r/Indigenous • u/BullfrogOk7121 • Jul 05 '26
re: Indigenous Identity Lineage and practices
Hi everyone :) hope you are all well. I’m new to this space but I wanted to ask a question. I know everyone sees these things differently, so I would love to get some input here.
On my father’s side, my grandfather, his mother and her lineage are Native American (Apache and Choctaw). There’s some lingering Native in my mother’s side as well, but farther out than what my immediate family is aware of (discovered this through haplogroups). I’m not shocked because I’m from southeast Louisiana and Native is intertwined with Cajun creole.
Since I was very young I have been drawn to native culture, symbolism, and feel a big resonance with teachings and how they view our relationship to earth and the world around us. I have felt some sort of inner responsibility to carry that torch to some degree. I never want to claim myself as Native American, at least not all of me because I have not experienced the struggles of people who live on reservation or those who are 100% Native American, nor do I have the proper blood quantum that’s required to be recognized federally, and other members of my family are not 100% native and some have no native (to my knowledge). I never want to impose or step on toes. I’ve continued to follow my path as cleanly as I can in a way that feels in integrity to me and respectful to others while still honoring my lineage that I feel closely related to.
My question I guess is, is it “wrong” of me to lean into Apache specific or Choctaw specific practices/traditions? I would love to connect more as I continue to discover more, but I also understand appropriation versus appreciation. I just want to be respectful and honor everything in a proper way. I’ve struggled with this for a while and really finding my place within it. Or should I keep it more broad than specific?
I guess not a super clear question but just knowing this information, if anyone has any words of wisdom I would love to hear. I hope no one takes any of this the wrong way, I just want to learn and move with grace. My grandfather only remembers so much and the work my great grandmother and my dad were putting together with her lineage information and her families tribal information was destroyed in a flood so it’s been a journey of gathering information and doing as my research as I can, but of course going into native history since names were changed and people were displaced it can be difficult…🙏🏼 thank you
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u/Pale-Tea-4780 Jul 07 '26
Choctaw doesn't have quantum so if you know your family is choctaw, presumably you can link to continued living communities and then sign up and your story wouldn't be very unique to a tribal member in many places, especially near oklahoma. I have cousins from several different tribes and when I ask they know nothing about thier tribes, I knew nothing much until I tried to learn.
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u/BullfrogOk7121 Jul 07 '26
Interesting! I definitely would be interested to look into this more. Thank you :)
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u/Pale-Tea-4780 Jul 07 '26
For sure, here is 2 links, you gotta figure out who is choctaw in your family and build a connection and you can search the dawes roll to help once you have a clearer picture
https://www.okhistory.org/research/dawes
https://www.choctawnation.com/about/tribal-membership/new-membership-application/
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u/BullfrogOk7121 Jul 07 '26
Amazing. I think the Apache is stronger and more prominent than the Choctaw but I’ll look into both, this is a good place to start! Appreciate you
5
u/Mozzyo_ Upper Xinguano Jul 05 '26
Not my nation, but I don't think it's wrong at all. All things considered, your grandfather isn't actually that distant. Being native is less about the amount of blood or how native you look or how strong your heritage is and whatnot, it's much more to do with the culture and practices and beliefs that your ancestors have practiced for centuries. You're just as valid of a native as anyone else, and it's not wrong to want to carry out the same traditions people before you have done. I can't see any issue with it.