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ok girl let’s talk about it. white passing TO ME means that you navigate the world as a white person. That means you are read as yt in social settings, educational settings, job interviews, and during confrontations with the police. (1/
however, there is a space in between white passing and brown. To me there is such a thing as a light skinned minority. (notice how I don’t say pale person of color because that doesn’t make any sense).
There are natives who are connected to their homelands and culture, those that are displaced and reconnecting, and lastly those who are tribally enrolled, or unenrolled that still navigate the world as light skinned native people. (pale with NATIVE features)
I can only speak for Sugpiats but I have watched with my own eyes our genealogy go from tan “full blooded” indigenous elders into a creolized race of light skinned, light eyed, light haired natives (my mixed scandinavian family for example) and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Some aspects of this were native peoples marrying white partners, and the rest can be attributed to rape and colonization mixing up our gene pool.
Surprise also, many northern natives are naturally light, especially those living in cold climates. In my own personal life I have a brother who is Black and Sugpiat just like me but HE turned out white passing. That doesn’t make him any less native in my opinion.
Being Indigenous is not measured by participation, beading, hunting, fishing, or even speaking your language. Culture is learned, community and respect is earned, and keeping an open mind about mixed natives creates space for Black natives especially.
I have a soft spot for mixed natives of any color because it can be hurtful when others look at you and decide that you are not “enough”. So in conclusion, white passing natives are valid, light skinned natives are valid. And Black and brown natives are fucking valid.
