I don’t look like a native. So when I tell people I am Cherokee they act surprised. There were alot of people around me that were negative about it. They would wonder why the culture was important to me if i was “barely” Indian. It was starting to get to me. I thought to myself I am Indian. It was the culture I grew up learning about at home, it inspired my personal style and my outlook on life. When I went into college I changed who I surrounded myself with…people who were positive and liked me for who I was. I started to realize that nobody knew myself better than I did, and in my heart I felt Indian; nobody could take that away from me and no one will. I know my family history and I’m proud of it. I am proud to be a part of a culture and a people that has endured so much. “If you have one drop of Indian blood in you, then you are an Indian.” Cheif Black Elk. 

-Lacey Bowles (Cherokee), age 22, is from Kansas and is passionate about her animals 🙂