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Hello,
I know I am new to this community, and have been learning alot from you all and your posts. Although a native american myself, most of my heritage came from my grandparents and they did not ‘participate’ with the larger native community for whatever reasons. Maybe in time I will understand that more clearly in each of their cases. I feel guilty and ashamed of that, but I suppose the times were hard and different then.
However, it leaves me at a total loss for how the communities currently work. I have so much I want to learn, how to cook the food, where to get the clothing (I really want a pair of real moccassins), how to act and dress, how the community events work and who can attend, how tribal memberships/affiliations work or if I should seek one or how, etc etc etc.
I am hoping maybe you all can give me some suggestions, my grandparents dressed simply and liked leather and jeans. Honestly, I hate jeans, they are hard to move freely in. Any information I can get on that I would really appreciate. I would also appreciate any recipes for food anyone can share with me.
Hey Trent,
In what area do you live?
Which tribe(s)?
There are some recipes and other cool stuff tucked away in the “Family Lore” section of this forum. Set your display options to show all the threads and take a looky.
Here is a pretty good place to get started learning about clothing and such:
And ask specific questions here. There are some very knowlegeable people lurking in our midst.
We would be remiss if we tried to represent to you that we have the answers to those questions. The tribes we descend from were disrupted hundreds of years ago. Our familes, like yours, have lived assimilated into American culture for that long. Many of our families made efforts to repudiate this descent, and those that didn’t had little information to pass on anyway.
Many of us here want to restore some of our cultural heritage and we research those things, and adopt what seems appropriate, some of us are attending pow wows and becoming part of those ‘travelling small towns.’ Perhaps you’ll connect that way.
Follow what calls to you, but please don’t look to us like we’ve got ‘it’ to bestow on anyone.
“It” is something only the Creator can bestow I think. How does one arrive at an indian name after being disconnected this long? Is there a process of some kind to it?
I am not sure what original tribes, it seems to me to be one of the algonquian groups in the shenandoahs or N Va areas, at thsi point. The last records are on reservations and and very good likelihood in Blackfoot Town MD.
On the reservation things they r listed as Arapaho, Dakota, and from oral and census it appears some Cheyenne from the blackfeet clan once the migrations had started tho. Also a good possibility of descent from Chief Mazi-Mani (Iron Walker) who led the Millie Lac Indians (ojibwe) who were a mix of Chippewa and Dakota, I assume they formed due to the effects of the removals and migrations. Obviously I am a mix I think, probably with some origin amongst the souian on the east coast.
Right now I am rather distant in Puerto Rico, however my family still lives in N Va, and we are currently endeavoring to return to rural Va within an hour or so of them.
True, the answers to many of your questions would depend on the tribe, the community, whether or not one or more of them has remained a tribal community , been assimilated, been assimilated but put back together, elders, unique traditions, etc.
But you can start with the simple things that are available to you, and work from there. I understand wanting to learn everything now, but have no experience with success at it. ;~) Perhaps trying a recipe or two, and taking time to savor every bite may be a good beginning.
Not sure what may be available in Puerto Rico, but whenever you come to VA, there will be plenty to explore. Wherebouts does your family live? (I am also a native Virginian.)
Here is another link for ya:
http://www.native-languages.org/cheyenne_culture.htm
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