I’m working on a reserve in Northern Ontario and this was written on the back of my work vehicle. I was told it could be (Ojibwe/Oji-Cree)

Digawolf is a member of the Tlicho people of the Northwest Territories in Canada. I am part of a related group called the Dehcho, and our langauges are similar.

Navajos and Apaches were the most trafficked and enslaved people in the Southwest. Spaniards, Mexicans, Americans and surrounding tribes all took part in it and it lasted into the early 1900s when it finally ended. Mexico abolished slavery in 1829, however black markets existed where enslaved people were traded for weapons and horses. The United States Congress banned indebted servitude in 1867 to bring an end to the practice. A famous quote comes from the *Conditions of the Indian Tribes* in 1867 from Kirby Benedict, a former Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court: "There are in the Territory a large number of Indians, principally females, who have been taken by force, or stealth, or purchased, who have been among the various wild tribes of New Mexico or those adjoining. Of these a large proportion are Navajos. It is notorious that Natives of this country have sometimes made captives of Navajo women and children when opportunities presented themselves; the custom has long existed here of buying Indian persons, especially women and children; the tribes themselves have carried on this kind of traffic. Destitute orphans are sometimes sold by their remote relations; poor parents also make traffic of their children. The Indian persons obtained in any of the modes mentioned are treated by those who claim to own them as their servants or slaves. They are bought and sold by and between the inhabitants at a price as much as is a horse or ox... the prices have lately ranged very high. A likely girl of not more than 8 years old, healthy and intelligent, would be held at a value of $400, or more." $400 calculated with an inflation calculator equals to a little over $9,000 today. A majority of the Mexican–American War was also fought on Navajo lands. Navajos did not want to intervene or pico any side, however they were known to trade with both sides. Many Navajos on the reservation have stories of Mexican armies battling and hiding from Americans, and vice versa for the Americans battling and hiding from the Mexicans. The places where they fought and hid have Mexican names. The Catholic Churches also practiced slavery, and there are abandoned missions and settlements from the Catholic Churches that are on the Navajo reservation. There are also many abandoned bars and brothels that Americans used. Americans were known to use more than Anglo enlistees. Mexicans and Spaniards also served in the American military. Surrounding tribes also helped Americans by being trackers and showing where strongholds and hidden villages were. Canyon de Chelly, the famous stronghold where many Navajos were captured during the ethnic cleansings during the 1860s, was exposed because of Hopi and Pueblo trackers. Utes were enemies with the Navajos, and they also helped the Americans, however they never knew where the strongholds and hidden villages were. I studied the ethnic cleansings, known as Hwéeldi (The Long Walk) and I have military reports and quotes from soldiers who captured Navajos. The reports contradict a lot history from surrounding tribes who claim the Navajo deserved to be wiped out because they were wild and constantly raiding surrounding tribes. Americans committed the ethnic cleansings because of settlers and surrounding tribes claiming Navajos were enslaving people in the region and raiding their communities. It was actually the other way around, and peace keepers from the White House even traveled to Bosque Redondo where the Navajos were being held captive with Mescalero Apaches to confirm that all the claims were false. American soldiers even noted in their reports that Navajos were not hostile, at all. Some soldiers even attempted to buy Navajo children as slaves to save them from the ethnic cleansings. One military report from 1864, between Steck and Dole, is quoted saying: "I agree with him also as to the bad influence the traffic in Navajo children has had upon that tribe, and that no permanent peace can be had with them as long as this evil is permitted. The Navajos are a powerful tribe, and are noted for their ingenuity and industry... They will not, however, be controlled while their children are stolen, bought, and sold by our people... There is no law of the Territory that legalizes the sale of Indians, yet it is done almost daily, without an effort to stop it—" Ramah and Tohajilee were rumored to practice slavery, however it was never proven. They were labeled as 'Anaa'dine'é (Enemy Navajo) and they were not concidered a part of the Navajo tribe during those times because they helped settlers and surrounding tribes in capturing and enslaving Navajos. James H. Carleton, a soldier who committed the ethnic cleansings during the 1860s, was known to keep many enslaved Navajos as trophies, and he attempted to use enslaved Navajos as a currency in the region. Carleton denied the accusations during his trial. Navajos and Apaches were nearly hunted to extinction, and the entire region helped do it. Americans didn't attempt to do it, but they wanted to keep the peace because it costed a lot of money to fund military campaigns and wars. By 1865, it costed between $1 million and $1.5 million to keep Navajos and Apaches in captivity in Bosque Redondo, and it was all taxpayer money. Keep in mind, the Civil War ended in 1865, and it costed an arm and leg to fund the war.

I say this to people who claim I have no idea what I'm talking about, and to people who try to comment false historical points. I did my research folks. I am more than prepared to prove my points. I knew people would try to sabotage my people's history, and I did everything I could to prove that the history is true. 🤧

I am proud to be Navajo–Diné. 👏

Okay, So I come from a manly Mi'kmaq family [Indigenous First Nations people who have lived in Canada's eastern Atlantic Provinces I E Nova Scotia] but my grandfather [moms side] is ojibwe and my fathers family has some ojibwe [First nations people from Central Canada]. I usally like to joke "Oh yeah im Double native"

I know this is stupid, this is sort of a shitpost but I'm curious as to what other natives from canada or just anywhere think of this made up problem I'm now requesting the answer too

Quick edit: I do know I'm native, I live in a reservation, I have a indian status card, my whole family has status cards of their own. this is more of a joke "haha since I'm both Mi'kmaq and Ojibwe does that mean I'm double native or native X2"

Her great grandmother was sold as a slave to Mexican slave owners. She never been outside of Mexico. She never been to Dinétah (Navajo homelands). She does not know nothing about our culture or diné bizaad (Navajo language). And she does not know because the Mexican government at the time prohibited indigenous people from speaking their language and practicing their cultures, especially those who were sold into slavery.

At the time, I was reporting on Gaza, and my social media account was blocked and banned for talking about Gaza. I lost all my contacts, including her. I never asked her what her name was. I regret not asking her.

Times have indeed changed today. I hope Navajos in Mexico see this and attempt to reconnect or reach out to the Navajo Nation. I hope the Navajo Nation reaches out to Mexico regarding Navajo–Diné people who were stolen during the era of slavery. Our people belong here in Dinétah. They deserve to learn our language and our culture, instead of teaching outsiders our language and culture.

If you are Navajo–Diné in Mexico and you see this, please reach out to me. I would love to interview you and record your history. 🙏

Im not sure if this is the correct place to ask this but long story short, my grandmother lived on a reservation in her childhood, she had a lot of siblings some who raised her and then others that she raised, the information on her mother is shakey at best all i know is her name after her first marriage and her age at the time, my grandmother got adopted by her teacher a little later around 10 i believe, shes still in contact with her bio siblings but they were all so young and dont remember much either. She wants to know if she has more family and siblings. She didnt have a great relationship with her mother and didnt know her father but after being adopted she said she struggled being raised by white parents, by 12 they had moved to south Carolina now my grandmother is in her late 80s and can hardly remember much at all let alone any details. I dont know if anything would come of this but ive wanted to look into it, we believe my grandfather (her husband) looked into it before but he wouldn’t tell us or her anything and now hes so far in age he probably wouldnt know what i was even asking of him. Essentially any information on how to go about searching around the carolinas is appreciated

People aren't understanding what im saying at all because I wrote this poorly so im just erasing it to prevent someone using my poor wording to justify their own narrative by twisting my words further than they already have been. Anyway main point was, stop racially profiling and policing who is or isnt indigenous when you dont know them. Its very harmful, excludes mixed indigenous people and its weird to put fully indigenous people on a pedestal for somehow being more "pure" it just feels fetishy and wrong. This creator was specifically deleting comments of other indigenous people telling them why this line of thinking was wrong and they were not only singling out random people posting selfies but also people who took event photos in regalia just because they are light skinned. Its very counter-intuitive to be making these kind of assumptions when being indigenous is about knowing your culture, having community and it takes some sort of blood connection. That's it. If the video was actually using images of people who were intentionally pretending to be indigenous with proof I wouldn't be pissed but its unfortunately not the case. People often forget you can be white in looks and still have different blood. We need to stop this line of thinking from getting worse because it is so self destructive and makes indigenous youth feel more isolated than they already are for being a more mixed generation thst the last. This applies to all indigenous communities and has been a reoccurring thing I've noticed over the years and experienced.

I ask in one post about asking if the Cherokee and Choctaw have an equivalent to Dia de Los Muertos or Samhain, I got yelled at for mentioning Samhain. So it got me thinking.

Why do I worship the Greek/Roman Names for my Gods if my Gods have names for my Culture?

But I don’t know where to start since I have never been to the reservation of my father’s father and mother (Choctaw) and my mother and grandmother has Cherokee but no enrolment, so I claim both, I am estranged from my father so that something.

TL;DR:
Is there any Southeast Native Americans in this subreddit or any advice? :)

Please don’t make fun of me

Made my favorite show into pixel art that I can make on a bead loom because 90% of the time I’m watching south park while beading anyway lol. So might as well combine them

Others can use this if you want but credit would be nice!

Emily Kam Kngwarray à Lens: les leçons très actuelles d’une grande dame de l’art aborigène sur l’interconnexion du vivant
https://www.letemps.ch/culture/arts/emily-kam-kngwarray-a-lens-les-lecons-tres-actuelles-d-une-grande-dame-de-l-art-aborigene-sur-l-interconnexion-du-vivant

Hello!

(And I’m so sorry this is my first post here feel free to ignore me and delete this if it’s not the right place)

My name is E and I am 29.

I recently found out that my father isn’t my father and I thought I was just Hispanic but it turns out I’m largely indigenous as well (like largely not some .3% ancestry thing).

I want to connect with and explore this part of myself but what does that mean? Am I allowed to do so as a person who didn’t know this until adulthood?

I guess I’m also asking if anyone is willing to talk to me about it at all too.

Hello!

(And I’m so sorry this is my first post here feel free to ignore me and delete this if it’s not the right place)

My name is E and I am 29.

I recently found out that my father isn’t my father and I thought I was just Hispanic but it turns out I’m largely indigenous as well (like largely not some .3% ancestry thing).

I want to connect with and explore this part of myself but what does that mean? Am I allowed to do so as a person who didn’t know this until adulthood? And how do I explore that part of myself while still respecting people who DID grow up this way?

I guess I’m also asking if anyone is willing to talk to me about it at all too.

No one is under any obligation to educate for me I’m very aware of that so please don’t hesitate to ignore this entirely!

It’s been a weird week for me.

-E

Hello, I never really posted on reddit before but Im frustrated at deloitte.

I've been waiting over 90 days for my first payment, which is crazy because I was one of the first to apply for it. The first 2 weeks it was out I applied. Then they took forever to tell me I had missing information. So I got that all done, then they kept asking over and over the same questions, I told the the same answers, they never changed. Now I get my compensation letter and its been over 90 days. Mind you I have direct deposit. And I just phoned in today and they said the administrator still didnt process it.

I am extremely mad and done. They are unprofessional and im on hold over 2 hours everytime I call them. Just today she answered after 20 minutes and told me the same thing they been saying for weeks. I've been calling every week for a month and nothing.

I got my ancestry test results today, and I was pleasantly surprised by my percentage. I know there are people with a higher percentage, but that doesn’t make mine any less meaningful to me. I really hate that claiming Taíno heritage has always been such a taboo in the eyes of the USA. We’re constantly told that our blood is too “diluted” to claim it. We’re told we can’t call ourselves Indigenous, but from my perspective, it feels like we’ve been robbed of that recognition in the first place.

I was born and raised on the island. I grew up climbing trees to pick fruit, surrounded by the sounds of the coquí singing at night. That connection to the land and to the people who came before us doesn’t disappear just because someone says our blood isn’t “pure” enough.

I wish more of our ancestors had been preserved, more of the language, the culture and artifacts and anything else. It’s a weird sort of sadness to grieve something you’ve never had. Now more and more of our land is being destroyed to construct tourist sites and soon the next generations won’t even have that. I just hope people can recognize that we’re still here. 🇵🇷 🐸

I know this might not be the place but I found this old screenshot when I was messing around with RDR2's clothing mods and decided to make something that was currently my hyperfixation.

I wanted to share it because (in my opinion) I made it as accurate as possible and I think its cool! This one specifically is sided with the American Army, though he is an Irregular troop, is wearing a blue neckband to better identify himself!

The second one is intended to be a similar-era Navajo scout, based off a few images I found in old books. He's wildly more irregular than the prior, and wasn't actually meant to be affiliated with the American Army.

This video from Bëni Xidza explores the grammatical structure of the Zapotec language, specifically focusing on the absence of articles. Here is a breakdown of the key concepts discussed:

* No Articles: Unlike Spanish, Zapotec language does not use definite articles like "el," "la," "los," or "las".

* Context as a Substitute: The speaker explains that Zapotec relies on context and specific pronouns/indicatives (such as lei or leiki) to identify objects or people. For example, instead of saying "the table," you simply say "table," and the surrounding conversation makes it clear which object is being discussed.

* Influence of Spanish: The speaker notes that the use of "one" (tu) as an indefinite article is likely a modern development resulting from contact with the Spanish language, as this feature was not part of original Zapotec grammar.

* Counting Objects: When referring to things that can be counted, numbers are used instead of articles, a practice that the speaker clarifies is distinct from the functional use of articles in languages like Spanish.

Video Overview:

This Zapotec grammar lesson explains why grammatical articles do not exist in Zapotec and how modern usage has evolved under the influence of Spanish.

Key Points:

* Absence of Articles:

* Unlike Spanish or English, Zapotec language does not have grammatical articles equivalent to el, la, los, las, or a/an.

* In standard speech, speakers directly state the noun without an accompanying article.

* Role of Pronouns and Indicators (lei / leiky):

* Words like lei serve as pronouns or context-based indicators rather than articles.

* For example, using buta lei conveys "move it" (or "move the table") when the reference is already clear within the context of the Zapotec conversation.

* Spanish Influence on Indefinite Expressions:

* Historically, Zapotec phrasing expressed actions and items directly without numbers, such as gudagu wi ("ate orange").

* Due to Spanish influence, modern speakers often insert the number "one" (tu) before a noun, such as gudagu tu wi ("ate an orange"), to mirror Spanish indefinite articles.

* Otherwise, numbers in Zapotec language are strictly intended for counting discrete items rather than serving as articles.

Inuit associations in Nunavut received 3.1 per cent of the extracted value from mines in the territory between 2021 and 2025, according to an analysis by economist Erin Weir.

Before I start I want to say I’m Cree and the third generation, this post is to see if anyone else has a similar experience and if anyone can answer some of my questions. You can just skip to the questions if you don’t want read all the text.

For context:
I grew up mostly white or whitewashed same with my cousin ( I have a cousin who also Cree from her moms side) I don’t know much about my dad’s family since one he never talks about it and 2nd he was adopted by my Kokum. (For context my Kokum was related to my dads real mother)
I feel like I have no connection to my history/culture which Is sad in a sense because I want to. The only connection I have or had was my Kokum teaching me her bannock recipe, her muttering random Cree words, my cousins experiences, my dad inhering and earning feathers, blankets, etc. and some little information about my dads bio family and lastly my dad doing his best to try and introduce me into it as a kid.

My dad hasn’t tooken me to get my status card which is reasonable because it’s a 7 hour drive and the only family we have up there is my auntie and my Kokum’s twin. And although this may seem irrelevant it can help a bit with my education and etc.

This part is a rant
I know this many sound odd to say but I was talking to someone else about this and they were saying that they don’t really consider someone Native unless they have there status card and that’s aways stuck in my head from some reason. Something in my head aways thinks If I’m even considered really Native/cree since I never grew up that way.

Questions:

For job applications should I put First Nations or would that be wrong? I’m asking because some jobs require a certain amount of First Nations and it makes it easier for me to get hired.

I want to learn my culture better but not sure how to do that. One day I’m just gonna sit with my father and see if he can provide me with more info

If Anyone else is the third generation did you have issues getting your status card? Because I’ve heard different things, some people say the cut off is the 2nd generation and some say it’s the 3rd.

So hi, a little background is I’m a non-native with a white mom and Native American (adopted) dad, I’ve never met my paternal birth family and was raised by my parents since I was an infant. Bc of the circumstances, I look at myself more so as an adoptee and awhile ago I did post this on r/adoption but they said it would be better posted here.

The trouble i’m having is this: I look a lot like my father even though he isn’t biologically my parent bc I’m mixed race, and that means people often assume I’m indigenous due to my attire (I have a huge earring collection), which I’m flattered by and feel lucky for. However, even though I was raised in my family’s culture and have been to powwows, fish fries, the rez, my indigenous family’s homes, and also speak our language, I know ethnically I’m not indigenous. When people assume I am it makes me feel like a pretendian and I then end up telling them well technically I’m adopted but I was raised in that culture. I hate telling strangers my business but I feel guilty when people assume, like I’m pretending to be someone I’m not and I’m not sure if this is something I should continue doing or if I should just let them think whatever.

My family thinks I shouldn’t tell people this and don’t owe anyone anything, and I usually end up feeling bad either way. Any input helps, I’m just looking for perspective, and please lmk if this is not the right space for this. Thanks!