"Told to her by her mother" is a narrative.
There's no proof of that.
It is also true that there is not one shred of proof that Warren is even in the slightest Native American. Testament to that is how the Cherokee Nation themselves disowned Warren as a fraud and a disgrace.
My favorite is when Tucker Carlson last light interviewed an ACTUAL descendant of Pocahontas, who said Warren is proven illegitimate, that it is a dissgrace how Warren continues to exploit this, and that Warren owes Cherokee and Native Americans nationwide an apology.
In case you missed it, 1) the DNA test compared her DNA to native Americans in South America, not with Cherokee DNA. and 2), the average American is 0.018 Native American, and Warren is cited as being 0.009
Half as legitimately Native as the average U.S. citizen.
I was actually planning to get a 23-and-me DNA test. The Elizabeth Warren fiasco has made me see that these tests are highly questionable, and not worth the time and money.
Other Native Americans I've seen interviewed have made the point that Warren PRETENDING to be Cherokee, actually stole an equal-opportunity career position from someone out there who legitimately IS a Native American minority.
