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Looking at my Ancestry.com info it says that I have the deepest root in Northern Coahuila and San Antonio. The earliest tribe I found from SA is the Payaya but I am trying to find out which of the later tribes (Apache, Tonkawa, Comanche etc.) I am?

Identity and knowing who we are is one of the most important journeys we can walk. I applaud you for taking this path. With the information you’ve gathered from Ancestry.com, you’re off to a great start. Your next steps are going to take some digging. If you feel comfortable, start…
Answered by Auntie Manda
Topics: Culture and Language, Identity, Spirituality

I’m mostly white but there is Wampanoag on my mom’s side. Is it wrong to seek community with Natives? Other whites have said Natives don’t want me around. Is this true? My spirit has always been with nature. I have nothing but respect for Native people.

Identity and knowing who we are is one of the most important journeys we can walk. I encourage you to explore your identity. This is a great start. There are many ways you can do this, and yet there is no right or wrong way. If you feel comfortable, reach…
Answered by Auntie Manda
Topics: Culture and Language, Identity, Spirituality

I work at a homeless shelter and would like to start drumming with our indigenous women but I feel like I don’t know enough about my culture to teach them. Any tips?

Hi Jasmine, It takes a lot of courage to reconnect to yourself and share that with others. I’m proud of you. We know that music-making, especially when doing it with others can have an incredibly positive impact on one’s physical, spiritual health, and mental health. And, it can greatly impact…
Answered by Auntie Manda
Topics: Culture and Language, Identity, Spirituality

I’ve been having this repeated dream about a mountain lion which attacks me by a river but I fight it off the it turns into a wolf and it almost drowns but I save it. What does this mean!

I’ve been having this repeated dream about a mountain lion which attacks me by a river but I fight it off the it turns into a wolf and it almost drowns but I save it. What does this mean! Hi Montrey! Dreams are such a fascinating story to tap into.…
Answered by Auntie Manda
Topics: Culture and Language, Identity, Spirituality

In the last 6 months I have had a bird of prey known as a "Prairie Falcoln" swooping down over my car. Last March, while sitting in my car at work, one actually landed on the roof of my car and looked at me! What does it mean?

Hello Steven, This is an interesting question. There can be many interpretations of seeing birds of prey or having them show up in your environment. Hawks are birds of prey and many Native American traditions use hawk feathers in their regalia and in ceremony’s. Hawks scan their environment from high…
Answered by Auntie Manda
Topics: Culture and Language, Identity, Spirituality

I grew up in an urban city in Oklahoma. I want to move back to my ancestral lands, but I’m scared of not being accepted by my relations back home. How do I confront this fear?

Thanks for writing in. I find your journey incredibly brave and exciting! It seems like you have a strong idea or expectation of what will happen if you move home. Take time to think about what is it exactly that you want. What are you hoping to gain from moving…
Answered by Auntie Manda
Topics: Culture and Language, Identity, Intolerance, Mental Health, Non-Native Allies, Spirituality

Hi my name is jessica very rarely do i have dreams of being a animal i have been a hawk a bear and a black wolf i would like too know what this means

Hi Jessica! This is a great question to ask your elders or someone from your tribe. Every tribe has different associations with animals, so what may mean one thing to me may mean something completely different to you based on our tribes. For example, in my tribe owls are considered…
Answered by Auntie Manda
Topics: Culture and Language, Identity, Spirituality
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