What it was like growing up Native American and mixed race

[@EllieDashwood]

Shop Brooklinen's Linen Sale and save 25% by clicking my link here bit.ly/BrooklinenEllie. (*If you are watching this video after 9/27, you can still get a discount by using my code EllieDashie for $20 off your orders over $100.)

[@sacgeekgirl]

Once I got tf outta there and moved to the city I found more of "my ppl", other light skinned Hispanics who shared the same mixed heritage, lifestyles, and interests. I still see A LOT OF culture shaming and most of it comes from MY OWN MEXICAN ( the 1st or 2nd gens who have the dark skin and hair and/or speak the languages ) ppl online who want to gatekeep the culture. It's such a weird move

[@sentimentalcircuscurator]

No, I say Go "little kid Ellie"!! Little kid Ellie was right about being proud. I just think the native american part of history is an uncomfortable truth about how badly the NON native americans behaved. It irks them, becuse theyre "proud americans in the US of A". And what they did, even if they have lived there for generations threatens the legitimazation of of their claim to "The land of the free", a bit. And they dont like that feeling. And then I could go on to discuss concentration camps and other "scientific" (dark dark sarcasm there) behaviours during ww2 and the certain similarities between them and the reservations. Going overseas to fight a certain behaviour, yet doing the same thing in their own backyard. In my country (Sweden) it didnt even matter that you were white blond and blue eyed. If you had something that was considered deficient at all, such as low intellect, you could be sterilized, without being asked. And other things like grading babies, with A, B, C scores, this was more than half a century ago, but I could not believe my ears when I heard about it !!!like.....gradeing babies ?!!! wut!!! History is DARK, man.

[@marig9236]

Thank you for sharing your story. I'm PRican and ofc have native in my blood. The US doesn't even recognize my people as people worth adding to the list of tribes. Fun times

[@ashleysmith2109]

I stumbled across your video by accident, but I'm so glad I found it. I'm happy that you brought up blood quantum and your opinion in it. My mother is almost half Native, and has dark hair, dark skin. My Dad's family is German. Me, my brother, and oldest cousin were always told we didn't look "Indian" enough in school. My two youngest cousins are darker haired and skinned, and people would say, "oh they look more Indian than you," even though we all had the same blood quantum. All of us take more after Mom and her dad they way our face and eyes are shaped.

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

Just ignore my comment, but this was pretty generically insufferable. Just three bullet points instead of going through the whole thing: - I despise academia and activists giving a monopoly on the term Native American. If you're born in the USA and you're part of the culture, your literally a native American. Not multiple tribes and nation groups that didn't even have the term American in the first place. They had no uniting identity, they were each unique. - The Thanksgiving feast happened. It's an historical fact. It's idiotic and ahistorical to claim otherwise. It was a feast celebrating an alliance with the Wampanoag, as much as it was grateful thanks to God for providing a good harvest after half of their population had previously parished. The only tribe that got attacked around that time in the area was the Wampanoag's enemy they wanted battered and pushed away. That was the agreement they made with the pilgrims for assisting them, a military alliance. One that successfully and harmoniously lasted for at least two generations. - You have really pale skin. Most people asked again because they found that vaguely interesting, that's it. - The obsession with blood regardless of how much culture is passed on is what most tribal elders insist on holding on to. They see themselves as connected to their ancestors "mostly" or "in all" by blood. You really don't come off as someone who's aware of those cultural sentiments. Just superficial. Very Californian instead.

[@NC-ij9rb]

People need to realize that being bi-racial is not the same as mixing paints. For example, just because your parents are Black and white doesn't mean you'll always be an inbetween shade. Sometimes you can come out more black, sometimes you can come out more white.

[@MistbornPrincess]

And the amount of sun a person gets and/or absorbs can be a factor, too. I had a Hispanic patient who says he got called whitey by his buddies and he didn’t seem to have appreciated it, even if was a joke. And then we compared our arms and he was the same as me, a white girl who’s arms are just slightly tanned and freckled. So maybe he just doesn’t get a lot of sun or his melanin doesn’t change too much; I hope he can come to terms with it. Sometimes I wish I covered up more in the sun, because I don’t consider my freckles the “cute” kind, as well as keep down risk for skin cancer; my dad has had a couple cancers on his face and neck because he wears ball caps instead of wide brimmed hats! And the sun ages your skin!

[@Pippis78]

Or one parent is white, the other light skinned mixed and the kid comes out darker than either after a black grandparent. Ugh... people are so weird about "race" in America.

[@Jamzzz-dx4iz]

Very True

[@darkserpent6884]

truth, because of my heritage depending on the envirnment and food i intake i change skin colors from white to yellow to red tan.

[@marisadaniela6]

Not native, but this video hit me so hard. My dad is a Romanichal Gypsy, and so many things you've said here have been perfect descriptions of my experience. At age 5, my dad told me we were Gypsies, but don't tell anyone because "the world hates Gypsies." (His words, not mine.) His family had a hard time in the US and kept the truth about their heritage very quiet. I did not experience much racism because I, like you, am fair and have my dad's green eyes. I am Scottish and Irish from my mother so that became my recognised heritage. When my parents divorced, i so desperately wanted to know about my gypsy heritage but never really attempted to learn. Until one day, i finally witnessed the hatred my father had spoken of. Working as a waitress, we had a gypsy family come in for a party. None of my coworkers seemed to think anything out of the ordinary, but one guy who was from europe was disgusted with them and made disparaging remarks to me. I said, "Hey, now! I am gypsy." His face darkened and he asked me if it was true. He said that they were scum of the earth. It was so upsetting to me because this coworker and i had always gotten along before, and now he looked at me like i was filthy. Years later, after my dad died, I really made an effort to learn about my family tree and some of their personal history, which i find very interesting to research. I know the Gypsies' struggles are not the same as the Natives. Just to say that in some way, i understand how it can be to be "other" but not "other" enough. Thank you so much for sharing your story. It evoked a lot of emotions for me and prompted a lot of reflection. God bless you!

[@susannekalejaiye4351]

I grew up in America, but moved to Finland many years ago. The situation for the Gypsy/Roma people here is probably among the best in Europe but is nevertheless still nothing approaching ideal. About 20 years ago, I was asked to give a talk, based on a UN report, on the situation of the Roma in Eastern Europe. I have friends who are Roma but generally won't mention it even to Roma, so this indicates how slender that degree of "better" is. I'm sorry that your coworker had such a negative reaction, especially as he should have known you are a good person. Divesting ourselves of our pre-judging opinions can be so difficult, it is painful for both sides.

[@coralijorda6405]

Don't underestimate the gypsies struggles, as they have been very much disrespected for centuries and even today they suffer alienation.. under Hitler they were put in concentration camps too..

[@coralijorda6405]

And so cool of you to own and cherish that heritage of yours!!

[@tymanung6382]

During 1600s, English imperialists who invaded, attacked, fought, killed Irish, etc. nationalists, then same individuals crossed Atlantic & did same to.Indigenous peoples, whom they also?invaded, attacked, occupied, killed, in order to rob them, while they denounced them as "red Irish" !!

[@merry_christmas]

If anyone ever makes derogatory comments towards you, that's unacceptable. But maybe this comment helps you place the exaggerated emotions of a European. It's good to know the sentiment is barely about history. Roma gypsies are a present-day "issue". Example: in 2017, Belgians didn't dare go on holiday because gypsies would raid and confiscate their houses. Many communities live by their own laws, but most have lost cohesion. Dutch and German police won't even come to help when there's Roma involved. Massive theft, drugs and violence pose a serious challenge for local governments. That's why many Europeans will initially react negatively. But don't forget: every group has its rotten apples. Like always, the majority is good. 🤷🏽‍♀️ My mother used to be a kindergarten teacher. A gypsy mom really fought to get her child to school, which was against traditions. "Boys had to work". Took a lot of patience to convince his uncles (who often came to take him back to camp. They wouldn't discuss with women and definitely not outsiders). Showing respect was key to gaining it. It's been 30 years and they'll still do anything for her now. Even their grandchildren are taught to wave hello to Mrs. Teacher". 😅 Many people aren't familiar with the difficult history of gypsies and how they were chased away from every place they ever settled, but even less people know about their traditions, their resilience, their pride. I hope you dare feel proud of your beautiful heritage and never try to hide it because of other's ignorance/generalization. 💪

[@hjpngmw]

Oh, Ellie! My father's grandmother was Cherokee/Creek. My father and his sister closely resembled her. Their two brothers favored the British ancestry of their mother (blond and blue-eyed). My son looks so much like my father, they could be twins while my daughter is blonde and blue-eyed like my husband's family. When my daughter was in 4th grade (in the early 2000s), she brought home a study guide about American Indians that was so racist I went to the school to complain. When her blonde and blue-eyed teacher stared at me in puzzlement, I lost it and asked how she'd like it if she were asked to take a test from a study guide that stated her cousins were lazy alcoholics who couldn't get jobs and lived in poverty at government expense (the study really said that). Then, I pointed out just how many of my great-grandmother's descendants were college graduates who had successful careers and she had the gall to tell me that that was because my great-grandmother had married a white man! Needless to say, I pulled both my children from that school system and enrolled them in our local Charter school as soon as they were old enough. My father always said that his children were not related closely enough to count as Cherokee/Creek, and so we should be aware of our ancestry but claim to be white to avoid being treated as less than equal. He's gone now, but I have a feeling he was trying to ensure we didn't experience the same racism he had when he was a child. I do know that, once I complained about that study guide, the teachers and administrators at my children's school never treated me the same way again. It also makes me wonder how many other people keep quiet and "pass for white." (Edited for grammar)

[@ellfling924]

Wow! I feel so fortunate not to have had these bad study guides growing up! Lol.

[@hillaryandmichaelcrymes3702]

Beautiful video. I'm Black and Mexican and sort of living in a strange limbo. I was born in Mexico and have always been raised by my Mexican side of the family. When I was a child I never saw myself as anything other than Mexican even though I am visibly black. When I moved to America I was hit with a lot of culture shock, because for the first time in my entire life I actually saw black people other than me. This left me in a weird middle ground where I am culturally Mexican but don't "look" Mexican. On the other hand I look black, but I am not culturally black. Sometimes it feels like I am not enough of either, but I am sure with time I can learn and grow

[@erenjaeger1738]

That's bc mexican is a nationality. Majority mexican are native american with brown skin and native features

[@jonathanborchardt891]

Mexican is not a race its a nationality.

[@sandrahoffman325]

There are Afro-Mexican populations in Costa Chica of Guerrero; Costa Chica of Oaxaca and and Veracruz.

[@jonathanborchardt891]

Most Latinos are Indeginos but do not have treaty rights with US government.

[@sailorv8067]

Come to Russia, it's very usual to us to look whatever and feel whatever and be Russians at the same time ❤

[@TheGPFilmMaker]

My grandpa was Native (I'm mixed) and always referred to himself as "Indian." He also wore a sweater with an American flag on it every day because, and I quote, "We were here first." His family was very fractured due to government relocation programs, but he remained very proud of his Native heritage and his land. And thank you so much for bringing up both blood quantum (and why it's rude to ask!) and being a light-skinned person of Native descent. I'm super fair-skinned and gray eyed and while my face really resembles my grandpa, my coloring doesn't. And oh my word in elementary school people used to tell me I wasn't really Native all the time!

[@Fluffymonkeyem]

My Grandma and her father referred to themselves as "Indian" as well. My mom says her Grandpa told her that she should be proud of her Indian heritage, even if she did look white.

[@Rezcat-y6r]

Dear Ellie. What a beautiful spirit our Creator has given you! I am a 69 year old Indian man 👨 who believed that he was white until 33 years ago when a person who knew me from the past came into my life and revealed that the people who raised me were not my real parents. You would think that I would have figured it out with my dark skin and both of them as Anglo as you can imagine. It’s an interesting story without an ending yet. And like you, I was treated differently because of the color of my skin. Especially in the Jr. High/ High School years. Thank you for sharing. Have a great Friday and weekend. God bless.

[@SharmClucas]

I had a strange experience growing up. My grandfather was adopted into a tribe, so I got a little of the cultural side without having a drop of native blood. I remember a lot of the presentations and stuff in school feeling so performative, and not really what any of it was actually like. We moved away from that cultural side of things as I grew up, and it was completely dropped by the time my grandfather died, so now I don't remember much except that teepees not cured correctly stink very badly in the hot sun, and how in the tribe my grandfather was adopted into, cutting a lock of hair to put on the grave was a sign of respect, the higher on the head, the more respect.

[@sarahbeth124]

I’ve heard about the hair cutting tradition, it’s beautiful in a way I can’t quite figure out.

[@MrsRen]

My perspective is similarly strange because my grandmother was Native but she died before I was even a thought and her family just fully cut contact with my grandfather and his children. So I've never met anybody from that side of my family. I literally know nothing about that part of my heritage. And I don't know if I want to know that part of my family because the reason they cut contact was my grandpa had the audacity to actually respect his wife's final wishes instead of what her family wanted. But no tribes were federally recognized in my state until *last decade* anyway so we aren't real anyway.

[@Fidi987]

What would they do or think about people who had lost their hair due to illness or chemotherapy?

[@SharmClucas]

@@Fidi987 I think that'd be a non-issue. Cutting hair off is voluntary, and not cutting hair isn't an issue. However, if you cut the hair at the base of the skull, that's seen as an insult. I think it's seen as posturing. My cousins did that at granddad's funeral, wanting to participate in the custom but not knowing they were being rude by doing it that way. His adopted family frowned hard but said nothing.

[@DieAlteistwiederda]

Not with being native but I was partially raised by my moms friends and her husband who are Vietnamese while I'm just white. So I grew up with this culture that ethnically isn't mine at all but still feels like a small part of myself. Definitely not something I mention often as many people get really defensive or weird when I say this is how I grew up and it's a part of me just like my own families traditions. My moms friend and her family are a part of my own family too and it doesn't matter that we look nothing like each other. I'm still just a German citizen but I also got a fair bit of the Asian household experience and cherish that.

[@missxchief]

I'm fair-skinned australian Aboriginal and get asked the same questions. The blood quantum stuff is especially gross. It's like the colonisers used the same playbook on all native populations. Thanks for sharing!

[@jrniiji7847]

No such thing as a "fair-skinned" Australian Aboriginal... Nice Try! "Native" only means you were born in that area so everyone born where you were born is native but that does not make you indigenous or aboriginal to that landmass.

[@cinegoth4144]

@@jrniiji7847Hey. I saw you on another video about Native Americans. Do you come around these often?

[@PHDWhom]

@@jrniiji7847do you not understand how human genetics works? And also, why do you feel you have any authority to tell this person who they are? That’s a colonized attitude.

[@PHDWhom]

@@jrniiji7847also, you do know that different people with different origins can make babies, right?

[@fatimabelemgonzalezposada457]

This is eye opening. I'm not from the US, and I would've never guessed you had to have an Id card to prove you're Indian. It scares me a little, but a lot of things about how race is perceived in the US scare me. If anything you have made me want to know about how these things are handled legally in my country. Thank you for your time to put this out there!

[@RaisonLychi]

It's like that in Canada to and anyone whose less than full has to have a family member vouch for them and there's a ton of paperwork involves to get a card so pretty much nobody bothers with it outside full natives

[@Figgy5119]

you don't need the card to prove you're Indian, but you need it if you're part of one of the Native Nations. They do have sovereignty, so it's like having an ID from your country. but I agree that the blood amount being necessary on the card isn't right. if you're a member of the tribe, they must have deemed it alright, so it doesn't make sense to have to show your blood amount on your ID.

[@KieroSi]

@@Figgy5119 Yes, it very much like citizenship, one thing people from the outside don't get that tribal affiliation doesn't necessarily mean you're of that tribe specifically either but rather a member of that tribal govt. Albeit, there is politics like that.. the same as people who think you should identify as American flatly rather than a hyphenated American. . . and things get more complicated with free(d)men and similar groups that now are somewhat accepted as whole but there is still a lot of animosity for many reasons. . . but speaking history, especially history that is rarely a blip in most people's textbooks is often grossly simplified. Just as politics can be. more noise that information... and tribal history, really, even less people are interested from the inside. my mother's family was part of a smaller tribe that only gained federal recognition in the last decade, which also meant they were treated like outsiders because of such politics rather than assimilating to the dominate culture within the tribal govt yet are unlikely to leave because it's on the other side of the U.S., much smaller, less developed, too many relatives here - many too old or too young, and obviously, it's still in the process of building itself whereas the current has established themselves. . . so, there is not much incentive to.

[@Bibirallie]

that is because some people may falsely claim that they are native Americans.

[@didostempest2966]

Meanwhile obviously native people from south of the border are not considered “native Americans” even though the Americas are. Canada, USA, mexico, the Bahamas, South America. It’s so weird to me seeing indigenous people being labeled as Hispanic when they’re not and my white hispanic cousins getting labeled Native American??? Where’s the representation for native below of the border.

[@katiekiyokogammon]

I'm mixed race (half Japanese, half white) and even though we have different backgrounds, I identified with a lot of what you shared about growing up mixed race. Thanks so much for sharing your story, Ellie!

[@MsMorri]

As someone who has cousin's who are mixed race (they're half African-American) thank you for talking to people about the fact that being mixed race doesn't mean you'll always be some shade of darker skin. I've come across this a lot and even have explained to people that being mixed race doesn't always mean you're going to look like you're between the two, it's really a roll of the gene die. I've even had white people come up to me and assume it's okay to say racist things to me because I'm white. Also, thank you for doing this video. Even though I have cousin's who are bi-racial, I still find that I have new things to learn about being a better ally. I won't lie, I have probably been guilty of the "But you're so white" comment... I'll watch out for that now.

[@louiseoliver3453]

I met an African-American guy married to a blonde Russian woman and their daughter was white, blonde hair, blue eyes, exactly like her mother but she was biologically his. It just proves racism is stupid because genetics doesn't care about skin colour

[@trenae77]

You are the sort of person who gives hope to future peace. There’s nothing wrong about making mistakes if a person is willing to acknowledge their mistakes and strive to learn and grow.

[@MsMorri]

@@trenae77 Thank you. I do my best, but even when you're more aware of the issues you can still mess up sometimes. I've learned it's best if you take the lessons you've learned and keep going forward. Thankfully, I also had parents who set me on the right path. They certainly don't know everything when it comes to racial issues, but they at least started me with a good foundation.

[@di3486]

Oh yeah, don’t get me started on that. I have been called too white to be hispanic. I just send them to repeat their basic genetics biology class. And in fact being bi-racial means 2 races, which could be of pale skin.

[@AlexisTwoLastNames]

i’m mixed and very light. i feel wrong even calling myself black cuz the world doesn’t treat me in the way my fellow black folks have talked abt. so i’m just mixed. clearly i don’t look white, and even tho i have more black blood than any other, i don’t think the public sees me as black either. and i guess i’m not. i’m mixed race.

[@blankamagnolia2994]

This 'blood quantum' thing is so akward to me, I can't comprehend... I am an Eastern European, my grandparents being Székely (Hungarians from the historical region of Transylvania), Ruthenian, Austrian, Jász, Cuman and Hungarian, and honestly, who knows what else. It doesn't matter. You are what you identify yourself with. I think Ellie, that you are an awesome person, who makes great videos, and I am happy that you are proud of your heritage, because that is what matters. And love who you love, teach your kids your heritage, and they will be awesome too! (Also, baby Ellie is so cute! ❤)

[@marketawilezinska8817]

Yes. I always thought "blood percentage" used in modern times is just some made up thing by people who want to be cool. And it always seemed super silly. I don't care what's in your veins, tell me about your culture and family traditions. Seeing blood percentage as a LEGAL thing? Come ooooon. I'm from Central Europe and in the past everybody traveled across our lands and left something behind. Celts, Vikings, Turks, Napoleon mixed it even more, people always travelled within the Kingdoms and Empires. My best friend would pass for Swedish, other friend for Irish, different one could be Scottish, German, French, Spanish, Italian, you can sprinkle in people with roots in Vietnam... The moment you're born here or have parents from here, you're ours. And even if we talk about Gypsies who are a distinctive, often discriminated/bad mouthed minority, no one EVER counts blood. Blood percentage doesn't matter. And yeah, my people are very often judgemental f*ckers, but even the worst ones care more about behaviour and perceived social benefits rather than anything else. And blood percentage means nothing and no one would even think to ask about it. It doesn't matter. In both the best and the worst ways.

[@blankamagnolia2994]

@@marketawilezinska8817 totally agree with you! All of us blood is red.

[@marketawilezinska8817]

@NitroFairyWing I'm afraid to ask what is paper bag test...

[@RalucaAriadna]

Hello, fellow Eastern European! My dad in from Transylvania so he's a mix a Romanian and probably other ethnicities from that region, and my mom is from Bucovina with confirmed Romanian and Ukrainian roots and probably, once again other ethnicities as well. My first cousin's dad is Hungarian and he grew up in the States. I grew up in Canada. I really love mixed families!

[@annasaddiction5129]

And as a German I am having 2nd World War history lessons flashback with a hint of being raised on Harry Potter... 😖😖😖😖

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I feel happy that you are sharing a crucial part of your life and also Bébé Ellie is ADORABLE ❤

[@EllieDashwood]

Awww! Thank you! 😃😃😃 Baby me thanks you too 😂

[@PokhrajRoy.]

A major reason why we flock to this channel is enjoying a good old ramble on history. Ramble all the way 🔥

[@persefoniajax]

Ellie you are one of the purest souls I have ever seen. How have you had it in you to be a giant ball of sweetness and innocence and good-heartedness and sunshine like literally your whole life?

[@ladymunsonthemagnificent6929]

Agree 💯

[@meowsielee]

my grandma’s grandma was native (haliwa saponi) and ever since i learned i have native heritage i’ve always wanted to learn more especially with how close the tribe is but i’ve always felt like i’m not native enough to reach out. thanks for sharing your story 💕

[@rainboweevee1322]

You should come to the Blooming of the Dogwood Powwow held annually in April! ^^

[@ghostofpolaris]

As someone who is mixed (Korean and White), I 100% sympathize not feeling like "enough". I didn't get to learn Korean like my cousins because my dad and his family were adamant about blending in and basically assimilating themselves with everyone else. Any hint of our Korean culture and my family were ruthlessly harassed. I don't look my other Korean relatives. I literally got blue eyes like my mom and when I told people I was Korean, I was told I was lying or immediately I had people making fun of my eyes and use slurs. 9/10 times as a kid, I had kids ask if my family was from North or South Korea. It's really nice to see this video and hear another's perspective on experiences like mine. Edit because I got to the part of the B.Q. stuff but it just made my heart sink because literally my dad and his side of the family (who are Korean) would incorporate this concept into our talks and some relatives would mention how if someone was a quarter or even half that they were not (insert race here). Like, that's what happened to me and it hurts now realizing how messed up it really was because no one ever talked to me about this concept. Not at home, not at school or anywhere. It was spoken of, but not labeled.

[@kimmatura3564]

Is it strange that I never once thought about your ethnicity? I do love hearing about your native culture!!

[@tonychapman1912]

Dear Ellie, such a beautiful video on such a complex and emotional subject. May your feet move to the beat of the drum and your voice grace the tallest tree, for you are awesome. Tony.

[@cheshiressecret]

People using blood quantum to judge "how native you are" is so true and it is sad. I sell a lot of handmade stuff and was in a sellers group on facebook. One of the admins decided they were going to "crack down on cultural appropriation" and made a rule were people had to prove they were part of a culture before they were allowed to sell certain things. It was like getting hit in the face with a brick one morning when I woke up to a message demanding I show this admin papers to prove I was allowed to make the kind of stuff I did. It felt like I was some kind of show animal and this random person on the internet was a judge demanding to see my pedigree before competition.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

10:57 Yeah, I waited a PRETTY LONG TIME for people to understand that ‘Gay’ and ‘Effeminate’ are not the same thing.

[@samanthadrake_84]

Hey Ellie! Great video and thanks so much for being willing to share about your experiences growing up. I’m who asked on Instagram about what tribe you are from and if your family moved from Oklahoma. I could tell by your appearance that you were Muscogee Creek. I literally said, “Called it!” out loud while watching your video. You look just like my best friend and her sister who are also Creek. A large majority of everyone in eastern Oklahoma has at least some heritage from the “5 Tribes” that originated in the southern USA. These are the: Muscogee Creek, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Seminole, and my own tribe, the Choctaw. These are the “Trail of Tears” tribes that had a unique experience compared to most other Native American tribes in the USA. We were relocated to eastern Oklahoma in the 1830s-40s; which was nearly completely empty land with only a few Plains tribes traveling through periodically. Growing up in eastern Oklahoma I had very different experience than you did. The tribes are extremely involved with the schools. We had assemblies, programs, assignments and reports, special field trips, etc. sponsored and hosted by the tribal governments. We have the option to learn Choctaw as one of our language credits. Oklahoma history is very focused on the contributions of the various tribes to the state. It is also a part of our curriculum to learn about the differences between the various tribes that now call Oklahoma home. For example, the tribes from Arizona, the Plains tribes, and the tribes from New England are as different from my own as the English, Greeks, and Russians are from one another. My tribe also co-sponsored paving the roads and laying a new sewer system in my small town. And I hope this doesn’t sound rude in any way… but no one in the 5 Tribes ever, ever, ever says “reservation.” Its super important to our tribal sovereignty that our treaties and agreements with the federal government and state governments are differentiated from other tribes who lived on reservations. From relocation, we are independent nations that were not directly administered by federal government agents. All the 5 Tribes had independent tribal governments that have continued to this day. We would say I grew up “in the nation” and never ever “on the rez.” I am a member of and live in the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, not the Choctaw reservation. Again I am not trying to be rude or condescending, so sorry if it sounds that way in writing. I hope you can visit Oklahoma sometime and see some of our great museums and cultural centers dedicated to your people.

[@EllieDashwood]

Hi!!! I think that’s so cool that you’re Choctaw! 😃 Thanks so much for letting me know about the Nation vs. reservation! Honestly, I think part of me knew I needed to use Nation way more in this video. 😂 But I just grew up around other Urban Natives/tribes who do use reservation terminology so often that’s how I tend to think of life. But, this is a perfect example of what I was saying, I’ll never be as good as the Nation kids. 😂 Growing up far from my own Nation, I definitely lived the pan-Indian life in a very non-Native friendly place. We definitely did not have any of the super cool things at school you had in Oklahoma! That sounds so awesome! That was what I always dreamed of as a kid, but I lived too far away. 😭 Also, that is so funny you could identify my heritage so exactly!!!! 😂 And so cool that you have friends that look like me! 😃

[@kayleighcollier9623]

This was such a powerful video! I have taught students who are Cherokee (in GA) and I grew up with a deep appreciation and desire to know more about our Georgia tribes. My dad's family is of Irish decent and he "looked" very Irish... fair skin, bright red hair... but my mom is very olive-toned. She is constantly asked "what are you" and never knows what to say because, at this point, our genes are all mixed up. On the flip perspective, I was jealous of people with a strong heritage growing up. I love what you said about teaching future generations about their heritage is more important than a blood percentage.

[@MeMySkirtandI]

Thank you for sharing your story. I used to work in Child Protection for a Band of Ojibwe in MN, and saw so much of this drama/trauma first hand. I had to learn very quickly what I could say to respect the culture that I had always grown up revering though I was not a member of. I wish we had a society that affirmed little you's enthusiasm for your Indian identity.

[@allysonwalker2084]

Thank you so much for your honesty in sharing your experience. Growing up in the United States as a person of color is a complex and painful experience. I appreciate your courage for making and posting this video.

[@WannabeWeatherwax]

This resonated with me, too. I was reading Harry Potter with my son this week, and trying to explain the term "half blood" and used myself as an example (Hispanic dad, white mom). But I was intensely uncomfortable because I was sure I was doing it wrong. Now I've thought more about it, I think "double" is a better term. I learned this concept from a Japanese-Korean man (I guess pure nationality is a big deal in their countries). He said he's not "half," he's double. He isn't half a person either way. He's BOTH. He gets to have extra because he was mixed. And I'm still trying to internalize it for myself (like you, I was "too white" to be Hispanic, except I was super-duper bullied over this for years in school by girls who literally could be my cousins on my dad's side...I guess it's a faux pas to have white skin and a Hispanic last name and the abuse I took really screwed me up for life but that's another story), but I think it's the budding of something great in my identity. I don't have to choose (well, on government forms you do), I get to claim ALL my ancestors (I'd say proudly, but I have royal euro blood and some of my grandparents were pretty messed up, so I'm just gonna claim them in the noncommittal, their honors and disgraces are their own way...second article of faith, right?). Anyway, that's what I've been thinking while watching your video.

[@annasaddiction5129]

As one of those most likley grand + great great grandchildren etc of the dark times in white men history I can tell you...I and many others have been raised to NOT feel GUILTY for what our Ancestors did but RESPONSIBLE to not REPEAT it AGAIN. Even though I think Education is lacking a great Deal in that regard here still as well. Saludos desde Alemania.

[@aliplay5]

Double... I love that. Half may sound like not enough of either while double is an abundance of culture and traditions. Wonderful way to look at it.

[@Pippis78]

In my country it would be illegal to ask ethnicity on any forms. Sometimes the country of origin or native language is asked. There have been discussions of making job applications anonymous at the first stage, so that people wouldn't be discriminated because of the applicant's name (like "African sounding" names).

[@ladymcbeath]

This is an excellent concept, not half race but double race. I'm going to incorporate that idea. Thanks for sharing it.

[@farfromfloral]

ive loved your content for a while, but I'm so happy to hear that there's another Native creator and another mixed creator in my subscriptions!! it makes me so happy to realize how many of my people I've found organically share my interests and my passions *and* my heritage ♡ makes me feel like much less of an odd duck, especially as I am white-passing, and other try to use my interests as proof that I'm *actually* white. thank you for this video!!!! ♡♡♡♡♡

[@somelady3921]

I'm also mixed, Seminole and Italian. It's crazy when I was a kid I just thought I was Indian and my mom was Italian. Never really thought too much into it until other people started calling me white. It doesn't bother me anymore. But I have a long interesting family history to tell.

[@SantiSayWha]

As a mixed person i really appreciated this video. Thank you for sharing this part of your story and I hope you share more 🤎

[@anomalily]

Thank you for making this video. I'm an urban Native as well, Eastern Band of Cherokee, but for me it is much more generationally removed (1/8th) and completely removed from my day to day experience and my other half is second-gen southern European immigrant (Croatian and Greek) so my appearance is very "white" (esp living in a place with no sun.) I wrestle with recognizing my white privilege while also trying to represent the Native part of my history. My ancestors were moved on the trail of tears. I learned a lot once I became a Udall scholar, and got to work with badass Native American organizers and activists. Anyway, I loved hearing your experience. Thank you for sharing.

[@anomalily]

Also I was very busy telling all the kids that Thanksgiving was actually fake and they Killed People and that is not how Indians dress in 1st grade during the "thanksgiving play" because I had no idea how to make friends at age 6. 😂

[@tymanung6382]

Perhaps your pre Roman Croatian culture is more similar to.Native American traditional cultures ?

[@anomalily]

@@tymanung6382 I mean “Croatian culture” is a whole can of worms the past 100 years, given the constant occupation and the fascism and the ethnic cleansing. We got some things to work out, lol. My grandfather’s native language isn’t even a language anymore, it’s 5 different ones 😬

[@tymanung6382]

@@anomalily Thank you for comment. However, I meant ancient BCE "Croatia" pre Ottoman, pre Christian, etc. or whoever lived there early part of Iron or during Bronze Ages. We see something like that in Baltics, Lithuania was target of last crusade..Recent videos show revival or continuation of original religion, etc.in last to be Christianized in Europe. Most other Europeans had most or all pre Christian cultures destroyed or suppressed, though they might have more in.common + N & S. Americans + rest of non Europeans, might have used as imperial excuses the similarities between non European cultures + and Europe s original cultures. Even in 1600s, English who lead invasion of Ireland denounced Native American resisters as "red Irish" !

[@L.K.Rydens]

As someone from a different country (Sweden) that also has a native people that's suffered and are still suffering from discrimination (know some native people so I know about some of it), this has been really educational, so thank you. One thing I have to say - blood quantum is the most f-cked up thing I have ever heard about and is still going on. Especially because Americans (have American heritage myself so have seen it a lot with family and others) often say things like "I am Swedish, I have 10% on my great grandfather's side" (not always in a rational way, often because they like having that heritage) but some do the opposite with natives? I am so confused. It's also interesting reflecting over how people do the same thing with things they think are good an bad. In Sweden being American is a very good thing, and every time I say I have American heritage (I use to say that I'm American but started qualifying after all conversationns like these) often people want to check that I am American "enough" to say I'm American, if I am good enough to qualify for it. Like you say, as if they decide that. I'm just lucky that what they are checking doesn't come with a whole heap of rasism attached. It's also interesting how much the context you are raised in shape perception. The quote you had about Pocahontas, I was raised thinking native Americans (Indians in regard to you, of course) were cool and wise, so that quote was so eye-opening to me in regard to differences in perception being raised on the other side of the globe. You are gorgeous btw and I (like the other world-people you were talking about) also always thought you weren't just American but had some other heritage too. Btw, and I hope my question doesn't offend, I'm honestly wondering, but tell me to shut it if it's not a correct thing to ask. When you are discussing being white vs native, why aren't you both, if you know what I mean? I get it on a very shallow level, but it feels like there's a bigger, way more profound answer to that question and if it is possible, I would love to know the full context❤️🥀

[@christellebaroque8694]

I'd completely forgotten about that! Americans go around says they are Italian American or Irish American, forgetting that they treated like the scum of the earth when the original Italians and Irish moved to the US during the Eli's island days.... Gotta love double standards.... The only consistent behaviour is racism... Sad.

[@L.K.Rydens]

@@christellebaroque8694Yeah, there does seem to be a history of americans deciding what is good and acceptable on their terms 😕🌹🥀 but the US is a young country, so there is time to grow and with videos like Ellies and conversations like this it will get better with time, I am sure 😊❤️

[@marciam7301]

@@L.K.Rydens the age of a country is no excuse for the practice and acceptance of racism.

[@2wickie686]

The differencei s all Swedes are native.

[@sparkymularkey6970]

This is a really interesting perspective! Thanks for sharing. And yes, blood quantum is so fucked up. I hate it. I'm Native American and Irish American. Whenever I say I'm Native, people always ask "WhAt PeRcEnTaGe??" Ugh. I'm not a show dog. I'm a human being. Whenever I say that I'm Irish American, it's like, "Cool," and that's it. 😅

[@hellomrsjacobsen]

I was one of those kids that really thought it would be awesome to be "Indian" 😁 Always fascinated by the art, culture and traditions and such of indigenous people. I am 1/4 Dutch and as a kid I would run around telling everyone that and nobody cared 😄. But that is something I think is a little strange for me to hear. People who get into their ancestry always like to say, "I'm 1/4 Mexican, 1/16 Spanish, and 1/32 Iranian or whatever as a way of connecting to their ancestry. So the whole "that's how they talk about breeds of animals" idea is something I never would have thought of. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Race doesn't have to be offensive. It's terribly interesting to learn where we come from and connect with it!

[@EllieDashwood]

That’s so cool that you’re a quarter Dutch! 😃 I think with Native blood, it has a very different history and culture surrounding how it is discussed as opposed to any other heritage. The fact that Natives are the only people with government issued cards stating their “degree” of blood, I think shows how differently our blood is viewed and handled by society at large. For example, the other day I was watching a show put out in the 1970s. A white boss said of his stable hand, “Yep, Joe there is a full-blooded Blackfoot. He can follow any trail.” That sentence structure alone is similar to, “My horse is a thoroughbred. He can run any trail.” Of course, this also raises so many questions. Such as if he were a “only a halfbreed” could he only follow half the trails? 😂 The pride in that boss’s assessment of his “full blooded” employee has roots in a historical preoccupation with the purity, or lack of it, with regard to Native blood. A Native person’s “value” as a “real Native” goes down when their perceived blood quantum decreases. This is similar to how animals are more highly prized when purebred. This leads into phrases like someone being “only a halfbreed.”

[@sarahherboth9447]

I always assumed the question of "how much are you really?" Was to figure out if they were claiming it to just sound cool, because everyone would want to be descendants of natives right? Like are you really Irish or is it just to sound cool?

[@bookcat123]

@@sarahherboth9447 Agreed... but still problematic in that you're basically saying 'I think you're a liar" when someone's just told you a part of who they are. Similar to people who think they have the right to challenge anyone who parks in handicap parking who isn't super obviously in a wheelchair or something. Is it possible they're "cheating"? Sure. But it's also just as likely if not more so that you just don't see them correctly.

[@sarahherboth9447]

@@bookcat123 I see what you're saying. *I* wouldn't say it, I tend to believe people, but I've seen these conversations happen among kids. I think in middle school almost everyone I knew claimed native descent (or something else that sounded really cool) just in conversation, not that they were really into that culture

[@bookcat123]

@@sarahherboth9447 Oh I get it - I’ve absolutely seen that too. And not just from kids. Actually got into a discussion once with this woman I met on a tour bus about family histories, and when I mentioned that we had a family rumor that a few generations back there was some Native American - no culture passed down, no tribe, not even the name of the person - she got super excited and wanted to talk about me being native and did I feel a special connection to the land. It felt really icky because like… no, I have no claim on that heritage. There’s literally nothing except that vague statement passed down, which may or may not be true, and does not even name which culture it would be. And even if I did, that’s not some magical mystic way of making me *different* it would just be another heritage like my cooking like my Italian grandmother and learning Spanish for my Spanish grandfather. Do I feel a connection to the land? Sure. Because my other grandfather was a farmer and I grew up running all over the family farm and helping in the orchards. Not because of genetics.

[@aryaunderfoot2007]

So there with you, Ellie! Thank you for sharing so openly and compassionately. I’m Syrian-American and I can’t count the the times I’ve been told “I never would have guessed! You’re so fair, you must take after your mother.” And then, as if to make up for it, “you’re so pretty.” I spent a lot of my life frustrated at people’s ignorance of Arabs before I began to understand that it was rooted in racism.

[@brittanybarrowbooks9133]

This was a wonderful video! I live in Alabama so every town, city, and county around me is basically a Muscogee word. Although we only have 1 federally recognized tribe left, there are still Cherokee, Alabama, Choctaw and several other tribes who have communities all across the state. We have a lot of historical sites that have been preserved that you would probably really enjoy visiting and seeing your Nation’s ancestral land. Thank you for sharing and being so vulnerable about your childhood. 💕

[@staceymathiskc]

I really appreciate this video. I am extremely white. My husband has a white father and a mother of Mexican descent. Your perspective is eye opening for me. I personally don't think my children "pass for white" but maybe other people would disagree. I know my mother-in-law (who looks Mexican to me, with a fairly dark skin tone) have had people ask her how she speaks Spanish. When she tells them her background they respond "oh! I just thought you were tan!" My husband brother is married to a white woman. They have three boys who display the range of skin tones you mentioned. One looks very Mexican, one is white with blonde hair and blue eyes and third is in the middle of the two. My sister is married to an Indian (from India). Their child is very young right now but could "pass for white". Anyway, thank you for talking about your experiences. It is eye opening and very helpful to a white parent with mixed race children and nephews.

[@isasolorzano9706]

@@hi-ve1cw Exactly.

[@didostempest2966]

@@hi-ve1cw Mexico has people from all ancestries. I did not realize how many Asian & Caribbean people and other ethnic groups had their own area in Mexico until I visited recently. It’s so amazing how diverse my country is. It’s basically a tanner 🇺🇸. 😅

[@kimi9757]

I LOVE this video. I’m also a mixed race Native American. I’m actually descended from four tribes: Makah, Quileute, Cherokee, and Choctaw. My mom being Native American and my dad being white. I relate and empathize to your experience SO MUCH. Thank you for sharing your experiences and raising awareness to how much racism and prejudice is still ingrained into America’s society and culture. Much love my friend 💙

[@Caroline-fy2vi]

Hearing your story about your heritage and pride and being totally excited and confident about it as a child, made me admire and adore you even more! Ellie you a truly the diamond of the season all year. I love your informative videos!

[@KierTheScrivener]

Thanks for diving into your heritage and growing up, always love Little Ellie believing the best in people

[@bellenell4923]

Thank you for this video, I have never felt so understood. My mother is Native American (Yaqui) and Mexican and my father is German (not from, but like ALL his ancestors are from Germany). While I look like my mom I was raised culturally "white" a whole story itself. But so many memories came flooding back while I watched your video, especially the whole "what about my children's Native blood" thing. I totally planned on marrying a Native American when I was in middle school. While working in retail I was always asked the "what are you" question or people trying to guess (I got Italian and Middle Eastern a lot). People (white/black/brown doesn't matter) also assume I speak Spanish ... I don't. My grandmother experienced so much racism growing up in southern California that she never taught her kids. I wish people wouldn't be so surprised 😐 (both about me not speaking and the racism).

[@faithful2thecall]

Thank you for honoring us by sharing this part of your story with us. It was interesting hearing about your experiences.

[@cmm5542]

I think quite a lot of people look at nothing except hair colour when they decide who you look like. My sister and I literally do not have a single feature in common, completely different face shapes and body types. However, we are the same height and have the same hair colour, and practically everyone says 'You look like twins!' to us (but less often when we are wearing very different hairstyles). I can see the resemblance to both your parents in the photos, but as you and your dad both have dark hair, that might be why more people note your resemblance to your dad. It is always amazing to research one's past historical roots and find out about our cultures. But it's true, many people would rather hold on to misconceptions than learn history and what actual cultural affiliation means. And people's obsession with skin tone as a form of identification is beyond exasperating (sigh . . .)

[@eveywrens]

Your story was enlightening, Ellie. But what most stuck in my mind was people from other countries around the world recognized that you were native American. Thanks for sharing.

[@scottlang7271]

Ellie, I have even more respect for you after you were so honest in sharing your experiences. Growing up is tough enough for most people without having these types of challenges to contend with as well. I think you should be proud of who you have become :)

[@kida4star]

As another biracial member of an indigenous member, I really appreciate you being so open about this! I never unpacked some of my baggage around growing up passing before this.

[@classicslover]

Hi Ellie. In Canada we only have the one card with a tribe designation. Mom is native and my Dad is white. I look like my Dad, EXCEPT my brown eyes, hair and my skin is darker. Mom could pass for white, as could my sister and brother. In 2nd grade, I fought five racists who attacked me with the approval of a couple of racist teachers. Happened all through school. Never told my family. (I always won, so I wasn't visibly damaged. = ) Was stopped by police while jogging. "What are you doing?" They asked. "Kayaking down the Potomac." I answered. They looked confused, so I explained the joke. A cop also questioned me while I pulled weeds in my yard. "What are you doing?" (Obviously NOT Sherlock Holmes) Native looking in a nice neighborhood so of course I MUST be up to no good. Most ladies I dated always had at least ONE racist in the family and often dated me to be rebellious. Since he was a teenager, my brother has purposefully tried to look more native. Church members are too often racist. People are insultingly surprised I am intelligent. Had a scholarship all through university. My career? For a hundred years the Entertainment Industry insisted that stories about natives would never make any money, and natives cannot be heroes UNLESS they are played by a white person. (Thank goodness the movie PREY has proved them wrong! = ) Things ARE changing for the better. I am working with federal government and other people to form a commission to help end racism and injustice in the justice system = )

[@classicslover]

Oh! Also, I didn't really latch on to one over the other. "Your Dad is white. Are you white?" Yep! "Oh. So your Mom is native. Are you native?" Yep! I was just ME...who was a charming blend of both! And I had loving support from relatives on both sides of the family. Dad, Mom...my immediate family, my home was my refuge. In the first grade several boys ambushed me and threw rocks at me, one hit me above the ear. I needed stitches, so I couldn't hide that one from my family. I wanted to hunt them down and hurt them Dad told me that I could be the bigger man, and not be vengeful. He also said that if I was attacked, I could and should definitely defend myself.

[@findingbeautyinthepain8965]

You always need to look out for those Natives, who are up to no good, picking other people’s weeds for them. 😂 Seriously, what even passes through these cops heads!? I’d honestly love to know.

[@classicslover]

@@findingbeautyinthepain8965 I would hazard a guess at a typical bully mindset. Insecure...so they need to feel powerful and they need control. They want to impress their friend cops by regaling them with tales of harassing' hated minorities....which increases their social standing among their fellow racists. Then they get both noticed and accepted.

[@hollywebster6844]

When you mentioned that people from other countries saw that you are not only "white", I remembered my experience. I, too, am half Native American and half European American. As I am quite fair with green eyes, no one in my white community ever knew/asked/noticed that I am half Native American. Then, I went to a grad school in the South and most of my peers were African American. For the first time in my life I was asked what I was, other than white. It felt affirming that someone else could really see me. This experience still makes me curious about race perception in the US.

[@sparkymularkey6970]

Thank you so much for making this video. I am Navajo, but my father's side of the family comes from Co. Sligo, Ireland, and I took after them, so I've got fair skin and freckles. I don't look NDN, but I am! 😅 Also an Urban Native. I spent some time living with my grandma on the rez, but I grew up in Phoenix for the most part. Anyway, it feels really good to see that I'm not alone!

[@tiffnickk]

Hearing your experience in school was so sad to me. Im so sorry. Personally (and as a white Arizona kid who went to school with the kids from the reservation) I do think the native kids were treated differently, they also seemed shy, and uncomfortable most of the time. My memory if what we were taught and the steryotypes that seemed common to me was very different. Natives were held as wise, noble, and often friendly. I remember so distinctly the anger of my HS History teacher when discussing things like the trail of tears and the mistreatment of native people. I never remember feeling anything simplistic or animalistic being presented thankfully. But what a devastating message for you and other native kids to hear. 😢

[@thisisme2681]

My husband's black and I'm white. Our kids range from white passing to ethnically ambiguous. People assume my white passing kids are white. Other people ask my ethnically ambiguous kids, "What are you?". (So rude to ask a complete stranger!) Oftentimes rude people will suggest my kids have different fathers. #1: Unless you have become close to someone, don't ask about their ethnicity. #2: Don't ever tell or ask siblings if they have different fathers. It's no one's business!

[@brainsetaflame]

This. My grandmother was half Yankton Sioux and passed for white in South Dakota in the 30's. She was part of the generation who was separated into assimilation schools where, your hair was cut, you were given American clothing, assigned a religion, and forbidden to speak her language. However, she was definitely treated differently than her full native mother in public. Although, she almost lost her first born son while giving birth at an Indian hospital, simply because he didn't come out breathing. My mother in turn was a child of two worlds, both being proud of her heritage, learning the language from her mother, but ignored by her natives relatives who didn’t speak english and would only sit on the floor. This as well as being shamed by her white relatives, must have been confusing. I can also relate because I had the same experiences talking about my native heritage when I was younger. I look whiter than white with dark hair (born blond) but my twin brother has always looked native. I now see my privilege and don't identify as native because I personally feel it's offensive. I didn't experience the same hardships and experience white privilege. Sorry for the novella. Thanks for the video.

[@annamarie1942]

i appreciate you sharing your ‘novella.’ i am mixed as well and had a similar moments in my upbringing as your mother in her upbringing.

[@nonnanord8694]

This is what is so thought provoking about her video today I feel I came from a mixed family my father was a darker Italian and my mother was from a horrible broken home and she was red head with bright blue eyes and milky white skin. I looked more like my Dad. My mothers family disowned her because as for as they where concerned she married a black man. I must admit I felt shame and inferiority. I grow up in Midwest city but somewhat southern. A lot of prejudice against Italian’s and Roman Catholic. And I have such anger over this “white privilege”. Because most people would look at me and say your white and yet they have no idea of what I have experienced. Thank you for sharing your story

[@EllieDashwood]

I’m so sorry about all the struggles your family has gone through. 😭 I’ve thought before about what you’ve said regarding white privilege and identifying Native. The question it raised for me was: “Is facing appearance-based racism and discrimination the main qualification for being Native?” If so, a lot of Native people would not qualify. And if so many Native people no longer qualify, who does that benefit? Those assimilation schools cut Native kids’ hair and renamed them because they wanted to make them white inside and wipe away their tribal ties and heritage. They were trying to stop the kids from *identifying* as Native because they could not change their biological Nativeness. So when a Native person starts to feel like they no longer count. That they can’t identify as Native anymore-well, it makes me feel like those schools won. And that every weapon than American society has used since its founding to get Native peoples to stop existing has worked. It’s subtle, but the concept that someone doesn’t qualify as Native because they have white privilege goes back to the idea that “real” Indians all look the same way. But modern Native peoples are diverse, with skin tones light and dark, brown, black, and white. What unites us is not how we look or the appearance-based racism it might inspire, but that we are still here. That after hundreds of years of trying to “exterminate” Natives from America both as individuals and as identifiable groups, we still exist. We’re Native *people* who are far more than our skin color. American society wanted us all to accept a prescribed fate and fade away into the mainstream and stop saying that we exist. But when Native people stand up and say, “I still exist. I’m still here, and I’m still Native.” Well, we win instead of the genocide. Anyway, at least those were my thoughts on the topic. 😃💕

[@sarahbeth124]

Not to downplay any of the awful things, but for some reason the “Forbidden to speak the language” always infuriates me. It’s so insidious, once a language is gone, there’s no getting that back. There’s no getting back the nuance that each dialect contains. The words that only exist in it. The loss of history and culture is just 🤬🤬🤬

[@brainsetaflame]

@@sarahbeth124 I agree. Back in college, I had the honor of interviewing Floyd Red Crow Westerman before he passed. One of the things he was doing was stitching back together the Lakota language. Our interview was interrupted by someone calling his about a new translation they had found. There are many people working on it and it's painstaking, heartbreaking work.

[@rrssna]

You can totally see the Native American features in you, no doubt. When I didn’t know for sure, I was guessing either Native American or Latina. And the Latina part was not necessarily a terrible guess, considering Indigenous American ancestry is very prevalent in the populations of Central and South America. I’m only half Colombian (my mom is Colombian), and still, I’m a quarter Indigenous American (according to DNA tests). Come to think of it, you do look a little like one of my aunts from Colombia..

[@PokhrajRoy.]

North Bengal has a very contentious history. Parts of it were colonised and consolidated by several governments. As a Bengali from Southern Bengal, it was a lot of hostility from classmates and then in an All-Boys Boarding School (I was not a boarder), I was abused in every way which really affected me later on.

[@alexiswelsh5821]

My Mom's half Asian, and she has gotten the "What are you?" question a lot from her fellow Americans. Also, apparently one of her fellow cheerleaders called her "a mutt". My mom didn't say how she responded, however if I was called that, I would've said that mutts have hardier DNA than "purebreds". Probably followed by a lecture on the benefits of genetic diversity.

[@DayanaraDays]

As someone who is also an Urban Native, Siksika third, this video is just soooo relatable. 🥲 The "quantifiable" aspect of being Indigenous has always bothered me, and not just because I can't qualify for my Tribe's recognition/citizenship. 🙃 It's dehumanizing and a bit too Eugenics focused for modern society- I always think of being Native as cultural. . . But I'm sure that what all us mudbloods say. "Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion." - P&P

[@azurephoenix9546]

It would also be like saying if one tribe married into another tribe, their kids less of the one than the other. It totally negates the concept of generational cultural knowledge, which is more or less all of history. I'm just as proud of being part of a Scottish clan as I am of being part of a tribe. I am both of these things and many more things, and tbh that's my favorite part of being an American, you can be from all over the world and 100% American at the same time. It's also my least favorite part of the selection identification that people are lately employing, Essentially compelling people into choosing a single aspect of their ancestry and labeling them that way like they're marking up beef cuts at the grocery store. You're a tenderloin only, you're not allowed to be a whole cow.

[@EllieDashwood]

That’s such a good point! Native identity is one of the most complex things around. And one of the strangest because there are so many different groups trying to set the qualifications. Who gets to decide who is really Native? the blood cards? The tribe’s current citizenship requirements (that sometimes do change)? Or is it being part of the culture? If so, does it have to be traditional culture or reservation culture, or powwow culture? Do non-Natives thinking you have high cheekbones make you instantly qualify? 😂 I’ve thought a lot about this, and instead of things getting simpler, they get more complex. But ultimately, I think there are a lot of different, very valid ways to be Native. 😃

[@bookcat123]

I do absolutely see the problem with needing to qualify/quantify heritage, and agree the % blood measurement does sound...uncomfortably Eugenics. So. As someone who knows very little but wants to know more. Is there a problem with non-native new-agey people claiming native heritage without respecting or even really learning it, and is that the reason the rules are so strict? Or why is the % blood measurement a thing?

[@KieroSi]

@@EllieDashwood it often seems like if you're not dressed in full regalia 24/7, living like you've just stepped out of a historical reenactment or anthropological exhibit at the history museum and played out as some new age, spiritualist hippie or stereotype.. there's this tendency to dismiss anyone as ndn. Tho, these days, honestly, I rage more about about the complications between govts; tribal govts, state and fed... which if you have problems with the tribal, state usually refers you to the fed and that can take years to address... plus dealing with people outside of it - either you've got the people that justify tribal govt corruption because it's ndn or the other extreme of people that hate it because it's ndn. There's like no middle ground, so you're isolated and no one wants to hear you speak about real issues in your community, they just want you to be a caricature, an archaic stereotype living in the past and outside of modernity; the noble savage trope. Inside, sure, everyone complains but protest is rarely raised, action rarely taken because there's an undercurrent of reprisals via membership. . . not just for you but everyone on your family line leading back to the rolls.

[@coralovesnature]

@@KieroSi you explained a complex problem so well and I appreciate that. I am not Native, but my husband is and he has expressed to me on many occasions his frustration with the tribal government and community leaders. In his words, “Native people are so prideful and arrogant around each other” (especially men, but anyone tbh). Sometimes it kind of feels like an unspoken contest of who can act the most Native. While his tribe does do a pretty good job in my experience of taking care of its citizens’ basic needs (stable income, housing, etc.), it can also be extremely frustrating trying to engage with cultural needs/ belonging.

[@morganjarrett5434]

Thank you so much for sharing! I'm from WV where there are no recognized tribes (not many in East coast in general...) but a lot of people of native decent including myself. Everything you just discussed hit really close to things I've experienced!

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I feel so happy that as a child, I had a basic understanding of what American Indians were like and learning the names of the tribes. It’s the bare minimum and I continue to learn about them till today.

[@MustAvoidScurvy]

People always tries to fit different human beings into what they think it has to be. It's so enraging!! Thank you for sharing you life story. It is very interesting!

[@1234cheerful]

Thank you, Ellie for sharing this added dimension to your story and setting out the facts from your personal experience. Thanks for addressing the skin tone issue. In many comments people are describing their own experience, which will, we can hope, enlarge people's understanding and acceptance. (I was only aware of you as an imaginative and captivating specialist in Regency Britain history. Also, that job sounds really great!)

[@aeolia80]

one of my good friends is a member of the Cherokee nation, and looks almost exactly like you in coloring though he has blue eyes. Him and his family have always consistently involved with the Cherokee nation in their area. Anyways, he's never had anyone accuse him of not being native until he got into grad school and he started getting involved in native rights and healthcare type stuff and other academics in his university claimed he was a poser and not really native, even though he has his citizenship card and everything

[@alphaomega9626]

"Blood quantum" is a big thing

[@christellebaroque8694]

This was so interesting to watch. I hadn't realised how engrained in American culture the erasure of Native culture was. Seeing your perspective has certainly opened my eyes to a lot. I'm European, Franco British and even I hate saying I'm half one or the other. I'm fully French and fully British but people still tell me I'm less than full. Well, at least if I identify as a full mess, no one can comment!

[@evelynwilson1566]

So much of it' s to do with where you're brought up as well isn't it? I mean I'm quarter English, mainly Scottish and raised in Scotland, so I feel culturally Scottish, I don't t feel any sort of connection to England really but there is such a complicated history between the two nations that there were times when younger that I didn't feel Scottish enough, or was worried about telling schoolmates about being part English. Then there's s the way the media portrays Scots - addiction, unemployment, crime, violence. Yes, we have all of these problems but so do most countries and you can't dismiss people or look down on them because they are unemployed or addicts. Yet there's a fringe group of really horrible anti- English fanaticism here too because people see them as invaders or oppressors ( in my opinion wrongly, it' s a much more complex history and relationship between the two) . I think Ellie' s point about language is really good. Here we're taught that Scots or colloquial English is slang it' s ' lesser' but I think that's s changing now. The poet Jackie Kay writes a lot about this - she is mixed race ( black father and white mother) and grew up in a fairly small town in Scotland in the sixties and seventies, then moved to England. She had the experience of being one of the few non- white kids in her town but she also writes about losing the Scottish words that were part of her when she moved south. Language is s o important.

[@sarahsunsetpark]

Ellie, thank you so much for sharing your experience growing up mixed race Native American Indian. It is always good to hear others experiences and share them so we all can become smarter, together. Historically as human beings we are all related and it is very important to share and broaden people’s knowledge on this topic to build tolerance. Many people are isolated and do not understand other perspectives. I will be sure to share this out with many of my friends as we can all learn and hopefully one day will be more understanding of peoples’ personal perspective on life here on earth.

[@Boop01013]

You’re the first KZbinr I’ve met that’s actually both MY tribes as well! Instant follow! You’re so kind and genuinely understanding! 😊

[@ambergreen981]

I’ve been a subscriber of yours for a long time because I am a fan of period films, books, etc. This is a great and informative video on something I honestly didn’t know much about. Thank you for sharing your experience with us!

[@palilancer9279]

Thanks for sharing your story, Ellie! It was really interesting to hear your perspective especially since I have cousins who are half Spokane Indian and I always thought their customs were really cool. I am mixed-race myself (Filipina + Caucasian) but have always been more on the cooler toned tan side though I grew up in an area with a large Hispanic population and was always mistaken as such (and was sometimes asked if I was part African American or Indian). Genetics are wild though because my sister is lighter than me but because of her eyes, is often mistaken as Chinese. I was very blessed to grow up in a household where my mixed race heritage was celebrated and I was privy to stories on both sides (my father's side is mostly Irish American). I am dual nationality as well (born in my mother's country, raised in my father's) so it was very fascinating to hear your story and your perspective. I've been really enjoying your latest videos and learning more about you and all the exciting things you're doing and hope you have many more exciting adventures to come!

[@autumnasmrrr]

I relate SO much to this. So nice to listen to other mixed race people who get and understand and had a similar experience to me. I'm mixed Indian & white but white-presenting (I've been told white-passing is not the right term anymore as it implies that 'passing' is what we should strive for) so people are usually shook when I say I'm half punjabi!! Anyways, awesome video. I learned a bit more about the history of Indigenous people as well.. You rock and keep educating people! x

[@kendralarsen8460]

This is such an important topic. I think that people often have their ideas of what a perfect world looks like and when their assumptions are challenged will deny it to the point of saying that the other person is wrong, even when they aren't. I can't speak to the mixed race aspect of this, but I was a missionary kid who was born in the country where my parents worked. This means that while I am American (because of my parents' country of origin) and my genetic mix is of (mostly) European extraction, I am also 100% Guatemalan, both because I was born there and because I grew up there. Looking back on it, I think that most Americans I came into contact with thought I was a confused child when I told them I was Guatemalan, (obviously, not everyone, but I'm sure there were people who thought that any "strange" behaviour on my part had to do with the fact that I was being raised in another country). I don't remember any "no, you're not" conversations when I was a kid, but I may have blocked those from my memory. The one I do remember was someone telling me that I wasn't Guatemalan even after I told him I was born there. This was after he asked me why I was dressed up, (I was wearing typical dress), and I told him it was for my country's independence day. So yeah, people don't like to reorder their worldview. I'm sorry for how rambly this was. I'm rather awkward and am always worried that I won't word things right and sometimes I overexplain.

[@theironicmetaphor7400]

Love this! The more people speak about their experiences and share with others the greater chance for empathy and understanding. From a SoCal/Baja perspective, Mexicans do not view Indigenous or Native identity based on modern borders. When the southwest was 'settled' by the Spanish/Mexicans, there were still many Native tribes, particularly along the west coast. Beyond this, many of the early Mexican settlers were mixed (mestizo and mulatto) particularly among the founders or Los Angeles and the San Diego Mission. I did not know that this area was also the target for moving families off reservations. It is a shame most of the contact with Native culture today is through casino resorts.

[@theironicmetaphor7400]

Having now finished the video, I did want to add that I too struggled with "fitting in" and I was asked "what are you?" often, because apparently I don't look Mexican (having an Italian name didn't help, but my dad just liked it). Yet in Mexico I am a gringo and definitely had to wake up to my own white privilege 😅. My identity has definitely shifted and evolved as I've grown up. My paternal haplogroup is indigenous, yet culturally my family is not. In my exploration the percentage has been more about understanding my ethnic background, i.e. using DNA testing sites. But because tribal affiliation or identification would be nigh impossible in my case (and I don't know if the US Gov considers people south of the border as Native Americans...) I don't do it for tribal recognition, similarly with my Jewish ancestry, it is just nice to know I guess. I do take pride in being 1/3 Native though, even if centuries of mixing mean I get a little from all over.

[@ritaevergreen7234]

Coming from someone who is Mexican-American and has features that I’m unsure is either indengeious or native (there is native ancestry in my line) I find it a bit mind boggling that the Mexican American community very much values the look of someone with these features to claim you look Mexican but at the same time they don’t even value people of those said features (the indigenous). It’s like they want a poster child look of recognition for the community but don’t even value the roots of the people. My mother is a white passing Latina so my sister also looks white passing. Ironically she feels she’s isn’t Mexican enough because she is white looking. She’d rather have an actual Mexican name so at least is proves something. One moment white latinas are used in media as the only representation but at the same time invalidating others they aren’t really apart. And lastly, I think this goes deeper because again my intonation coming from California is very white sounding but because of my features it seemed Im not suppose to sound how I sound. The community needs to stop self-harming themselves this way and projecting it onto their own people. Btw, a big chunk of my roots go to the border town of Calexico/Mexicali. Through my mom’s side. So people categorize my mother as an immigrant despite she is like 4th generation.

[@estarramanderley8172]

This was an amazing video. Thank you for that! I experienced this fitting in problem in a totally different way. When I was 12, I went to boarding school in another district with pupils from all over the country so my speech pattern evolved away from that of my local area. When I visited home, I was called out on it for sounding "too snobby". When I married, I adapted to the speech pattern of my husband's area and now I also get called out for sounding "too rural". When I'm elsewhere and get asked where I come from the astonished reaction to my answer pretty much always goes along the line of "Oh, you don't sound like that at all!" Funnily enough in therapy a big theme for me is the sense of not belonging anywhere... 😅

[@Keeperofmyhome-x3c]

Hi, Ellie! I'm a history major that loves your videos, and I'm so interested in both Jane Austen's books and the Native Culture. I'm actually writing retellings of Jane Austen's novels that take place on the Navajo reservation where all the characters are of Native descent in some way. I'm done with my Sense and Sensibility retelling and am almost done with my Pride and Prejudice retelling. I'm using the concept of blood quantum in my P&P book to explain why my version of Mrs. Bennett is so panicky and insistent her daughters marry well, because they wouldn't quality for tribal benefits. My Mr. Darcy is a lawyer of Navajo and Japanese descent with Asperger's syndrome and no social filter that left the reservation years ago and gets dragged back by my version of Mr. Bingley. My Elizabeth is a sassy dog groomer with deep pride in her Navajo culture that helps my Mr. Darcy find his Native roots again. I'm far too nervous to publish my writing because they surely would never be as good as Jane's, but your videos on Jane Austen's books and Native Culture inspired and helped me greatly. I just wanted to thank you for that.

[@jeannemiller1531]

I'd love to read your books!

[@Keeperofmyhome-x3c]

@@jeannemiller1531 Thank you! I appreciate that! I'm just too nervous to publish them.

[@ronjaj.addams-ramstedt1023]

@@Keeperofmyhome-x3c Would ArchiveOfOurOwn be a possibility?

[@sunspotmomito]

I would love to read your books!

[@tymanung6382]

Amazing !!!

[@Lucie-ho1qv]

You have such a beautiful outlook on life, I wish there was more of you in the world!

[@Deinareia]

Thanks for including the context for international viewers. As someone from eastern Europe, we don't have the knowledge of American social intricacies. Also, to the point of kids dressing up as Indians as you said - when done over here, it totally honestly means they think that's the best thing ever.

[@tiffanyrubenstein2341]

Thank you so much for this. I am also mixed race, fair-skinned urban Native. I’m also enrolled with the BIA and my tribe. The number of questions I get about % is appalling and I’m not going to answer anymore. I’m enrolled with my tribe, which means I am a full tribal member. I’m also so tired of false assumptions that I went to college for free, or get free government money (I’ve gotten some money basically because the US government lost law suits against tribes), or that I don’t pay taxes. When I was a kid in the 80s in California I was frequently told I couldn’t be Native because Indians didn’t exist anymore. The ignorance is astounding.

[@CeciliaPMiniatures]

As a European, I totally understand the reaction from people you met from the rest of the world, because it was mine too. When I read the title of this video, I went ah that's it! Very interesting and educating video.

[@TorchwoodPandP]

Me too! Thank you, Ellie, for sharing this very personal and amazing part of your life.

[@SatanistSchool]

I'm mixed Yoeme and white (and am also a city Native) glad to see this video because I identify with many of the experiences.

[@kimberleyjanemcnab5343]

In the British isles there are 4 national identities. Scottish, Welsh, Irish and English, I am of Irish/English decent but was born in Scotland. I think of myself as 100% Scottish with an English grandfather and Irish on my grandmothers side of the family from my mums side and Irish on my dads side. My children have Scottish ancestry from their fathers side. In my opinion it is not the %genetics that make you who you are, it’s your upbringing. I would be so proud if I was a member of one of the Nations. ❤

[@diedrawittenberg4657]

Thanks for sharing this! I'm a huge Austin fan but this may be my favorite video! I've worked with young children for over 20 years and these ideas are crucial for reflection and discussion. Thanks again!

[@npflaum]

Thank you for sharing this part of yourself. I think this is one of my favorites of your videos.

[@EllieDashwood]

Aw, thank you!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 😃💕😃

[@littlemissliv100]

I had no idea you were native until now. I’m so glad as a little kid you were so proud of your heritage. That’s so sweet!

[@shannonh9218]

I can relate to this in a way although from a different heritage standpoint. My mother’s side is mostly European Jewish who escaped (the extended family did not) the holocaust. My father’s side is mostly Scandinavian which I look just like. I brought up my mother’s side just a few times in school to be told I didn’t look Jewish or wasn’t Jewish. It wasn’t until recently that I was researching the names of my grandmothers aunts, uncles and cousins who died in the death camps that I realized that’s important for me to remember them and to remember that side.

[@LedgerAndLace]

Totally not the point, but your kitty in the box at the end was PERFECT! I found out my 10th great-grandmother on my father's side was full Indian (Seneca, if I remember correctly). So I'm definitely way watered down, plus I have an English mother. But my brother said, "Welp. That explains our cheek bones." I really appreciate your expansion into these different topics. Came for Austin, staying for Ellie! ;-)

[@gnostic268]

This was so interesting. I'm an enrolled Hunkpapa Lakota at Standing Rock. Both my parents were enrolled at SR but various grandparents were Dakota from Sisseton-Wahpeton in South Dakota. However my late mother-in-law was Mvskoke (Creek). My late father in-law was Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma but he also had family from the Meskwaki in Iowa. My son is married to a Kiowa/Pawnee/Ioway woman so we're pretty diverse in the intertribal world. Lol The Mvskoke are matriarchal so although I'm not Mvskoke my kids use their paternal grandmother's clan and their connection to their traditional grounds in Oklahoma after removal from their ancestral homelands. The Sac and Fox/Meskwaki also have clans but the Lakota do not. I actually thought being only one tribe was a little boring so I am glad that my kids have more than one tribe. I don't know if you watch Reservation Dogs but it's written by Sterlin Harjo who is Mvskoke. One of the last episodes for this season was called Mabel~ and was dedicated to the late Will Sampson and his eldest son, Tim. Both were actors and my mother in-law was one of Will Sampson's sisters and Mabel was their mother. I'm not sure if he intentionally dedicated to Mabel Sampson but it seems like it. I don't know if you've read The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich but it's based (a fictional account) on her own father's experience in their Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribe (ND) and what they went through to gather information and fundraise to make the trip to Washington DC in order to testify before Congress when all of the Relocation and Termination issues were being discussed. I think there is a lot of colorism in the U.S. I have a light complexion and my daughter is as light as you are although almost everyone else is more tan. There is no phenotype thankfully and imo there shouldn't be the 1/4 blood quantum that is currently enforced in most tribes. Especially with the Relocation programs which my in-laws and many friends intermarried with people outside their tribes when they moved to LA. My father in-law helped build Disneyland back in the day. I live in the Midwest and we are surrounded by the historical remnants of the Mississippian culture. They were incredibly sophisticated and built large cities a thousand years ago so the perception that they were as it says in the Declaration of Independence that Native people were "merciless Indian savages" is just the usual government propaganda that is the bedrock of the early faux mythology of the creation of the U.S. 🙄 I didn't grow up on my reservation either but we're all valid 💟

[@coralovesnature]

Thanks for sharing your background. My husband is Ho Chunk and we both love Rez Dogs!

[@tanyahwilliams1615]

Thank you for taking about the inheritance of skin color. My black aunt and my white uncle had two children: one look black and has kinky hair and one has wavy/straight hair and really fair skin. Even with both of my dark skinned parents, I am light skinned. The color of the parents don’t matter.

[@angelmage99]

Thanks for sharing some Native history. I love learning more about the issues and how I can be part of the solution. As far as being mixed cultural, my great great grandma came from Denmark and told her kids never to speak Danish again. It's been her children, grandchildren and so on that have taken steps to reclaim their heritage. It's thanks to my great grandmother that I call myself Danish American, even though I've never been to Denmark, nor do I currently speak Danish (working on Norwegian).

[@trinitybrown9008]

Love your ability to convey your perspective and candidly your personal experience, truths and vulnerabilities and hardships (in applicable parts) while maintaining a very lovely sweet, uplifting and honest energy

[@FireRose.77]

I liked how this part of your life made you more aware and empathetic to others. Having lived in the US for some years, as a "brown" person/ Latina/ Hispanic was an interesting thingto say the least. (Was asked a few times what tribe I belonged to... I don't know if they were well meaning or not, but somehow it made me proud to be seen as Native) This attitude/ vibe of "juntos pero no revueltos" -together but not mixed- made me think about how precious my identity is. Even when many of my tastes take me away from what a lot of Latinos / Hispanic enjoy... (I feel more comfortable expressing myself in English, don't like Cumbia, Salsa and the like...) I feel happy in my own skin LOL literally and not... I liked hearing you talk about your own experiences!

[@maddiemcculley7662]

This video was so validating as a white and native person myself. I had a lot of similar experiences since I'm also white passing. Thank you for sharing!!

[@candyclews4047]

Strangely, as a Brit and despite your accent Ellie, I've always embraced you as the perfect Jane Austen contemporary. I have no difficulty in seeing you in the drawing rooms of that era so it was so interesting to get back to reality and hear about this lovely aspect of you life!

[@donnaf9570]

Well, blow me over with that proverbial eagle feather... I never would have pegged you as a native American had it occurred to me to even try. I came across your channel because of its focus on Jane Austen. Having said that, you just described my own experience as a mixed blood Canadian of Cree heritage. Because of my fair skin and dark hair, I was always asked if I was of this heritage or that (ex Turkish), but I was always proud to tell them I was Cree. My grandmother's confidence in herself always gave me that confidence to affirm my own heritage. She's always been my strength and role model. Continue to stand proud, Ellie Dashwood.

[@ashleyf1505]

Great video as always. I related a lot to this video. My mom is Anglo Indian (mixed British and Indian) and was born in India. My dad is white American of mostly Scottish and German descent. I definitely look more like my mom and people are always surprised when they see my dad. In high school I felt like I never fit in anywhere racially. I never felt like I looked white enough,but was only a quarter Indian. I eventually made peace with it, but it was a struggle. I have also found my perceived race or ethnicity changes depending where the person is from. When I lived in England more people could tell I have Indian heritage while in the US I am thought to be Italian or Middle Eastern. I think it's interesting that mixed people often have similar experiences.

[@suziechristman9771]

Thank you Ellie. I appreciate the effort you took opening yourself up in this way. I'll carry so much forward from this video. ❤️

[@redwoodelf5678]

Thank you very much for sharing your story, I stumbled on this video because I enjoy your other videos. I will try to take some of what I learned from your perspective to help me be more sensitive in my choice of words to other people. I grew up in a largely Spanish immigrant community in California, and we often talked about blood percentages when I was growing up, and I was often reminded that I was only 1/4 Spanish, since I look far more like the German side of my family. My grandmother, who was born in California, but both of her parents were born in Andalucia Spain, has always said who we are is more about where our heart is than whatever percentage our ancestry is. I have always felt very connected to the southern/Arab influenced Spanish culture, food, and music. I hope that someday our society can get to a place where we can celebrate and be proud of our family cultures without other people feeling like they get to pass judgement on others based on their looks.

[@sarahc4004]

Thank you for being so open, honest, and educational. I wish I could give you a hug!

[@caseywhite6954]

Growing up my mom would tell me about the tribes we came from based on research she'd done. My grandmother always refused to admit we were native, the world she grew up in was so hostile. I grew up with a strong sense of being native, as well as, Scottish and French from my father's side. I will say that as a shy child I never really broadcast anything about myself so I have only recently started dealing with people trying to tell me who I am and who I am not. I am very fair skinned, unlike my sister and my mom, but I always just joked that I got the Scottish side hard. Learning the history of what the US government has done and continues to do to native populations makes me so angry I want to cry. I wouldn't even know how to find out my mom's %, but I would love to be able to take her to a Mohawk or Blackfoot rez and just let her meet her people, learn the languages, the recipes, everything. Thank you so much for sharing this. I will definitely be subscribing. I do have a question for you. Did you ever choose a name for yourself?

[@kiragarvie]

(Late to the game here, sorry!) The point you bring up about your classmates in the US saying "you're so white" and people from outside the US saying "hmm, you are something different that that" makes me wonder if outside the US there is more attention paid to differences like facial structure as opposed to just visible skin color. Thank you for sharing your experience! This was eye opening... I am sorry that some people never get smarter!

[@luckyrabbitnumber]

One project I did for high school English back in 1999 had to do with N. Scott Momaday. Later I read many other Native American writers, too, but he has a special place in my heart. In his novel House Made of Dawn, some of the post-war events are described. I’m not from the USA but it’s only if you live here for a very long time that you can get an idea of how incredibly complex and sensitive the issues surrounding race can be for the people of the U.S.

[@Hannah-mu1uj]

I'm also a mixed urban native and appreciated this so much. My mom's father was Muscogee Creek mixed with Black and white but he hated talking about it when he was alive and seemingly left no paper trail in death. Her mother is also a mixed native, white and an unknown tribe due to my great-grandmother being 'adopted'. As a teenager I started searching for records from my grandfather that would enable my family to enroll but the man did not even have a birth certificate. I tried looking again during the pandemic and one day I got a notification from Ancestry alerting me that my ancestors' names came up on the Dawes Scroll. Like many others, my ancestors were separated from their tribe because they were Black and formerly enslaved. They were Muscogee Creek Freedmen and descendants like myself lost tribal citizenship entirely in 1979. There has been a great push recently to bring those of us descended from the Freedmen back into the MCN that I highly recommend looking into. Ultimately as a very pale half-scandinavian urban native, any time I get a "but you're so white!" comment it now turns into an opportunity to inform that person that some natives are darker than they expect and some are lighter than they expect and that doesn't make them any less native. i know it is a very fine line with white privilege but at the end of the day as long as i am the opposite of what the people who destroyed my ancestors' culture and tore apart families hoped someone like me would be, i am living well.

[@jennieeveleighlamond]

Thank you for speaking about this. My Nana was a survivor of the residential school system here in Canada. I have so many thoughts about what you said, but they are too painful for me to write down in a YT comment. I am also an anglophone living in Quebec, and while I speak French I am still othered constantly, and told that I am not good enough because I have an accent when I speak.

[@sparkymularkey6970]

My mother is a survivor of the boarding schools here in the United States (our term for Native American residential schools). I am SO sorry that your family has also gone through such a traumatic experience. They stole so much from us. My heart aches with you.

[@jennieeveleighlamond]

@@sparkymularkey6970 I am sorry for your family's loss and trauma as well. Hugs!

[@MsSera21]

I knew very little about this topic, and it was super interesting! The notion that being of mixed heritage is not a dilution of identity but an expansion is very resonant. It also got me thinking about how identity is determined in general. Cultural transmission, kinship ties, community relationships etc also shape who we are, and it is very interesting that the government classification has ended up with so much emphasis on bloodline as *the* important determiner

[@misrose673]

Thank you so much for sharing Ellie. I learned a lot from your experience! I appreciate your honesty about the hard stuff, but also your generosity in how you deliver it. Keep doing what you're doing ☺️

[@kirstena4001]

This video was amazing! Thank you so so much for sharing your experiences and perspectives. I really learned a lot, and it made me think about things i hadn't been faced with before.