I was raised in southern Oklahoma surrounded by native culture. I grew up hearing stories about the little people and skin walkers. Everyone was family, it didn't matter whether or not you were actually related by blood. Everyone was invited to my aunt's house. My Uncle Albert would barely speak because he knew more Choctaw than he did English but he loved to sing Amazing Grace in Choctaw.
My grandfather, who was from North Carolina, was adopted into the tribe when he was sick with cancer. They performed a ceremony over him and presented him with an eagle feather and a bear claw.
Sage was something that was spoken about almost constantly and we tended to avoid owls and didn't dare to whistle at night. We loved welcoming the various stray dogs that were all around. Nature was sacred and holy and we treated everywhere as if it were a graveyard because you just never knew.
Fry bread was always a delicious treat, especially when made into tacos.
That being said, I used to be embarrassed about it. I felt like I wasn't "Indian enough" because I didn't have a blood quantum or a roll number whereas my cousins did. I was terrified to even identify as native because I was afraid that people would complain that I was somehow stealing or appropriating a culture.
I think that the ancestors wouldn't really care about any of that. I think they would just be happy that I'm not going to allow their culture to be erased. I respect it and I'm happy I was lucky enough to be raised the way I was, even if I didn't necessarily appreciate it or recognize it as a child.
