Being ‘Indian’ enough
This month I wanted to write about
being Indian, Native American, First Nations, the original People
from Turtle Island, tribally-specific names, etc. I wanted to write
about how we measure ourselves. I wanted to write about those people
that judge everything Native, they are gatekeepers of culture and
they assign people accordingly.
Judging people if they are ‘Indian,’
or not, is done regularly. These judgments are done in public places
or in private discussions. Here are some examples of I witness and I
heard over the years:
We separate ourselves according to
enrollment. If you are an enrolled member then you are Indian. If you
do not have a tribal enrollment card then you are not Indian.
Indian-ness is measured by blood
quantum. We separate ourselves according to blood quantum. The
practice of determining blood quantum is calculated by taking a
percentage of both your biological parents’ lineage to determine.
It is supposed to be a proxy of how much Indian you are.
This historical practice of enrollment
is the result of the Federal government tracking us to make sure they
know the cost of their obligations to the people whose land they took
and treaties they broke. Over the years, this percentage has given
people a sense of their Native-ness. If you are more then you are
more Indian and your credibility increases. It’s become a warped
way of thinking.
We separate ourselves according to
language. If you are a fluent speaker of our Native languages then
you are valued. Traditional speakers are highly sought after. What
has occurred in this effort for cultural preservation and
revitalization is a caste system.
It hurts my heart when fluent speakers
look down upon those who don’t speak fluently. Somehow, they’ve
forgotten the period of time that speaking our Native tongue got you
in trouble for speaking our Native tongue. If you sound too white
then you’ve given up your right to claim being Indian; you’ve turned
your back on your culture.
We separate ourselves according to
where we live and grew up. If you live in the city then you are an
Urban Indian. If you live on the reservation then you’re a ‘real’
Indian. We don’t talk about those who move back and forth because
we’re still trying to sort out where they belong. Until then, you
claim where you’re from and we’ll honor that.
We separate ourselves according to
education. If you left the reservation to get an education then
you’ve become White. I’m always amazed at the number of times that
I’ve been treated badly for my education beyond High School and my
inability to get a job at Native organizations. Apparently, I’m
too white now.
We separate ourselves according to the
pain we’ve experienced as a result of being an Indian. If you’ve
lived a traditional life and experienced the depths of poverty as a
result of it then you’re more Indian. We begin to share our stories
of pain and survival to measure our struggle to remain Indian.
We separate ourselves according to how
we dress and look. If you’ve got long hair in braids then you’re
Indian. If you wear a ribbon shirt on a daily basis, you’re a
wanna-be-Indian. If you wear traditional clothing daily then you’re
weird. Those clothes are only brought out for a special occasion,
funerals, usually.
We separate ourselves according to our
attendance to powwows. If you go to powwows regularly then you are a
good Indian. If you know powwow songs, you’ve gone up in your ranking
of Indian-ness. If you know the traditional dances then you are a
super Indian.
We separate ourselves according to our
political philosophy and ideology. You’ve got to believe in the
sovereignty of Native communities to be Indian. Don’t talk about the
struggle of tribal governments because they are not how leadership
was traditionally determined cause you will be chased out of town.
Here’s what I’ve come to know,
this type of thinking and judgment terrorizes people. It saddens me
that we are so harsh to one another. We are not actively helping one
another heal from the trauma we’ve collective experienced in the
building of this country. What some of us would rather do is
traumatize each other again. It’s an ugly cycle that must stop.
There are many other ways that we
separate ourselves as being Indian. What I know is this … I refuse
to participate in judgmental discussions that harm Native people who
are living, surviving, healing or preserving our culture. I will see
them as my people and give them that respect.
Cetanzi –Nicholas "Nick" Metcalf, MSW, is an emerging writer/poet who manages a blog entitled "Nickizms" and shares his daily musings on his Facebook profile. Nick’s first published piece can be found in the 2014 St. Paul Almanac, "A Mother’s Hope."
