[Image description: A view of downtown Seattle, with tall buildings overlooking Mt. Rainier in the distance. Seattle was named later Chief Seattle, who was a Suquamish Tribe and Duwamish Master. Paradigm obtained from Pixabay.com]

Today is Indigenous Peoples Day. A colleague asked me to write and encourage people to not utilize sayings that reference Native American culture ("let's take a pow wow") or allude to Native Americans as enemies ("circumvolve the wagons"). I realized that too our thoughtless usage of phrases, nosotros all probably exercise other things that are disrespectful. I checked in with a few of my friends and colleagues who are Native most things that they wish all of us who are not Native would do or not do. It has led to some eye-opening conversations.

The tips below, in no particular guild, are from Tara Dowd, Inupiaq; Randy Ramos, Colville and Coeur D'Alene; James Lovell, Turtle Mountain Ojibwe; Joey Gray, Métis and Okanagan; Vicki Mudd, nondocumented Cherokee and Blackfoot; and Miriam Zbignew-Angelova, Choctaw, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Sauk/Play tricks, and African-American and Ashkenazi. Sentences in quotation marks are from them. I want to thank my colleagues for their fourth dimension and suggestions for resources. This is conspicuously an area that many of us need to larn more than about and exercise better on, and I'yard grateful for their time and energy.

I know that Native American history and identity are extremely complex and can't be covered in a blog postal service, especially one that is written by a not-Native, but I hope that at the very to the lowest degree, this would be a start for all of u.s. to be more than thoughtful in our interactions with our Native colleagues and customs members.

  1. Empathize that being Native means different things to every person. "To some people, it means being Indian. To some, information technology means being Native. To some it means being American Indian. Native American. Indigenous. Alaskan Native. Offset Nations. Some folks exclusively utilize their tribe's proper name." Hither's an article, for example, about the complexity of the term "Native American" and "American Indian."
  2. Discover out whose land you are on, and laurels it. "Remember that every inch of the US country was acquired illegally so that's the deficit that organizations need to understand as they begin working with tribal people and entities." If you lot don't know whose land you are occupying, here's an awesome map where yous can enter in your city in the US or Canada and it'll tell you, along with links then you can learn more than about the Nations or tribes whose state yous are on.
  3. Never inquire anyone if they're an "enrolled member." There is so much complexity to this question. "Y'all may be 100% eligible and not enrolled." Many people are from multiple tribes. Some people may not take their paperwork for a variety of reasons.
  4. Practise not lightly claim that y'all have Native American heritage. Don't lightly say things similar you take an uncle who was a shaman or your grandmother was a Cherokee princess. "No i is a Cherokee princess. No tribes had that term in the history of Indigenous people so merely end with that not-sense. Forth with this, you lot don't get Native only because your DNA test says you are. Similar only DON'T." Here'due south a thought-provoking article on why and then many people claim to be Cherokee.
  5. Avoid sayings that diminish or disparage Native culture. As mentioned in a higher place, don't say things like "let'south have a pow wow," "lowest person on the totem pole," "as well many chiefs, not enough Indians," "Indian giver," "circumvolve the wagons," etc. These phrases are disrespectful, and we still use them every day. "Spirit animal" is some other one; some colleagues suggest using "Patronus" instead (that'southward a reference from Harry Potter.)
  6. Don't "play Indian." Every bit this commodity states, "While minstrel shows accept long been criticized equally racist, American children are withal socialized intoplaying Columbus Day celebrations, Halloween costumes, and Thanksgiving reenactments stereotype Ethnic Peoples as one big distorted culture. We are relegated to racist stereotypes and cultural caricatures." Avoid treating Native communities and members as logos, mascots, costumes, caricatures, etc.
  7. Be where people are. Go to the reservation and Native customs organizations. Visit your local Native cultural center. Learn well-nigh the culture and history.
  8. Back up Native artists and businesses by buying Native. Buy art, jewelry, clothing, and other items made by Native people and communities. Do non buy "Native" items that are not made my Native Americans and that are just taking advantage of Native civilisation to brand coin; be aware of scams past not-Natives who claim that proceeds from sales are benefiting Natives. These scams are illegal according to the Indian Arts and Crafts Human activity of 1990 and should exist reported.
  9. Invite an elder or tribal leader to do an opening prayer or invocations at large events. This is a way to award and to bring attention to the tribes whose state the effect is taking place on. But do your research starting time so you do it right. And make certain y'all honour people's time, civilisation, and expertise by providing an honorarium to the leader or organization.
  10. Understand that there are over 550 tribal affiliations in the U.s.. They are extremely various and have different languages and cultural community. This is why information technology is important to practice your research. Practise not lump everyone together. A colleague mentioned, for example, being asked to correspond the tribe whose land the organization was trying to award, even though she is not a member of that tribe.
  11. Don't assume that tribal people get money from casinos. As mentioned in this handy simple guide, "Out of more than 560 Federally recognized tribes, only 224 operate gaming facilities. About three-fourths of those tribes reinvest revenue in the community. In 2006, simply 73 tribes distributed straight payments to individual Tribal members."
  12. When disaggregating data, brand sure to include Natives. Even if they are a small-scale percent. "I mean, think nigh it," says a colleague, "They are such a pocket-size percentage of the overall population Because of the injustice done by colonization and ethnic cleansing." It does not help to further minimize people'southward existence by excluding them.
  13. Don't expect every cultural custom volition be explained to you. For case, when you are at a cultural event. As a colleague mentioned, "We don't want to feel similar an showroom and accept to explain everything going on." Also, there might be times when people are required non to talk almost something. If you piece of work with kids, for instance, be sensitive about forcing them to share their culture. "Some things are not meant to be shared."
  14. If you're at an consequence, exist thoughtful and patient effectually time. Events may not commencement or end on fourth dimension. This does not necessarily mean that people can't be punctual. They may just value other things more than highly, such equally creating space to build relationships, or to exist inclusive of anybody's stories.
  15. Exist sensitive during meal times. Food is a significant part of many communities and cultures. A colleague mentioned that in her tribe, elders eat get-go, and those who are able-bodied are expected to get plates for the elders or for mothers with small children. Exist aware when you are at an event and not merely jump directly into the food line.
  16. Don't say costume when referring to native dance outfits and traditional wear. A dancer's outfit is called regalia. Equally mentioned in this commodity on pow wow etiquette: "Often pieces of the regalia are family heirlooms. Regalia is created past the dancer or by a respected family member or friend. The feathers in item are sacred and highly valued and cared for. The beadwork may accept a very long time to complete. Sometimes years have gone into the final completion of a dancer's regalia."
  17. Exercise non assume Native Americans have loftier rates of alcoholism. Actually, as mentioned here, Native Americans have "the highest rate of complete abstinence. When socioeconomic level is accounted for in a comparison group, alcoholism rates are no different for AI/ANs than for other ethnic or racial groups." Adds a colleague, "But alcohol WAS used to obtain illegal signatures for treaties and admission to lands and resources that belonged to tribal people. So peradventure don't invite Natives to do 'business' in a bar without checking in first."
  18. Practice not tokenize people. Equally with other marginalized communities, they'll know if y'all are only trying to look diverse, or to look good for a grant application or something. Spend time edifice bodily relationships, and ensure people and organizations are deservedly compensated.
  19. Ensure the voices of Natives are amplified. We've seen when non-Native journalists are paid to tell stories near Native communities and their struggles. Allow's ensure the people whose stories are being told are the ones telling them. Notwithstanding, nosotros all demand to do our own research and reflections and so our Native colleagues are non always having to educate us. [Update: This is my personal weblog, so my research and writing on this topic is function of my personal learning and reflection. I would never, for case, allow myself to be quoted in another publication or get paid to speak on behalf of Native/Indigenous communities]
  20. Don't bring up the land span theory. Many communities are very sensitive to the theory that Native Americans came over from Asia through the Bering Strait. You can read a couple of articles from Native perspectiveshere and here, simply it may exist best non to bring it upwardly.
  21. Bank check your white privilege. "Native people don't have fourth dimension or the emotional energy to labor through your hang ups around race bug or your identity crisis." Practise your work to understand your own heritage and the privileges that come up with it, and sympathize your family'southward history, including the parts that may be challenging, that may accept involved displacing Natives from their land, for example.
  22. (Update). Apply the present tense. Many of u.s.a. brand the mistake of using the past tense when talking about Native communities, and according to this article, "A staggering 87 percent of references to American Indians in all l states' academic standards portray them in a pre-1900 context." Many kids believe that Native Americans just exist in the past; they have no understanding of current Native cultures and challenges, and we adults often inadvertently contribute to this. As a colleague states, "the apply of simply the by tense contributes to the genocidal narrative that nosotros're anything but withal here."

I know this is a simplistic list that can't perchance cover hundreds of communities and cultures, but I hope it'southward a start. Thank you again to all my colleagues. Delight allow me in the annotate section anything I missed or got wrong, or other things it would exist of import for us all to know.

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