I encourage all you non-Native-American Native Americans out there to send your own message -- let's teach Sen. Brown a lesson about identity. If you'd like to add your picture or story, e-mail it to notanativeamerican@gmail.com
My grandfather ran away from home at age 12 because the kids at school were always calling him a half breed and that made him mad. His wife, my grandmother, fled at the age of 4 with her family from Canada into the US after her tribe (Little Shell Band of the Chippewa-Cree) attacked a fort because they kept being pushed off their latest patch of land. Grandmother was put into a Catholic boarding school. They cut off her hair and punished her for speaking her native language. My grandparents elected not to raise there children in their cultures because "there was no percentage in it." All of us have been robbed of an important piece of our identities by the likes of Scott Brown.
With all due respect to Mr. Brown's office, he may be part Native American and not know it. Children were routinely taken from their families and their native languages forbidden in the 'boarding schools' where they were sent.
In a bit of low-tech gerrymandering, Native American entries on census rolls were routinely changed to "white".
Many Native Americans, in a bid to have access to greater opportunity, routinely "passed" for White if they could, and passed down to their children a shame for their own heritage so as not to be discovered.
There are many reasons for someone to not "look" what your idea of Native American is, because depending on their geographic locales, they did not all "look alike" - physical features vary widely by tribe.
Mr. Brown's ignorance of these facts is acceptable - although if he had access to an education, I fail to see how he does not know. His refusal to understand how unacceptable his behavior has been thus far, is a shame.
My grandfather ran away from home at age 12 because the kids at school were always calling him a half breed and that made him mad. His wife, my grandmother, fled at the age of 4 with her family from Canada into the US after her tribe (Little Shell Band of the Chippewa-Cree) attacked a fort because they kept being pushed off their latest patch of land. Grandmother was put into a Catholic boarding school. They cut off her hair and punished her for speaking her native language. My grandparents elected not to raise there children in their cultures because "there was no percentage in it." All of us have been robbed of an important piece of our identities by the likes of Scott Brown.
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect to Mr. Brown's office, he may be part Native American and not know it. Children were routinely taken from their families and their native languages forbidden in the 'boarding schools' where they were sent.
ReplyDeleteIn a bit of low-tech gerrymandering, Native American entries on census rolls were routinely changed to "white".
Many Native Americans, in a bid to have access to greater opportunity, routinely "passed" for White if they could, and passed down to their children a shame for their own heritage so as not to be discovered.
There are many reasons for someone to not "look" what your idea of Native American is, because depending on their geographic locales, they did not all "look alike" - physical features vary widely by tribe.
Mr. Brown's ignorance of these facts is acceptable - although if he had access to an education, I fail to see how he does not know. His refusal to understand how unacceptable his behavior has been thus far, is a shame.
I linked you to my blog as well. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletehttp://laborspains.blogspot.com/2012/09/new-blog-out-challenging-scott-brown-on.html
Thank you, Labor's Pains! I'm glad you linked your blog -- it has joined my browser's bookmarks. :)
ReplyDelete