I was going to post this in one of the threads about "people who recently discover they have Indian ancestry " but I realized what I am saying is more about Persons Of Distant Indian Ancestry ( PODIAs) , in general , and not really if they recently discovered this . I'm suprised to see there doesn't already seem to be a thread on this subject .
I apologize beforehand if this is long and preachy . I feel I have some understanding, of these types of situations , but still this is mostly just my own opinion and observations . And I obviously DO have opinions on the subject !!! If other people have a different understanding ,or opinions of their own , or if people feel I am incorrect in any of this , I hope they will share this , or correct me .
There seems to be a lot of confusion around BQ and claiming a Native identity. People often point out that the CNO has people enrolled who are only 1/64 or 1/128 and the ECB has people enrolled that are
only 1/16 , so why shouldn't other people with that same BQ who don't meet the standards of these tribes also be able to claim their Cherokee / other Native heritage and be recognized as a tribe .
The thing that is being left out of this equation is cultural continuity .
How I see it , generally speaking , if someone's family has not participated in, or contributed to a recognized Native community for two or more generations, that person is a PODIA . I don't think a persons BQ is really the deciding factor in this .
If people have been disconnected from a relationship with a tribe for a few generations and they have a low BQ , I don't mean to suggest it is not possible to have a personally meaningful connection with this part of their heritage . If a person has any Native blood , no matter how far back , and they live on this continent , the fact is , they have thousands of generations of ancestors who lived here . I don't think that is something people ever entirely forget . But if people have a feeling this part of their heritage is important , I think it is vital if this is expressed in a way , that does not shame or exploit the memory of these ancestors , but that honors them.
Way too often , what people do in response to some distant Native heritage, would probably be more of an embarrassment to these ancestors , and way too often these PODIAs actions only work to alienate and disconnect them from having any positive relationship with the tribe their ancestors came from .
If people are a PODIA and they want to express this part of their heritage , I think they should first really consider what it is they are hoping to get. ( presumably there IS something ) Carefully considering if this is a realistic expectation , before you start jumping to the conclusion you are entitled to something , is probably a good idea . Is what you are hoping to get, something that a tribe could sustainably offer to all your similarly mixed blood cousins ? Considering the big picture and long term , would fufilling the hopes of people like yourself weaken or strengthen the long term health of the tribe you wish to claim a relationship with ? If the long term effect is going to be weakening the identities of tribal Nations maybe you need to reconsider what you are hoping for , and what responsibilities you have towards the tribe you hope to have a relationship with .
Before joining any group , it seems a good idea to try to find out what the tribe they are claiming to be affiliated with , thinks of them . If the tribe doesn't support them I would follow the lead of these recognized tribal authorities . Joining a group of PODIAs that are insisting on their right to to be legally recognized as a tribe or getting involved with people who imagine they have an inherent right to conduct traditional tribal ceremonies , when the recognized tribal authorities do not support these activities , is a really good way to become completely alienated from your true indiginous roots .
The politics of a bunch of PODIAs getting together and calling themselves a tribe always makes me wonder .
I mean , I bet most PODIAs are at least 3/4 English or Irish or Scotish or French or German or Spanish , but I NEVER see European people who have assimilated into American culture a few generations back , getting together and declaring they an independant English /Irish / Scotish / French/ German /Spanish
Nation . All these nationalities have populations that were wrongly displaced from their home lands a few generations ago. But I notice no one is ever insisting they are a Person Of Distant European Ancestry and should be entitled to be recognized as a English / Irish Scotish / French / German / Spanish citizens and they should be entitled to English / Irish / Scotish / French / German /
Spanish medical services and social security .
If people behaved like this, right away we would assume they were a fring group composed of flakes .
So I have to wonder why it is ,that it is only when it comes to Indians , that people assume lands, culture identity and the right to Nationhood government and $$$$ for funding , should be up for grabs .
In many situations this seems really disrespectful of Indian peoples and tribal soverienty .
Of course , if someone who had ancestors from England / Ireland / Scotland / France / Germany / Spain , simply had a love of that part of their heritage , and looked for ways to support these countries , it wouldn't come across as opprotunistic and exploitive at all. It's just when you start getting into that list of entitlements it begins to seem a bit warped
In my opinion ( and I DO have opinions !!! )it would be a lot more constructive if these people with some distant Native heritage could organize into groups that specifically looked for ways to advocte for , and support, either the tribal people they descend from , or the tribes residing in their local area .
I would think asking tribal communities what an organized group could do to help the tribal community,
and listening to what they have to say , maybe lobbying for social justice , maybe working as liasons and advocates within the non native community , maybe looking for ways to create culturally sensitive employment and mentorship programs , would be a lot more satifying and be a lot more likely to leave your children and grandchildren with a positive relationship with a tribe, than dressing up in feathers , and trying to live in a group fantasy that denies the largest part of your heritage .
Though many PODIAs get used by exploiters to further monetary and political agendas , i don't think most PODIAs intend to be exploiters or abusive of this part of their heritage . From what I have seen , many PODIA's honestly feel like they don't completely belong in or are misunderstood by the non
Native community . If PODIAs are wanting to be validated and understood , I think it is important to be really careful what they do , when they try to to find this feeling of belonging and being validated and understood, or they can just make things worse for themselves .
One thing that can make things worse , is not being really careful who you talk to about feeling a connection with a distant Indian heritage . If it hurts to have this negated , ridiculed or trivialized , one of the easist ways to avoid this is by not talking about it to people who won't understand it .
From what i have seen , the people who will recognize you , will do so without you even having to explain your ggreatgrandmother ( or whatever ) was an Indian . Even if this recognition doesn't happen very often , when it does , it will be a very validating and powerful experience .
When people feel this part of who they are is negated and unrecognized , it seems there is often the temptation to make an effort to be understood . To try and get recognition , it seems some people resort to pointing out every ancestor who was ever born with straight black hair who could shoot and eat a squirrel , or they start talking to anyone and everyone about very private personal experinces that they felt showed they were still connected with their distant Native heritage . Unfortuanantly this type of indiscriminate sharing usually just gets more negative reactions , which leads to a deeper feelings of disconnection and a need for validation .
In my experience , even if you meet an Elder , if that Elder is able to tell you something , they
will usually bring it up themselves . It seems best to at least wait until you have a comfortable long term relationship before bringing up your deepest questions . Listening without a pressing personal agenda , and without pushing can bring suprisingly positive results .
I can't think of anything that would feel worse than having your tribe deny they knew you , so I can never understand why people who are PODIAs , would do things that would give their distant ancestors tribe, a cause to do this .
One thing I see that can raise a lot of objections from tribal people is if someone who is a PODIA ,
but, who is not eligible to be enrolled in the tribe , and who has no living relatives that know them in the tribe , self identifies as being a member of that tribe . Rather than setting yourself up for the painful experince of having some tribal members tell you, you are NOT Cherokee or whatever tribe you are claiming , it seems it might be less contentious to just claim Grandma or Greatgrandpa was a member of the tribe , and leave it to the tribal members to call you one of their own - or not. If you aren't eligible to be enrolled , you probably don't want to set yourself up to try and convince those who say you are NOT a member of that tribe , that you ARE a member of that tribe . From what I have seen , this is just a good way to get hurt , and alienate people who in time might otherwise have been willing to informally recognize you .
Some people , who have never felt they entirely belonged in the non native community sometimes try and connect with the Native community their distant ancestors came from thinking they are going "home ". When they recieve a cool welcome , or run into problems , they find it really disappointing and confusing .
The reality is , a lot of Native people have had a lifetime of really bad experinces with non native people , and PODIAs attempting to reconnect with a Native community will meet *some* people who will see them as primarily non native and a part of the people and culture that did this damage . This isn't always "fair" , especially if you or your family have also been deeply affected by surpression and prejudiced , from the non native community . But it is the reality .
If people are trying to reconnect with their Native community , they should be prepared to meet
with some ghosts of past pain , and to understand that these consquences of the past will probably never be entirely healed in our life time . I believe returning PODIAs should be prepared to listen and examine themselves for ways they may be unconsciously reenacting these past abuses - and not expect to forget their non native heritage - if this is a large part of who they are . If people react to you in a negative way that feels unfair , it would be good if you are willing to examine yourself for attitudes and actions that give the message you are assuming some White / dominent culture privilege
you may be unaware of . Even if this doesn't seem to be true or fair , getting defensive and upset about this probably isn't going to help . And maybe you just aren't seeing something that is as obvious as a slap in the face to someone else . Don't expect people who have been hurt much worse that yourself to be able to understand the importance of your own injuries . Maybe some will , but don't expect this .
I thought the movie " Crash" did a really good job of illistrating how past traumas can continue to echo through peoples lives , and watching it might help people be more patient and less reactive when they run into these ghosts of past bad experiences .
PODIAs have a choice in whether they look for ways to stop the damage being passed on to the next generations by quietly finding ways to cooperate with Native communities to everyones mutual benifit , or they can choose the illusive alure of immediate self intrest , as has been the tendancy of their non native forbearers,by looking for ways to exploit his connection .
PODIAS who allow themselves to be used by exploiters who are looking for money or a fancy title of "Cheif" or who are using people with distant Native heritage as a political football , are allowing themselves be used in a way that divides Native peoples , creates mistrust and erodes public understanding of true native identities and soverienty . I hope folks will think long and hard before participating in any more damaging relationships .
Sorry for the long rant . I've been grinding my teeth with all these Cherokee PODIAs that have been posting here lately as it reminds me of situations I have seen in other places . A very small amount of Native heritage seems to be a big issue for a lot of people . And as foolish as these white looking people with strange names and feathers might look , I think there is often some sincere searching behind the silly behavior .
Maybe people have some other thoughts on this !
