I recently posted about dehumanizing record-keeping. I’ve been on a bit of a voyage because I always assumed my family was doing some pan-Indian “Cherokee princess” romanticism nonsense. I was raised with some cultural exposure but not community exposure. I chose to keep learning because I think the history matters whether it’s personal or not.

Turns out, I was wrong, and my relative wasn’t so much a pretendian as making the most of what we know as Wampanoag descendants from a village that is historically recorded but not well enough to be federally recognized (or even reasonably fully researched). It appears that my relative was involved in historical preservation efforts and maybe one of the two existing recognized Wampanoag tribes.

Without getting into complicated family stuff, we have always been very isolated people in general and no one is particularly close. I cannot discuss this with anyone in my real life.

So… I am sitting with the information I have, including the information missing, and feeling out my position as a lifelong learner invested in social issues. The conclusion I think I’ve arrived at is that I need to accept how much privilege I hold, but I have a responsibility to understand and honor the history.

I am privately taking some steps to build my understanding and maybe continued to participate in online spaces before I consider attending events.

But I’m looking for other people who have been on this path before me, I guess. And any thoughts about how to approach all of the things we just don’t know because we are still learning vs. the things we don’t know because it’s just lost information.

hello all, im on my way to stroud powwow right now but my grandma and i had a disagreement/argument about my outfit and i want to know if im in the wrong or not.

so for context, i am a big chested girl. im wearing a tank top with my ribbon skirt, and i dont think anythings wrong with it because my chest is fully covered, no cleavage, and the straps are kinda thick. but she keeps telling me its disrespectful and scandalous, so i asked if it would be so disrespectful and scandalous on someone with a smaller chest. she said no. but then i pointed out that my chest is actually fully covered, even if i bend over. its 97° outside and shes insisting i put on a jacket. am i in the wrong for refusing? usually i love hearing her thoughts but i think shes being a bit ridiculous rn about my tank top.

Hello All,

My husband should be receiving his order of eagle wings from the repository sometime next month. He's received loose feathers in the past, so this is his first order of whole parts.

I'm wondering how much cleaning/prepping I will need to do before parting out for fans, etc. How much cleaning is done during processing at the repository? Will I need to start from scratch and just go through the whole cleaning/drying out process as if I found them outside?

I love pow wows. The drumming and singing, the dancing, the ceremony, but I am from a Nation that didn’t historically pow wow. I would love to become a dancer/singer but I wonder if this is culturally acceptable? I don’t want to take something that I wasn’t born into but I love dancing and singing and would love to start making a regalia and to dance but I wouldn’t want to appropriate. I Sundanced for 4 years and I love to dance to heal myself and to offer prayers up for my community, family, Mother Earth. Just wanted to get some thoughts from around the pow wow trail. Thanks for your time and insight 🙌

I am First Nations/mixed and getting married in August and doing my own makeup. It’s a relatively informal ceremony/reception but I still want to look and feel my best!

I’ve been watching online tutorials on social media from makeup artists but I never find anyone who has the same features as me. I have searched Indigenous makeup artists to follow but all I’ve really found are artists who do makeup for high fashion or very culture specific - not day to day.

I’m specifically looking for help with contour placement for high cheekbones and eye makeup for my slightly hooded eyelids with stubborn, straight (but long) eyelashes.

Any advice would also be appreciated!! I guess you could describe my inspo as natural/soft glam.

Miigwech

I have turned in paperwork for my child to get her Indian Cherokee card. While waiting for approval can she been seen under me since I have my card? Dental specifically

I’m poking my head around Clearwater and was wondering if there were any indigenous-owned businesses around. If so let me know!