Hi, so I have a question that I'm hoping Native Americans and or Indigenous people could answer for me or rather, I'd like to hear their thoughts.
To get to my "question", I kinda have to lay down a bit of info. I'm pretty white, and the majority of my family is too. Ever since I was little though, my parents told me and my brother that we have Native American ancestors and how we were a percentage Native. (Let it be known they constantly use the terms Indian for referring to Native American tribes. I grew up in Indiana, my school was the "Indians", I dont think that's their logic behind it or whatever, they tell me "it's cause that what they called it back then", but I continue to correct them when they slip. So I'll also be using the tribe name or Native American terms rather than what they actually said, but I thought it was important to clarify that that's not the terms they used for the most part.) So initially, when I was younger my mother would tell me I had Cherokee on her side of the family, and possible Blackfoot ancestors on my dads side. We had one real piece of proof of that being my great-great-great grandmother was fully blooded Cherokee. And that was sort of it. It's not like we participated in Native events other then going to a couple local pow wows, and being interested in native culture whenever we saw it in person. It's not like we had any traditions passed down that we did or anything, and as much I felt "connected" to Native culture or at least the very little repsented I saw in media and the misuse of Native symbols, that being my school being labeled the Indians and the high school the Arrows etc; I never actually felt like I was or could be a part of the community regardless of what percentage I was.
Cut to 2021, my mother is still avid on claiming Cherokee rather than Caucasian. My parents do have slight Native features, in their bone structure and genetics. They both have very dark hair, like the darkest brown it's ALMOST black ya know? They're tanner than my brother and I, but they also spend way more time outside then us and my mom actually tans almost every day (I've told her the issues with this, she does not seem to feel the same way) But they're still pretty pretty white ya know?
Above all, my mom goes on Ancestry.com to look for relatives and complies work and checks with relatives to see if she's connecting the right people. (I'll at least give her that she works pretty hard on it to make it accurate) and it seems like we actually have more Native's in the family from a lot of different tribes on both sides of my parents family's. This in turn would mean I'm more than 1/16th or whatever I was told when I was younger.
My mom has also had the conversation with her mother, who had apparently been told to keep quiet about the fact we have Native in our bloodline. Saying that the Native ancestors in our family were brought into white family's and were told to take white names and blend in, abandoning everything about their culture because of the government forced them too.
Now my mom goes into these long rants, and she's not always wrong but how she words things and how she chooses to view things..doesn't always sound right. She was also a Trump supporter and for "All Lives Matter" not BLM. So.. one who hasn't lived with her may consider her a Karen, and quite honestly she could fit the title. I do think she means well, but she was also raised as she was, a white cis woman with protestant ideals.
Getting slightly off topic but I feel it's important to note, I'm an Agender, Aro/Ace person with Agnostic ideals who did not support Trump(will never support that man), have worked on being a better supporter and ally to BLM, API, and of course Native and Indgionous Peoples.
Now I'm not trying to claim any title for any reason. I genuinely only want to reconnect with parts of my ancestry and if that means to some or any degree I'm Native, I would be honored to reclaim the title for my ancestors who had to hide theirs. It feels wrong to say "reclaim" cause very honestly I have lived my life as a Caucasian, so to even hint at sounds like I'm forcing it, sort of how my mother is, and that's the last thing I want to do.
After all that, my question is it all right to say I'm a Caucasian with Native ancestry? Would that be the proper way of describing it? I've never actually seen anyone in my "position" If you could even call it that, ask these things. So in 4 am rant I've decided to finally ask what's been on my mind for years. 😅 I hope nothing comes across wrong, and If it does please let me know. I'm not above being wrong or told to be held accountable and I'm not trying to be a part of joining as some trend or finding an "excuse" for anything. I've just always felt drawn to the people and their culture in my family and unfortunately can't ask them their thoughts on it.