FFS. Federally recognized citizen here. This is about integrity. It's about who gets permission from us to rep us. Not white people deciding that for us. I object to a bunch of FRAUDs out there repping me, my tribe, and all other Natives, as the ideal in the spiritual arena. Go be spiritual down there in Mexico. Knock yourselves out.
As a child in elementary school growing up along Virginia's eastern shores and learning about the Indigenous people of the area, I always had a "gut" feeling or "past life" connection to the Indigenous people of the SouthWest. Fast forward into my adult life and after taking several DNA tests purely for finding lost family connections, someone reached out me and told me that my family and I are connected to a non federally recognized tribe because of our DNA. Now, I've always felt lost as to where "I" belonged/came from my entirelife; but now that I been told this information, instead of feeling relieved, I feel like a "pretendian" who is culturally appropriating if I were to act the role. How did this information make me feel even more lost? Am I truly an Indigenous spirit or just a wannabe?
i wasn't going to comment since this is an indigenous peoples in the U.S. issue but then i saw "Before that, they were merely a first-generation LatinX descendant."
what do you think those "families come from Spanish-speaking, Hispanic and/or Latino communities" are made off?!
some were taught english, french or castilian(spanish) but how does that take away the indigenous in our blood?
Something tells me this is going to be one of those pieces where a researcher holds up paperwork that says his ancestors with very obviously Spanish surnames were (GASP!) white in the census so the kid is obviously (GASP!) white than white on white. Or that the Mexican government said his ancestors were Spanish on paper, or who knows. But I want to explain the difference between the US census saying someone is white, and what it’s actually like to be told “YoUr TrIBe Is iN MeXiCo.” You can live here in the US all this time, with none of your ancestors budging an inch, and get your race dictated to you through no decisions of your own.
My family, existing: WE, THE SPANISH CHURCH, DEEM YOU “INDIOS” IN THIS PAPERWORK.
My family, still existing there years later: WE, THE SPANISH CHURCH, NOW DEEM YOU “COYOTES.”
My family, still existing there years later: WE, THE SPANISH CHURCH, NOW DEEM EACH OF YOU AND YOUR SIBLINGS “INDIO,” “COYOTE” OR “CASTIZO” OR “LOBO" AT DIFFERENT TIMES DESPITE YOU ALL HAVING THE SAME PARENTS, BASED ON YOUR SKIN TONE AND/OR OUR DAILY WHIMS.
My family, still existing there years later: NOW WE DEEM YOU SPANISH, EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE IN THE "NEW" WORLD AND HAVE NEVER BEEN THERE.
My family, still existing there years later: BORDER MOVED, NOW YOU’RE MEXICAN. WE DEEM YOU “MESTIZOS.”
My family, still existing there years later: BORDER MOVED, NOW YOU’RE AMERICAN. OH, BUT WE’RE GOING TO BLOCK YOU FROM VOTING LIKE US CITIZENS GET TO DO.
My family, still existing there years later: US GOVERNMENT IS NOW GOING TO WRITE “SPANISH” ON ALL YOUR PAPERWORK. EVEN THOUGH YOU AND YOUR ANCESTORS WERE ALL BORN HERE IN AMERICA.
My family, still existing there years later: US CENSUS NOW SAYS YOU’RE MEXICAN. EVEN THOUGH YOU AND YOUR ANCESTORS WERE ALL BORN HERE IN AMERICA.
My family, still existing there years later: US CENSUS NOW SAYS YOU’RE WHITE, BUT US LOCAL WHITE CENSUS TAKERS KNOW BETTER SO WE PUT A SPECIAL EXTRA MARK FOR YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORS, WINK WINK.
My family, still existing there years later: CENSUS SAYS WHITE BUT YOU CAN’T SHOP OR VISIT THAT PART OF TOWN, OR THAT PART, OR THAT STORE, OR THAT SCHOOL. OR BE BURIED IN THAT WHITE CEMETERY.
My family, still existing there years later: US CENSUS NOW SAYS YOU’RE HISPANIC. YOU’RE LEGALLY ALLOWED TO GO ANYWHERE BUT US WHITE LOCALS KNOW BETTER THAN TO LET YOU, WINK WINK.
My family, still existing there years later: ONLINE ACTIVISTS NOW SAY YOU’RE LATINX.
America, today, despite us never having moved from the same spot that has been America for a few hundred years at this point: UR STILL JUST MEXICANS, GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM, THIS IS AMERICA.
FFS. Federally recognized citizen here. This is about integrity. It's about who gets permission from us to rep us. Not white people deciding that for us. I object to a bunch of FRAUDs out there repping me, my tribe, and all other Natives, as the ideal in the spiritual arena. Go be spiritual down there in Mexico. Knock yourselves out.
As a child in elementary school growing up along Virginia's eastern shores and learning about the Indigenous people of the area, I always had a "gut" feeling or "past life" connection to the Indigenous people of the SouthWest. Fast forward into my adult life and after taking several DNA tests purely for finding lost family connections, someone reached out me and told me that my family and I are connected to a non federally recognized tribe because of our DNA. Now, I've always felt lost as to where "I" belonged/came from my entirelife; but now that I been told this information, instead of feeling relieved, I feel like a "pretendian" who is culturally appropriating if I were to act the role. How did this information make me feel even more lost? Am I truly an Indigenous spirit or just a wannabe?
i wasn't going to comment since this is an indigenous peoples in the U.S. issue but then i saw "Before that, they were merely a first-generation LatinX descendant."
what do you think those "families come from Spanish-speaking, Hispanic and/or Latino communities" are made off?!
some were taught english, french or castilian(spanish) but how does that take away the indigenous in our blood?
Something tells me this is going to be one of those pieces where a researcher holds up paperwork that says his ancestors with very obviously Spanish surnames were (GASP!) white in the census so the kid is obviously (GASP!) white than white on white. Or that the Mexican government said his ancestors were Spanish on paper, or who knows. But I want to explain the difference between the US census saying someone is white, and what it’s actually like to be told “YoUr TrIBe Is iN MeXiCo.” You can live here in the US all this time, with none of your ancestors budging an inch, and get your race dictated to you through no decisions of your own.
My family, existing: WE, THE SPANISH CHURCH, DEEM YOU “INDIOS” IN THIS PAPERWORK.
My family, still existing there years later: WE, THE SPANISH CHURCH, NOW DEEM YOU “COYOTES.”
My family, still existing there years later: WE, THE SPANISH CHURCH, NOW DEEM EACH OF YOU AND YOUR SIBLINGS “INDIO,” “COYOTE” OR “CASTIZO” OR “LOBO" AT DIFFERENT TIMES DESPITE YOU ALL HAVING THE SAME PARENTS, BASED ON YOUR SKIN TONE AND/OR OUR DAILY WHIMS.
My family, still existing there years later: NOW WE DEEM YOU SPANISH, EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE IN THE "NEW" WORLD AND HAVE NEVER BEEN THERE.
My family, still existing there years later: BORDER MOVED, NOW YOU’RE MEXICAN. WE DEEM YOU “MESTIZOS.”
My family, still existing there years later: BORDER MOVED, NOW YOU’RE AMERICAN. OH, BUT WE’RE GOING TO BLOCK YOU FROM VOTING LIKE US CITIZENS GET TO DO.
My family, still existing there years later: US GOVERNMENT IS NOW GOING TO WRITE “SPANISH” ON ALL YOUR PAPERWORK. EVEN THOUGH YOU AND YOUR ANCESTORS WERE ALL BORN HERE IN AMERICA.
My family, still existing there years later: US CENSUS NOW SAYS YOU’RE MEXICAN. EVEN THOUGH YOU AND YOUR ANCESTORS WERE ALL BORN HERE IN AMERICA.
My family, still existing there years later: US CENSUS NOW SAYS YOU’RE WHITE, BUT US LOCAL WHITE CENSUS TAKERS KNOW BETTER SO WE PUT A SPECIAL EXTRA MARK FOR YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORS, WINK WINK.
My family, still existing there years later: CENSUS SAYS WHITE BUT YOU CAN’T SHOP OR VISIT THAT PART OF TOWN, OR THAT PART, OR THAT STORE, OR THAT SCHOOL. OR BE BURIED IN THAT WHITE CEMETERY.
My family, still existing there years later: US CENSUS NOW SAYS YOU’RE HISPANIC. YOU’RE LEGALLY ALLOWED TO GO ANYWHERE BUT US WHITE LOCALS KNOW BETTER THAN TO LET YOU, WINK WINK.
My family, still existing there years later: ONLINE ACTIVISTS NOW SAY YOU’RE LATINX.
America, today, despite us never having moved from the same spot that has been America for a few hundred years at this point: UR STILL JUST MEXICANS, GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM, THIS IS AMERICA.