WHO ARE YOU ?

by Sharon Spirit Woman


Who Are You?

Although most of us are made up of several different
bloods and backgrounds, we tend to identify with or focus on just one
or two. As in my own case. My mother raised me to know I was "German,
Dutch, Scotch-Irish, Danish, English, Black Dutch and Cherokee Indian".
My greatest interest throughout my life has been that of the Black
Dutch and Cherokee part of me. I always believed that was who I was.I
was raised in the mainstream White culture, of course, but when I set
out on my own, I traveled to the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. I
went to the BIA office to seek answers. When I told my ancestral story
of my Great-Great-Grandfather having been adopted by whites, the
Director curtly told me that I would never be considered Cherokee, nor
would any of my descendants! I was horrified and certainly became
depressed. If not Cherokee, then who was I?As
we do, I moved on with my life and after relocating to New England, I
was blessed with the opportunity to be immersed in the Native American
community there. For years I learned at the feet of some very
interesting and wonderful teachers. When we moved to Virginia, I again
was welcomed into a Native Community. I've lived more than half my life
among American Indians, learning their life ways and feeling closer to
God, the Creator, than I ever had before in my childhood. I may not be
able to prove my Native blood to this day, but I have lived the life
and this is where I've felt the most comfortable in my own skin. I'm
now in Oklahoma. Indian Territory. And all the Cherokee people I've met
have been warm and welcoming!

It's important for us to know who we are. Each one of
us serves a purpose and it is up to us to discover what that purpose
is. No matter what blood runs through your veins, no matter what part
of the world you or your ancestors came from, know who you are, and
remember that we are all connected. We share the same water, breathe
the same air, see the same moon and stars and are warmed by the same
sun. And we all live together on this same earth.
Diversity is a wonderful thing. It makes life
interesting. Even the negative aspects of diversity give us pause to
ponder. If we were all alike, life would be boring. We'd have little to
discuss and the ignorant people would have no one to talk about.How
can we hate what we are a part of? How can we be prejudiced toward any
one race of people when our ancestors of different races found each
other and made families from which "we" were created?Whatever
God made you to be, you should be proud to be! And NO ONE has the right
to put you down for the color of your skin, or the traditions you live
with. Be proud of who and what you are!

SCORPIO53XX

Long time without a reply, eh?

My parents were born on agency lands in Oklahoma, but my siblings and I were born on the east coast. I'm Shawnee.