An issue that is rarely addressed is understanding how to communicate with ancestors who were colonizers.
If you live on stolen land, your people may have historically appropriated, ravaged, and destroyed Native cultures and practices. People often ask me if these colonizers are good to have as ancestors, and honestly, they are asking someone whose ancestors suffered at the hands of theirs, so to me, the answer is no. I would much rather see you connect to those that were good people. Not ancestors who raped, tortured, murdered, and forcefully stole our lands. Instead, focus on ancestors that are going to help you grow, heal, and find your truth. It’s a little like finding a chosen family who supports you, versus continuing to support a toxic biological family who you cannot trust. We can find the ancestors who best support our work and cut off the ones who perpetuated the violence and traumas of our present day. But also, you can help repair your ancestors’ violence; this is the true nature of reparative work, to heal generations forward from the pains of generations past.
Diaz, Juliet. "Devotional #3: Blood, Roots, and Bones". The Altar Within, 2022.