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National | Oprah Winfrey

Oprah talks about her Native American blood

African American icon Oprah Winfrey discusses a DNA test discovering she had some Native American ancestry.

She did the test in 2006 and was surprised by the results.

“I thought I was going to find that I was Zulu and it actually turned out that I was some Native American and mostly from the Kpelle tribe off the coast of Liberia in Africa.”

Oprah told Native Affairs she found the results “interesting”. But she sees a little bit of herself in all cultures and people.

She attributes this openness to the success of her talk show. The Oprah Winfrey Show was a global phenomenon and made her one of the most powerful and influential women in the world.

“I just saw myself as the audience. I realised that at the time I was in 156 different countries.  But it didn’t matter to me what country or continent or background you came from.  I knew at the heart of every story, that my sadness, my pain, my joy and my triumph, is the same as yours”.

Te Ao Māori News
Te Ao Māori News

Te Ao Māori News is the dedicated news service of Whakaata Māori, delivering indigenous-focused stories from Aotearoa and around the world.