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A thread about white people, indigenous identities, and our obligations where the two meet.
I've been putting this off because it can be such a minefield, but I've been thinking a lot about this over the years, and I think it's time to discuss. 1/
I've been putting this off because it can be such a minefield, but I've been thinking a lot about this over the years, and I think it's time to discuss. 1/
My father said that his grandmother was Cherokee.
I don't believe that for a moment. "Cherokee" is the default tribe white people claim they're from due to being seen as less "savage". It can be code for a white supremacist group from the early 20th Century.
AND YET... 2/
I don't believe that for a moment. "Cherokee" is the default tribe white people claim they're from due to being seen as less "savage". It can be code for a white supremacist group from the early 20th Century.
AND YET... 2/
My father's father called his mother a misogynistic, anti-Native slur, according to my father.
I believe him. My grandfather was a deeply bigoted, abusive, self-hating man who was definitely suffering from his own traumas. Plus, to be honest, he looked more Native than I do. 3/
I believe him. My grandfather was a deeply bigoted, abusive, self-hating man who was definitely suffering from his own traumas. Plus, to be honest, he looked more Native than I do. 3/
Do I identify as Native American?
No. I have no clear idea of what tribe my great-grandmother belonged to. Any cultural practices were cut off in the name of white identity. Any claim I could make to being Native would be theft of another's culture at this juncture. 4/
No. I have no clear idea of what tribe my great-grandmother belonged to. Any cultural practices were cut off in the name of white identity. Any claim I could make to being Native would be theft of another's culture at this juncture. 4/
So what do I do about it?
I focus on being a human being.
A core of indigenous beliefs here on Turtle Island (North America) is that we're human beings. Many tribal names are basically the word for "human beings" in the tribal language, I understand. 5/
I focus on being a human being.
A core of indigenous beliefs here on Turtle Island (North America) is that we're human beings. Many tribal names are basically the word for "human beings" in the tribal language, I understand. 5/
An important aspect of being a human being is to recognize one's own humanity and to recognize it in other human beings. To be compassionate to self and others. To be generous to self and others. To learn from one's own experiences and from others'. 6/
If you learn how to be a human being first, all else follows.
One of the dangers of white supremacy is it teaches white people to be white first, human second. It is the divorce of oneself and others from humanity. It is the stripping of compassion, generosity, and learning. 7/
One of the dangers of white supremacy is it teaches white people to be white first, human second. It is the divorce of oneself and others from humanity. It is the stripping of compassion, generosity, and learning. 7/
I am not Native, and if you are white and not connected to a tribe's culture through learning customs or language, I recommend you not identify as Native either.
Be human. Again, all else follows. 8/
Be human. Again, all else follows. 8/
After the pandemic, I would like to attend a powwow.
Not to appropriate. To appreciate. To learn and to grow. To heal and to give.
And most of all, to look at my Native siblings on Turtle Island, see their humanity, and reaffirm my own. And that is enough for me. 9/9
Not to appropriate. To appreciate. To learn and to grow. To heal and to give.
And most of all, to look at my Native siblings on Turtle Island, see their humanity, and reaffirm my own. And that is enough for me. 9/9
