What Defines You? Maybe it’s the shade of your skin, the place you grew up, the accent in the words you speak , the make up of your family, the gender you were born with, the intimate relationships you chose to have or your generation? So what makes someone, Native American? Clearly, genes alone dont do it. The government says that you have to have a certain blood quantum to be called a Native American but most Native Americans believe , it does not matter what your blood quantum is. My Great Grandfather taught us, that is not about what runs through your veins it is about what is in your heart. Is it not time to let go of past restrictions placed on First Americans by our government and allow people to walk the red road path with respect and in the best way possible without judging them for who they are or what they are not? Part Indian You are or you are not . Have you ever said to someone I am part Indian. My suggestion is to not say that to any elders. If you do you will end up in the embarrassing place that an old doctor up in Oregon did when he told an Elder that he was, Part Indian.. Legend states ,This old doctor like many people had been raised knowing that he was, Part Indian but did not know much else. It was not until I was grown , that not only did I really understand what being, Part Indian is like being, Partially Pregnant. Either you are or you are not. As the Elder told the old doctor if you are, Part Indian then you should have the part that is Indian cut off and then you wouldnt be Part Indian anymore. See , It is not about what runs through your veins, it is about what you believe and the way you act. It is about honoring our Grandfathers and Grandmothers and keeping their ways of treating others with respect, having a sacred connection to our Creator and a respect for Mother Earth. So consider what you are saying , when you tell someone that you are Part Indian because there are no Part Indians . Okay where do we go from here When I was younger an Elders told me something that, I had a hard time completely understanding. At the time I was caught up in the, How much Indian are you thing. I had to live several years before I figured out what just what it means . Now that I have got to the age of the Elders that taught me , I finally understand that it is not what is in the veins that matters but it is what is in our heart that is important.. We will see great changes in our world , when people begin to accept people for who they are and not for what they are. Physical anthropology and biology says that races are groups of humans based on physical traits that get transmitted by the genes not by blood. Culture is what we do and why we do it along with beliefs that we learn and transmit through social communication. An ethnic group is a group that identifies itself with others because of culture, such as Irish or Germans, or Native Americans. Who we are is defined by the Culture we immerse ourselves in not by what genes that were or were not transmitted. Be who we are not what others say we are . It is what we know not what others say they think we know . It does not matter what we are, the thing that is important is who we are. If we are proud of our Native American heritage and want to embrace the teachings of our Ancestors, then do so and do not let anyone stop us. It is not about what we look like or dont look like it is about what is in our heart. The way we are taught about the teachings of our Ancestors is by our Elders. If we sincerely look for a teacher to help us learn . One will come to us. It happens every time. If you are drawn to Native American teachings , even if , you know that you do not have any Native American Ancestors? Again it is about what is in our heart not what is in our vein. Seek out an Elder ,they will teach you. Cetan
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 16:10:40 +0000
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