RL>I understand.  Native Americans who have always lived within their
RL>respective cultures and who have experienced harships and bigotry
RL>are sometimes less than cordial with Native American descendants who
RL>have always lived outside of the culture.  That's understandable.
RL>Reservation communities are very different than what's on the
RL>outside.  And what has the outside ever done for the Native
RL>American?  Very little.  Most of what the outside has done they have
RL>done TO the Native American.  In the past, white America stole the
RL>land from The People; today, the New Agers are trying to steal the
RL>culture.
RL>On the other hand, there are those whose recent ancestors were
RL>Native American, but have always lived on the outside.  Have they
RL>been cheated?  Should they be treated as if they are invaders?
I've been in that very rut.  I'm only 1/8 Iroquois (I was surprised to
learn it was THAT much really) in my grandmother, it shows a good deal
more, but I look very blond grey-eyed celtic.  She taught me much of our
celtic lore and heritage, and about herbs and such, but she had almost
nothing to share about our Iroquois heritage.  Apparently,
great-grandmother was married to an Iroquois chief named "Shaw" (and
that's ALL I know.  My wife is 1/4 cherokee, and goes to pow-wows now
and again, my kids get more involved than she does.  I danced a few
times (I really like that, I come by it honestly from both cultures) but
of the dancers I felt I had the most to learn from, well... if another
white man treated me like that, he wouldn't be able to dance for a long
time.  I figured there were likely bad feelings about white america
(which even has *me* on the outside looking in) so I understood,
couldn't blame them (although I plead "not guilty" to the crimes) and
left it go.  I feel the loss no doubt.  Grandma taught me much about
nature and the land.  Celts were big on that too, we've a centuries long
family history of healers and wise women and such.  I read this book
from a pow-wow "Mitakuye Oyasin - We Are All Related". I loved it and
wanted to talk about it in great depth.  Unless I talk to myself, I'm
out of luck there.  I get more from my kids (they look more native
american than I).  My son volunteers his Thursday afternoons at our
local Native American Resource Center.  I'm hoping my eldest daughter
will introduce me to this shamanic grandmother she keeps telling me
about.  I think that once they get to know me, I won't seem so very
different at all.  I've embraced the Celt in my blood... now if I can
keep the Iroquois from running away, we're going to own up to each other
yet.  I got long-winded again, sorry.  I'm glad I found this place.  I
feel I need it.
                            -Stormm
 * SLMR 2.1 * To Whom Much Is Given, Much Shall Be Required.
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