taken in its entirety by request of website: http://www.nativecircle.com/pppartindian.htmlhalf-breed quarter breed one sixteen.... what do fractions really mean? could you imagine having to carry a card to 'prove' you are white? or imagine that, in order to truly be acknowledged as an african american, you had to be an 'enrolled member'! this having to carry a white and/or blue cdib (certificate of degree of indian blood) card is, in my understanding, the very definition of institutionalized racism. good people frequently share with me that they are 'part indian', or 'only a precentage indian'. this is a sad testament to the legacy of their beautiful indian ancestors. you see, the u.s. government is responsible for the invention of the 'indian blood quantum' lie. it turns out that this is quite a convenient way to 'kill indians on paper'. and what saddens me, is that most of our tribal governments have bought into the 'blood quantum' system which so divides and separates us from who we are and has deeply damaged the integrity of our ancient cultures. we are people, not fractions. to those of you reading this who are of indian ancestry, i offer you some interesting thoughts............... in lakota tradition, we have a ceremony called hunkapi, or, the making of relatives. in this ceremony, a person who is not lakota is brought in. after the ceremony is complete it was fully understood that this person was 100% completely lakota. this was, and still is, the power of this ancient rite. somehow, many of us have forgotten the truth and wisdom of this ceremony. many indians today think the 'amount' of indian blood is what matters, when according to our own sacred rites, it is clear that it is not only blood, but spirit which defines the essence of a human being................. so.... to those of you with distant indian ancestry who do not quite know how to define it.... you need not identify yourself as 'part-indian'. know that you are 'of indian ancestry', or that you are 'descended from the (insert tribe name here)'. you are 100% descendant of all your ancestors. learn all you can, become who you are. you are beautiful! you are indian.............................. written by john two-hawks
Thunderwolf, MSN, RN 6 Articles; 6,621 Posts Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatric, Behavioral Health. Has 32 years experience. Mar 9, 2006 John Two-Hawks is most correct.It is not your percentage that makes you Indian....it is the spirit that is within your heart that makes you Indian. A very poignant lesson for us all.
nativehealer 65 Posts Mar 9, 2006 Very true Thunderwolf, my Brother. My heart beats with the beat of the drums, and I follow the Native ways. Nativehealer
Long Term Care Columnist / Guide VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN 142 Articles; 9,982 Posts Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych. Has 26 years experience. Mar 9, 2006 That makes me feel so much more 'in tune' with my distant Native American ancestry.......I never really believed I had a right to call myself Cherokee, but this has taught me to think differently. Thank you so much for sharing it, Thunderwolf!
nan1993 57 Posts Specializes in CCU,SICU,CVICU,Burn Unit. Mar 10, 2006 My family ancestory is Indian and I am very proud of it. You made an awesome contribution that makes people aware.nan
elizabells, BSN, RN 2,094 Posts Specializes in NICU. Mar 10, 2006 Wow, Wolfie, thank you. I also have some distant Blackfoot heritage, but when people ask "So, what are you?" I answer Irish, because for a pale, green-eyed, redheaded girl to claim to be Indian always struck me as disingenuous. I'm going to start being true to my blood, I believe.
fergus51 6,620 Posts Mar 10, 2006 Isn't everyone nowadays part something, part something else? If you identify more with one heritage than the other, I don't see how that's a problem. Personally, I usually answer with a long list because I identify with all of them:)
twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN 1 Article; 1,289 Posts Specializes in ED. Has 18 years experience. Mar 13, 2006 Thank you so much for posting that! Very true..very true.
Tweety, BSN, RN 33,005 Posts Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac. Has 31 years experience. Mar 13, 2006 I'm part Cherokee, Part German, Part mutt..............100% American.It's smacks of political correctness rhetoric to say "I'm descended from......" rather than "I'm part.....". I'm not sure I'm supportive of this idea. I'm not sure how it's insulting to N.A's to acknowledge I'm not 100% of their tribe. Sorry.
pickledpepperRN 4,491 Posts Mar 14, 2006 My uncle is a full elder of the tribe. He is African American and European by ancestry. My aunt is officially Cherokee. She grew up on a wheat farm and was raised Methodist.He participates in ceremonies and had his children and their cousins visit the reservation and learn a from elders.Yes, there is an advantage to the legal status. My cousins attended Oklahoma University tuition free on "Indian" scholarships and got preference in low cost student housing.
pickledpepperRN 4,491 Posts Mar 14, 2006 I feel as residents of this land we may all feel a kinship with those who were here. I feel it when singing the songs, dancing at a Pow Wow, or growing corn. I can't speak or read cherokee like my uncle did. I don't have the sence of direction my aunt does.Nevertheless we have much to gain by experiencing all we can.
S.N. Visit, BSN, RN 1,233 Posts Specializes in Home Health Care. Has 8 years experience. Mar 15, 2006 I'm proud to say I'm a descendant of the MIC MAC indian.
