I’m sooooo sad……… Shane called me tonight. Said he went up for pipe & drum today. Waiting outside of the meeting area were 3 of the other native brothers. They were against him coming inside and joining them. They claim that he is not native because he does not have his papers. (He doesn’t look native either-beautiful blond hair and blue eyes.) One of the guys eve challenged him to a fight over it, but when Shane stood up for himself and accepted his challenge, the guy said “You’re really willing to fight over this?” Shane told him that it was not about fighting, that it was about standing up for himself, what he believes and the way he was raised. If that was the way he wanted to settle it, than fine. (The guy backed down at this) But Shane thought it would be better if everyone went inside and put it to a vote.

So everyone went inside and they talked it over. Then they voted and 4 (of 12) of the other brothers were against him staying. Then the spiritual advisor & their elder showed up and they talked it over some more. They voted again and it was the same. Shane said fine-that he did not want to stay if there were going to be any negative feelings against him. He thanked all of the brothers who did vote for him, shook hands with the advisor (who he is close friends with) and left.

When he called, I could tell this had ripped him up inside. This is not the first time he has had his native heritage challenged. His dad does not have paperwork either-said it is meaning less, that being native is in your heart & your mind. Shane has not been close to his family for a long time so it is hard to ask for help getting the papers. We are not even sure if any of the uncles have them.

I feel so sad for him, he was doing so good now that he was in a place where he could sweat again (last prison did not have a sweat lodge yet). I can feel the difference in his personality when he is doing it-he has a clearer head and he is just much happier. I don’t know how this is going to affect him. He is going through a drug treatment class right now that was actually helping him change some of his ways of thinking. I fear that this is going to be a big setback for him. Just when things were starting to go good for us………..

Guess I’m just looking for some wisdom on this. I don’t know what to say, how to help him.

I just wonder what prison he is on?

red phoenixx, my husband has had a similar experience. the prison he is in had a circle of about 14, i think. all have left except for 2! the one that was chosen as leader has not accepted any "new" ones, claiming they are ignorant of the culture, my husband agrued that they should take these new ones and teach them the culture, but was opposed...now the whole circle is falling apart..no one comes to the ceremonies anymore. it's very sad, my husband and the others are upset , but have decided to just worship on their own..i do not pretend to know the culture, this is my husbands and i am just learning. my husband does not have papers either, but he was accepted. maybe some will teach...

Lucidity--- He is in Wisconsin. I feel sorry for him. He knows alot of the culture. While growing up they lived near a reservation and he learned alot from them as well as his father. I know he would benefit greatly from being a part of their group. He has been the pipekeeper for the group as well as the person tending the fire outside the sweat lodge. I don't understand why he is shut out just because he is not Indian "enough" for them. :confused:

Red
I had trouble with paperwork as well, my husbands grandmother was Cree Indian, and his grandfather cherokee. It took me ages, and alot of research, and it was hard work, but I traced alot of stuff back in his family tree, and got old records, etc. They finally accepted him in the cherokee nation, that he got to live on the reservation there. He was always bought up with the native american ways.
I registered my son as well, he is blonde hair blue eyed actually, but its in his blood, and they accepted him, gave him a name and everything. They called him there "White Eagle". I am Australian, and because of his heritage, and my kids, they accepted me as well, not to register, but treated me with upmost respect. It was a long road, and alot of phone calls, and a bit of money, but I am so glad today that I did it. He was put in prison in Australia, and because if his heritage, was accepted in the Aboriginal Spiritual Centre, as there beliefs are based around the same. His mother also is half blackfoot Indian, but it was harder to trace that bloodline, the cherokee as the easiest to trace.
I hope he can one day get his paperwork, and get accepted amongst the people. The faith that he must hold would be tremendous, and it would help in his healing.
Good Luck, and if you want any info on geneology and tracking your native american relatives, just let me know. I was lucky, as my husbands last name was all over the cherokee books, as his great great grandfather was a bootlegger in the cherokee nation, and had a heap of criminal activity, so he was VERY easy to trace.
I wish you the best of luck.

How can I go about helping my husband obtain his papers? He is Ojibwa and he was adopted (not legally, but bears his name from birth) by his father (his biological mother's husband) so his mother knows SOMETHING of who his real dad was--but she's not talking. All we know is all I've said. Are there geneology charts for this?

Daviewmaster
There are geneology charts that you can do, I started doing one myself, to trace my husbands cherokee roots. It takes alot of research, and contacting alot of people, but it certainly can be done.
He will have to start with getting the name of his father, if his mother isnt willing to help, you can go and get the adoption records, where they do give out names, if it was prior to 1990. After that, I believe the records are harder to get a hold of. Good Luck.

In the wisconsin prisons looks matter a lot when a person cant prove their bloodline and the brothers "think" he hasnt proven himself to them by his actions either. Rough and heartbreaking but even on the rez's even enrolled the fair haired and blue eyed people have a rough time.

I know how he must feel although my 2 kids are 1/2 Paiute my Son looks it but my daughter is very fair but we live on the reservation and alot of people know they are and they both hold land assignments and are enrolled. But on the other hand I do understand the other point there are alot of people who use this. And make a Bad feeling But pray for those with a closed mind you are right it is in your heart that matters Grandfather knows this tell him dont let it stop him from his beleifs and way of practices his medicine! One thing I could suggest weather his other family is enrolled or not if he can trace even 1 ancestor back to his tribe, and any elders knowing this he probably could get Papers even if it's just a acknowledgment from the tribal council. It would be to his benefit to do this rather simple act because he could access alot of Native American Benefits like Schools Trade Schools etc Etc. My prayers are with him some can be less receptive to others hearts and souls and spirits Tell him Good Luck!

Many Nations throughout time enriched Our People by valuing and adopting into their lives, families and clans those of differing race but good heart.

It's always struck me as telling when those who practice 'traditional' ceremony and who embrace their 'traditional' culture also choose to ignore a traditional path of inclusion vs exclusion...it often seems an act of frustration, ignorance, anger or ego rather than a sincere attempt to maintain an intact culture or spirituality.

It also reeks of irony that some choose to 'resist' the influence of the dominant race in this land through embracing their very system of "blood quantums" and standards of "Indian-ness".

Try to empathize, I know it's tough when people behave seemingly against reason, but some Indian People are (for good reason) simply tired and bitter and cold to all viewed as outsiders.

Some, in despair and bitterness, have closed all avenues of communication and have abandoned any real attempt at healing the Sacred Hoop...which in a way turns them against themselves, doesn't it?

While others, I suspect, are suffering from your all too common case of power-trippin'...well-known to all cultures...unfortunately.

I can see it from both sides. On the one hand, having had my heritage challenged before, I know it stings. I have dark hair, but it has a reddish cast to it, my skin is pale when I don't get out in the sun much, and I have freckles, but I'm Cherokee, and I finally have my papers to prove it (and did it take a lot of research and digging to find the names of my Cherokee great-grandmother and great-grandfather, my grandmother knew all along but wouldn't tell me because she wants to pretend she's white :mad: )

I know a lot of tribes did take in people of other races and treat them as their own. The Cherokee, my tribe, were well-known for that. In fact, so well known that my great-uncle (who I didn't even know existed until a few months ago!) tells me that you can be "full blood" Cherokee but be born with red hair (as his father was)! And as Talis mentioned, the % of native versus % of other race is not traditional. It used to be your heart, your soul, your world view. Now it is all about your bloodlines, and that was not how it used to be at all. My great-great-great-great grandfather was white but he was adopted into the tribe and is always referred to as Cherokee even though he was white. So this whole thing of going by looks or blood percentages isn't the traditional way.

But, on the other hand, I can see how hard it is because our culture is being exploited today because it's "cool" to be native. Back when my mother was in school, it was definitely not considered cool to be native (and, really, that is why my grandmother has a complex). I swear, nearly everyone where I live claims to be "part Cherokee," usually because they say they had a grandmother or great-grandmother who was a "Cherokee princess" (which is a bunch of hooey). And some people try to give themselves "Cherokee names" around here (I always laugh when one of them gives themselves a "bear" name, if only they knew...) and try to pretend to be experts about Cherokee customs and stuff, and they don't know jack squat and are just making things up. Someone tried to tell me that the Sun Dance and the Ghost Dance (wounded knee variety) were both Cherokee customs, and they knew this because they were a traditional Cherokee shaman. :eek: :angry: I get tired of exploitation and misinformation.

I have a friend who is Lakota, and she puts it this way: "Everything we have was taken away from us except our traditions. Our land is gone. Our language is fading. Our way of life is in the dust. Our society is crumbling. All we have left is our traditions, and they won't take those from me." I think for a lot of us, all that is left are the traditions, and we don't want those taken away from us, too. I admit that I am sometimes guilty of this way of thought.