing] Ed: Yeah let's see what we got here.

Boy 1: Don't rip the paper.

We all wanna know.

Ed: Okay this is gonna tell me if I have any Native American in me at all.

And it says that... ♪♪ representing the indigenous America population with a calculated value of 24.

So that means that there is Indian.

I'm a quarter Indian.

- That's great.

Family: [clapping] ♪♪ Ed: As we've gone through this and come on the ups and the downs and the ups and the downs, and I've gone to bed at night, you know kinda asking is this gonna change things?

Is this gonna change who I am you know, the way I feel, and what I do, and... no, it really hasn't changed me.

At the very end of the day, I'm still a Native American.

I'm still me.

Now I can say that genetically, I am one quarter Indian.

But.

I'm one hundred percent there.

♪♪