-=> John Stormm said this to Ray Ledford <=-
 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?
 JS> I've been in that very rut.  I'm only 1/8 Iroquois (I was surprised to
 JS> learn it was THAT much really) in my grandmother, it shows a good deal
 JS> more, but I look very blond grey-eyed celtic.  She taught me much of
 JS> our celtic lore and heritage, and about herbs and such, but she had
 JS> almost nothing to share about our Iroquois heritage.  Apparently,
 JS> great-grandmother was married to an Iroquois chief named "Shaw" (and
 JS> that's ALL I know.  My wife is 1/4 cherokee, and goes to pow-wows now
 JS> and again, my kids get more involved than she does.  I danced a few
 JS> times (I really like that, I come by it honestly from both cultures)
 JS> but of the dancers I felt I had the most to learn from, well... if
I wish they'd been a little more receptive, and that's the kind of
thing I was talking about.  It the one reason I feel uneasy around
people who are obviously full blooded.  My wife would love to blurt
out that I'm Cherokee, but I won't let her.  She looks and is
Native; I'm just a descendant.  She has lived in her native culture;
I've only read about Cherokee culture.  Anyway, I'm afraid that if
she did blurt it out, that I'd get the cold shoulder, and I
certainly don't want to walk away with bad feelings.  
 JS> another white man treated me like that, he wouldn't be able to dance
 JS> for a long time.  I figured there were likely bad feelings about white
 JS> america (which even has *me* on the outside looking in) so I
 JS> understood, couldn't blame them (although I plead "not guilty" to the
 JS> crimes) and left it go.  I feel the loss no doubt.  Grandma taught me
 JS> much about nature and the land.  Celts were big on that too, we've a
There's some Irish in my background, too, although it's a wee bit
distant -- the mid- to late-1700's.
 JS> centuries long family history of healers and wise women and such.  I
 JS> read this book from a pow-wow "Mitakuye Oyasin - We Are All Related". I
 JS> loved it and wanted to talk about it in great depth.  Unless I talk to
 JS> myself, I'm out of luck there.  I get more from my kids (they look more
 JS> native american than I).  My son volunteers his Thursday afternoons at
My father-in-law has often said that my wife acted more Mexican than
he does. :-)
 JS> our local Native American Resource Center.  I'm hoping my eldest
 JS> daughter will introduce me to this shamanic grandmother she keeps
 JS> telling me about.  I think that once they get to know me, I won't seem
 JS> so very different at all.  I've embraced the Celt in my blood... now if
Give it some time, but don't expect everyone to be welcoming.  Some
ways and feelings die hard.
 JS> I can keep the Iroquois from running away, we're going to own up to
 JS> each other yet.  I got long-winded again, sorry.  I'm glad I found this
 JS> place.  I feel I need it.
I'm glad you found it.  I wish more people would.
... It does not require many words to speak the truth. --Chief Joseph
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