An Ode to Natives
honoring and legacies
What makes us natives?
As I was searching deeper into my lineage, I was excited to order the DNA kit from www.Ancestry.com
It's inspiring when we’re on our path to soul-searching, we automatically start searching in our past for me. The journey began the moment I had my awakening.
I began researching my lineage and encountered a few obstacles, as records were scarce and hard to find. Luckily, we have crazy aunts that we love who remind us of stories from our past, such as my grandmother's father, who was a cranberry harvester. Before that, his father was a whaler and caught whales off the coast of New Bedford.
A rough line of Portuguese men learning more about my heritage also meant exploring all the branches of my genealogical tree, including my grandfather, who is family. I traced back to Plymouth, and whispers of interracial marriages were taboo back then, so much so that someone would change the spellings of their name to avoid getting taunted in school. Learning more about things connected to Native Americans has always been an interest of mine.
Loving the heritage means acknowledging the traumas that were inflicted on such a beautiful culture.
It’s not just the beautiful eagle feathers. It’s not just the array of beads and shells that make up this artwork, but also the nature and how it naturally dances between worlds, spirit, soul, and earth matter. You pause and realize it is all intertwined as a beautiful canvas of expression and culture, encompassing music, food, dance, and practices, both sacred in nature.
There has been a deep calling within me since childhood, as I got lost along the Salty Cape Cod Coast, looking for the best seashells. Role-playing and pretending I was a mermaid, lost, waiting to go back out to the sea.
Childlike wonder activates when you think about your heritage. Sometimes, it’s challenging to acknowledge the traumas, but to heal the past, we must honor the cries of the wounded. How do we make this right?
So rather than letting history repeat itself, we can acknowledge the hurt, make peace, and move forward by leading with compassion and empathy. You can’t have healthy relationships with toxic people or family, I say go full soft.
Feel it all, Forgive, cry, and maybe even yell! Take a moment to remember that healing is not a linear process.
It’s messy, tragic, and sometimes it’s beautiful, and it can be!
What are some traditions from your heritage that you've picked up?
One story I read is about the five tribes that were waging war on each other, which came and stood beneath the white pine, burying all their weapons and placing five stones, signifying peace.
Can we get there?
Is that possible?
Have we gone past the point of no return?
Let’s be honest with ourselves!
How much more bloodshed does there need to be?
May we continue to honor our heritages, whatever they may be, and move forward with positive change for the future.
https://www.eastham-ma.gov/468/Nauset-Indians
https://www.onondaganation.org/culture/wampum/hiawatha-belt/
Enjoy my Essay from school this week
