• tiktok

Dear Auntie Manda, I have recently started to seriously try to reconnect with my Choctaw culture. My Great-great Grandpa, was an enrolled member of Choctaw Nation. He was orphaned as a child and enrolled in 1903, signing the Dawes Roll and moving to Oklahoma. For some reason, his children we not enrolled, which meant neither was my Nana or my father. My mom is full white and my dad is mixed, which makes me look very ambiguous to people because of my lighter skin and freckles. I’m afraid of overstepping by reconnecting since I’ve been socialized as a white person. I’ve started learning Choctaw and Tribal history, but I’m afraid to openly claim my heritage as a part of my identity for fear of backlash, not just from people who don’t know me, but from people that do. A few times, I’ve had friends and even family ask me, “Why is this so important to you? Why now?” I can’t put it into words, but I’ve always felt so lost and have had no cultural connection to anything growing up. I don’t want to feel disconnected anymore. Also, another thing that complicates my existence is the fact that I’m transgender. Perhaps, this is another reason why I feel lost. Not only do I want to feel like a whole woman, I want to feel like a whole person. Anyway, do you have any advice?

I am white, but I live in an area that is between 3 different tribes on the PNW coast. I’m a teacher, and more than half my students are Native Americans. I love my tribal kids, they are the joy in my teaching hours. They bring such life and joy and happiness to school with them, always curious, always respectful, always ready to have fun and learn something new. Sadly, I’ve known several Native American parents and a child who died. I just learned about ribbon skirts, and I was wondering if it would be wrong for me to wear one in remembrance of them. I sew, and would really enjoy making a ribbon skirt – but I don’t know if that would offend my students, their parents, or their tribes.

Menu