Until 1980, Indians weren't allowed in Georgia.

[Thunderwolf, MSN, RN]

an excellent article to help folks understand why some older nai's may still disclaim their heritage, even until their dying days...which has created much angst for many of their descendents who attempt to reclaim their own indian roots. this phenomenon was/is common place. this was the case in my own family as well.

albany - as a child, marian mccormick's grandfather told her to wear long sleeves to school to hide her skin color and perhaps escape ridicule. at the same time, the young mccormick was being told to have pride in her american indian heritage.

as a result of those contradictions, said mccormick, creek indian chief for the lower muskogee creek tribe in cairo, she didn't often brag about her bloodline. when she graduated from grady county high school in 1973, she always told people that she was white, never indian."you could not come out and say you were indian. there was a lot of prejudice," she said.

not surprising, considering american indians were not legally allowed to live in georgia for nearly 150 years up until 1980. indians had been forced from their land in the early 1830s in a journey that became known as the trail of tears. since then, more american indians have come back to georgia to live, and mccormick is no longer shy about expressing pride in her heritage.

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the indian removal act of 1830 was repealed in march 1980, and it wasn't until 1993 that the cairo tribe was officially recognized by the georgia general assembly.

mccormick said american indians could secure a visa to travel through georgia, but they were not legally allowed to live here until that act was repealed. those laws not only slowed the progress of american indians, she said, but promulgated the prejudice that still exists.

the entire article can be viewed here:

http://www.unitednativeamerica.com/bureau/bwa_6.html

[Chscruggs]

That is just awful!

[Medicine Eagle]

This may explain why I am having so much trouble right now. I am in shock! That a NAI would be required to have a "visa" so that he/she could go through Georgia is unreal! After all the atrocities that have been commited against the ORIGINAL AMERICANs I should not be suprised. As children we were raised that America was the great "melting pot". Even as a child I disagreed, saying if we were a melting pot then NAI and African Americans, Irish Americans,etc. would not have been teated so horrible. I find it ironic that they would even have the guts to name a stolen country "The Melting Pot". More like the "Stolen Pot"! How absurd that a visa would be required for a NAI to walk on land that rightfully belongs to Native Americans. Not that I agree with the concept that land can be owned. It was created by God for all mankind to use. Which really makes the attempted genocide on the Native American people, over land, even more insane. :smackingf

[BreezieRN]

WOW!!! I had no idea!!! Thanks for sharing.

[psalm, RN]

My Italian grandfather told his Italian-NAI grandchildren (my cousins) to tell people they were Italian and not mention they were 1/2 Indian. We didn't listen! Treat people the way you want to be treated, fairly, kindly, civily, justly.

[tinesia]

Wow,

I am Africian American and truly understand how upsetting this situation is. I myself find it very RUDE - for Columbus to get credit for so call discovering America when America was already occupied or discovered by it's natives. I can definitely go on and on about stolen dreams and all the other negative things that this place has under it's belt but I'll pass tonight, lol.

Thanks for shareing this information

T-

[Blue Rain]

Each ethnic group since time began has not beaten persecution of one form or another...my husband's family refuses to discuss their Native ancestary(Black Feet) because of persecution in earlier years. Not all the family feel that way and have been diligent in uncovering their "roots". My grandfather said it best, "If you believe you ain't worth X you ain't and if you believe that you are better than others then you still ain't worth X"

Blue Rain

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

Wow, very eye-opening. I am 1/4 Cherokee. This would explain why my great-grandfather (born on a reservation in Oklahoma in 1917 and spoke Cherokee) denied having any NAI blood at all. When we went to our family reunion, we discovered that he was the only one of his living siblings with lighter 'European-looking' skin. And we found out that yes indeedy, we do have more NAI blood than we thought. :)