I don't feel a need to defend them. I'm quite proud of my ancestors in much the same way I am proud of the founders and the notable alumna of my sorority. They overcame great obstacles,and in the face of difficulties they succeeded in producing something of worth and merit.
My ancestors fought and died to secure the freedoms you enjoy today - shouldn't I take pride in that? They were willing to sacrifice all - and in some cases, they did. I don't see it as something that somehow makes me "better" - I see it as an obligation to see that those principles they held dear are taught to the next generation. It is a responsibililty, more than anything else. Yes, it's neat to have a personal tie to history, but again, it is an inspiration to me to strive to bring those ideals they cherished to life through what I do.
Hence my interest in all the historical activities and scholarship opportunities offered by various groups. In the case of the Daughters of Norway, I just want to continue to make sure my children appreciate the land and traditions of my grandparents.
History comes to life when you see how your family figured into it. I think it's great that I have had family here since the 17th century, and other family members that immigrated in the 20th. EVERYONE has a historical story. Whether or not you feel pulled to do the research and find out your family's history, the fact of the matter is that we all come from somewhere, and our ancestors obviously did something right, or we would not be here today. Far from being more selective than NPC sororities, the fact is that just about anyone can find a historical group for which they qualify for membership if they but try. Open the Society of the Great Unwashed, and see if you don't find dozens of like-minded possible members!

My thoughts too.

Not everyone is meant to be in a sorority, not everyone is meant to be in a group created for people of a common background or historical event. Since my relatives who came here in the past 100 years have died or are dying I belong to my group because I care about who I am and where I came from, and though I am a proud natural born citizen of the United States I am not going to dismiss my food, my language, and my relatives.

There probably is a group out there for you, whether you decide to pursue membership or not is your choice but don't criticize those of us who decide to belong. If it isn't for you that's fine, but it is for us.

I wouldn't even know where to start to join any of those orgs. I'm happy they exist but it seems rather overwhelming to me. My great uncle wrote 4 books about my family history on that side of the family. (When I say books I mean he didn't have them published or anything, just bound at the local copy shop and distributed to the family!) Also, what are the costs involved in joining these groups?

The costs are minimal - I'd have to look up the exact figures, but your first fee for registration, etc. is probably going to be between $50 - 75. National dues and local dues - $40+ . Compared to sorority dues, NOTHING.
As to where to begin - start with your great-uncle's books. Is there an ancestor whose story interests you? See if there is a group that coincides with the ancestor -whether from a historical time, a particular war, or certain nationality. Then see what the group requires. Some will require you to "prove" every generation - through birth, baptism, marriage and death certificates, U.S. census forms, applications for pensions and the like. Some will just take your word - if you apply to Daughters of Norway, they ask for your information, but basically take you at your word that you qualify. See what the application requires. You will usually have to be approved by a local group, which just means you attend a few meetings and are approved for membership. It's not nearly as nerve-wrecking as rush, I promise! The groups are usually THRILLED to have someone interested in joing them. Then, you submit your paperwork and wait for the offical word.

Oh, there's a difference between Minnesota and Fargo accents. I know this because I have a Minnesota accent and I can still hear a Fargo accent in others. ;)

As for why there aren't more Daughters of Norway chapters in MN, I have a couple guesses:

1) Anyone who was born here is probably Norwegian unless they're from St. Paul - then they're Irish.
2) Since everybody here is Norwegian, they don't care as much about associating with other Norwegian people.
3) People in MN tend to care less about what ethnic background you have and more about whether you went to the right pre-school/grade school/hockey league/church/etc. and how long you have BEEN HERE.
3a) If you haven't been here 50 years, you're not really Minnesotan - sorry!

Not true. I checked out that list posted upthread (which seemed awfully comprehensive) and I am eligible for exactly zero of those organizations. I think that part of the reason for the original founding of those organizations was so that the people from "good stock" could have a way to associate together and not have to mix with the ____ (insert random later-influx of immigrants country) immigrants that were sullying their colony/state/commonwealth/whatever. While they don't really serve that function anymore, especially with all of the intermarriage that's gone on, the "Daughters of the Irish Potato Famine" or "Daughters of Nazi Germany Gave My Country to Poland" were a little busy with other things to start a society, like trying to earn a wage so they didn't have to live in a tenement anymore or maybe learn English. ;)

I think that in certain parts of the country (and KappaKittyCat and I are from roughly the same place) these groups just come off as elitist because the few that do exist are WASPy old biddies who "lunch" and whine about how today's youth don't respect their elders blah blah blah wah wah can I have another drink please? I'm sure in other parts of the country they aren't like that, just like how being in a sorority is different depending on where you live.

Geeky Penguin . . .
 

Ah, sis, I gotta say - how much genelogy research have you done? When you figure that once you get to great-grandparents you have 8 different lines to pursue, it's hard to say for sure you don't qualify for ANY - plus that list of groups is hardly comprehensive. Most of the time, it just means you need to do more research IF you are really interested in it. And if you aren't interested, that's cool, too. I realize it is a somewhat specialized interest - but thank God there are different interests out there! So we have those who are interested in matters historical, those who are interested in various charities, animal rights, human rights, you name it! - as our mothers said, it takes all kinds to make a world. I don't expect everyone to be interested in genalogical societies, just as I wouldn't expect everyone to be interested in sororities, or the humane society, or any other pursuit.

eta - HEY - I don't get drinks at my meetings - what gives???:)

I sent you a PM. :)

I have found costs for the groups ranging from $105 for the application fee and 1st years dues (DAR) to $25 for application and dues. Some groups only have lifetime dues and some are annual.

So any generalized comments on how adoption figures into these groups? Does it vary by group or in general do you not "count" if you were adopted? My grandmother was in the DAR but my dad didn't want my mom to join b/c they don't recognize me (their adopted child) as a descendant. I don't really have a problem with it...after all, I'm not a descendant (well, who know, I could be). But my dad didn't want me to be left out or something.

Along the same, yet different, line of discussion, any generalities on how they handle step children?

Just wondering...

Actually, Sons of Norway is really big in Minnesota - and Daughters is a west coast response to the orgs early years of not allowing women (according to their site). I also know (at least in my family) that you don't mention the Norwegian part of the family, only the Swedish!

Some groups accepted adopted/step children but most require blood lineage for membership (and some are even specific that all the children have to be legitimate). I believe the DAR requires direct blood descent - so adoption would not qualify you.

The old DAR forms used to say "_____ is the blood daughter/son of ____", so I'm thinking that adoption and steps don't count in the DAR. I do know that they now accept DNA as a proof of lineage - when I took their genealogy class, we saw a woman who went in on her birth parent's lineage. Which, of course, means you'd have to first find your birth parents, and see if either of them are eligible.

On the other hand, there are two women who bring their adopted daughters and step-grandchildren to most meetings. No one treats them any differently. If you ever do decide to try to find your birth parents, I do know a few tips on that part.

Darnit. You qualify for Daughters of Descendants of Witch Snitches.

Well, my Norwegian friends are fond of the "10,000 Swedes ran into the weeds" saying so maybe it's the other way around with them. ;)

I have done a decent amount of research (not a ton) and I know on my dad's side I can trace back to Ireland at the great grandparent level on 3/4 sides. The other side is a lot more muddled so maybe I'd be eligible, but I doubt it based on what our ancestry is. I'm not that worried about it since I'm more interested in genealogy for family history purposes than society-joining purposes anyway, but for more recent immigrants it really does seem like there aren't as many options available.

^^Believe it or not, my mother, then both of us, worked on our genealogy a good 15-25 years before we even considered any of the lineage societies. My mother was asked to help found the Western PA Genealogical Society, and it wasn't until years later that I quit fighting it and "got the bug".

I have a HUGE list of lineage societies, which does include a lot of "more recent" immigrants' lineages, but it's on my own computer. Once I find it, I'll post it. Barring that, you can check out www.cyndislist.com for dozens of ideas. I find the site somewhat overwhelming, but there's something for everyone.