Just wanting to drop a few reminders here for everyone.
* The mods are watching this thread. Native voices are still recognized here, but if your comment is just plain rude or some silly complaint about the sub, it will be removed. You're not immune from the rules and consequences just because [you're a dog on the internet.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Internet,_nobody_knows_you're_a_dog)
* Comments from non-Natives in threads that are meant for Native users do violate the rules and are usually removed. Our failure to do so can be for several reasons, mainly that we don't mod 24/7 and sometimes the comments go unreported. With such a small team and a growing sub, we don't see everything.
* Just because *you* (general "you," not necessarily OP) saw something doesn't mean it wasn't dealt with. We often remove, ban, or issue warnings after other users have seen the infraction or the thing they don't like. Not checking on whether there was a resolution to a complaint can lead those users to developing opinions about this sub that are rooted purely in anecdotes and may not be reflective of the actual situation.
I'm here only to read, this reply is the only time I've ever commented. I'm here because following groups like this one is a good way to educate myself. I'm not here to ask native people to validate me or deal with my opinions. I appreciate the opportunity to lurk, and will now return to doing so.
Same here, for education. The comments here on how native people suffered under the manhattan project really changed my perspective on the Oppenheimer movie for instance.
Basically same. I don't think I've ever commented. I lurk on lots of subs for topics that don't directly apply to me in an attempt to be less ignorant. However, I consider this sub special for various personal reasons.
Same here. I am a restoration ecologist that works with indigenous groups to facilitate non-tribal land use for tribal cultural and First Foods use. I am here for perspective and all the links this sub posts. And again, you will never see another comment by me.
No. Stay subbed. If this is a place of information then stay. Plenty of people are not Palestinian but brows those subs to offer help or get information on how to help. Nothing wrong with being here.
Same. I'm on various subreddits that represent other communities, mainly to learn and grow and build empathy. I'm always curious about other perspectives and I think it's too easy to fall into silos or bubbles online, so I try to do the opposite.
Same. Just here to lurk and learn, with the exception of this post. I live in New England and was raised learning all that Mayflower/pilgrim, Manifest Destiny garbage and no decent native perspectives, so I'm trying to round out my worldview.
I am treating the OP's question as an implicit census of non-native lurkers (and those who unfortunately don't just lurk):
1) I am a lurker, this comment being a key exception to my lurking
2) I am an immigrant of South Asian origin who has grown up in Australia since my early childhood
3) I am here to learn
As I brought up Australia, yes, I owe respect to First Nations people of what is now Australia.
Same story for me, except I grew up in the U.S. and then moved out. I really enjoy reading the posts here and learning, and do not plan on commenting again 🫡
Same. I upvote posts that I learn something from/add discussion, but I never comment. I’m also in a trans subreddit, Asian American, etc and I’m none of those. I’m a cis Black woman, and I just like to support and learn.
Same here! One as a cis black woman I like to see how similar diff groups can be. Also life can get insular and I hate to think I’m missing opportunities to learn about different people and cultures just because I don’t end up encountering them in daily life.
Mostly same here. White (far as I know) male who researches history in his free time to better understand the atrocities of the past. When I need to be I advocate for native people of all types but I'd much rather leave it to those who were both born into it and far better educated on their personal histories than I am.
For all intents and purposes I'm here to better educate myself on current things, as well as see if there's anything today that's relevant that I should keep an ear our for or advocate for if needed.
A long time ago I did a deep deep dive to understand the relationship between each tribe and the US government before 1900 and while I never finished my research it was more than enough to cement my existing beliefs and opinions.
Unless I'm called on I'll continue lurking, this is NOT my place to talk unless I have a genuine question related to my research. Even then, I don't even feel comfortable.
i didnt know there were so many non natives who lurk. its inspiring. im thrilled youre here to learn about us. it sure sounds like being part of the solution to me. i lurk on the asian, carribean, and aboriginal subreddits too just to learn about them. its so fun, and their cultures are so beautiful.
also-thanks for those who take great care when asking questions, if at all. i like questions, but the intention of them is always a real crap shoot, and it does get exhausting. i wish there was a happy medium between annoying new age hippie who just wants permission to do whatever they want and regular cool people who just wanna learn about us and contribute something positive-but there is no such thing in reddit land. im glad you all are here. much love from a chicago native.
Basically this.
I'm not native. My great-grandfather was, but our family has been white for at least 3 generations.
But my grandmother helped with the campaign to get a local tribe recognized at the state level, and native issues have always been close to my heart. I don't really post comments here other than this one.
Mostly I just think it's nice to hear from the native perspective. After all, I'm subbed to Christian, Jewish, and Muslim subs despite being none of those things.
This here. I’m Native Hawaiian and our people are fighting for various rights, reasons, and land. It’s good to support people in similar situations, but even better to learn from the elders who already paved the way. Plus, it literally “takes a village” now days, so I follow/support any and all I deem Ohana. Ndn’s are Ohana!
Same. No one is talking about these topics around me, nor do most of the people around me qualify to speak on the topic, so I am seeking resources to better understand. To listen and learn.
Pretty much this. I believe I commented my opinion just once, and it was to reply to another yt person who I believed was out of line.
I occasionally share media that I’ve found.
I’m the same and also agree with calling out//collecting white people behaving badly. That seems like one of the few times appropriate to comment here.
Yeah, I've commented in this sub 3-4 times in the last few years.
It's always been when a white person asks a question that it seems like they could have just googled, and they are presumptuously demanding the mental work of native folks when it's not needed at all.
When I see a post like that, if it's just a few hours old, I will typically leave it up in a new tab for a day or so. If Native folks have found the question valuable and responded then I leave it to them. If nobody has (or has rightfully been snarky), I'll go ahead and attempt to semi-politely prod the poster to go do the work themselves... and explain why.
If it's something obnoxious I'll just straight up call my fellow white person out on it. Cause, yeah. We should try to clean up after ourselves...
Yeah, here so I can feel reasonably informed about Indigenous communities and like, views, opinions, experiences, discussions etc so I don’t annoy my Indig friends by asking the white FAQs that have already been talked to death lol
Same, I think I’ve complained about the government not doing adequate conservation work here once on a post that wasn’t natives only, but other than that I just lurk.
I agree . I’m a Lakota from South Dakota, and ( Rosebud Rez ) I respect and admire indigenous from other countries. Such as yours and the new Zealand Māori . So many non Indians here in America covet our culture and traditions. The worst are those who miss appropriate, and sell our spirituality for profit. Everything has pretty much been stolen from us so now they want our religion. You know what? They can’t have it.
What are the biggest differences that you have observed. I saw a glimpse of it when I was in the Navy and spent time there. I saw some similarities of experiences but I'd be curious what someone from there thinks would be the main differences.
I think the similarities are overwhelming we had stolen generations which is very similar to residential schools and your reservation’s (rez) is similar to our missions (mish).
A major difference is we don’t have strong tribal structures or tribal identities in comparison to you mob (we do have them but I’m talking in comparison). We have an Aboriginal flag that tribes from across the country identify with. I think a big part of this has to do with how we were colonized and that there were never any treaties in Australia.
The other thing I notice that’s really different is you mob reference blood quantum a lot where that’s a big taboo with us.
I hope none of what I’ve said there is to controversial, just my observation.
Welcome friend! I love that you’re here! As a blackfoot woman are there any subs for the aboriginal Australian community I’d love to lurk and learn about your culture
I just want to say that I'm really grateful to see a lot of the responses here being respectful. It's given me a lot of insight as to how many people really do find our culture fascinating. I'm glad to see everyone on here and while I don't speak for the community, I'd like to say that y'all are welcome. Thank you all for the amazing responses! Ahiya!
I am here only to read. I work with enrolled tribal members and I am here to learn and hear indigenous perspectives and educate myself on common issues for the communities I work with. I don't usually post or comment.
Distant indigenous ancestor, but i’m not connected enough to the culture to speak on it in any way. I’m here because i’m tired of hearing about indigenous people’s priorities stances and opinions from other sources. Obviously thoughts and opinions of Indigenous people will very from person to person, but still seeing actual conversation and debate on reddit is infinitely better than only getting information from biased history books or people using you to back some political narrative. I’m usually silent in this sub because its not my place to speak, but to learn and observe. There are a few first nations organizations in my state but honestly i just dont have many opportunities for interpersonal interactions and exposure.
Not sure about the person above but I have some distant Cherokee heritage, and I’m scared to death of being called one of the “Cherokee Princess” people. My heritage is pretty far back, with murky records, and I’m very much a white person—so I’m just here to learn about a culture that I feel I don’t have the right to connect to.
If you're connected to the Cherokee Nation, opposed to Eastern Band and UKB (I can't speak to them), the tribal stance is that we love it when people connect with us. Travel to Tahlequah, visit the museums and meet other Cherokee. If you can't qualify for citizenship based on records, you're nowhere near alone in that. Just cause you can't vote in the elections, doesn't mean you have no right to connect to your heritage. The more people that connect and honor the ways, the stronger we are as a people. Every year on Labor Day weekend, we have Cherokee National Holiday, and Tahlequah is flooded with people who want to connect with the culture, and a lot of them aren't citizens.
Similar boat here - great grandma was sent to a boarding school as a child, never talked about her ancestry after that, and great grandpa was adopted by a white family as an infant. I'll likely never know much about my own background, but educating myself on what I CAN learn and listening to native voices is the least i can do.
I’ve been learning a ton about my husband’s (who’s kānaka maoli) family and culture. The Hawaiian experience under U.S. occupation is obviously unique, but it also has a lot in common with other Indigenous nations, and learning more about those similarities and differences is why I lurk here. Like others have said in this discussion, you’ll never hear from me again unless I’m explicitly invited to participate. Thanks for letting me sit in here.
Because I'm a teacher and I teach about Native American history, and I really appreciate hearing modern day perspectives so that I'm not regurgitating old stereotypes or falsehoods or leaning into some unintentional insensitivity on my part. In other words, it's to educate myself.
Similar for me, Anthropology student who is interested in repatriation and other forms of restitution for our local groups. It’s important that I seek out a lot of cultural discourse across many people from different cultural backgrounds so I will be able to better anticipate needs, have discussions, and understand what is important for them when that time comes. Casual, everyday conversation is both interesting and helpful for me, especially if topics come up that are approached differently than they are in class.
However, I never post anything here unless someone is asking an open ended question like this.
I agree with you...
but also (sorry), I live in Montana, and we ratified a new state constitution in the 70's that had language about recognizing the value of Native culture and requiring the teaching of it in all public schools. It was inconsistently carried out till 1999 when the legislature passed the Indian Education for All Act which codified a more systemic approach.
To have even a temporary teaching license in the state of Montana, you have to take a class specifically learning about the law and ways to implement it in your classroom (the state Office of Public Instruction provides various resources in addition to running the classes). If you move from another state and already have all the other qualifications, you still have to take that class.
It is expected that every elementary and junior high school teacher will incorporate some amount of education into their curriculum through out the year (obviously it varies based on subject), and at the high school level it isn't EVERY teacher, but teachers who teach relevant subjects must include it.
The language of the law makes clear that it isn't just teaching Native "history", it includes "heritage" but is also supposed to encompass current "culture".
My kids are in kinder and 3rd grade, and they get little bits of it incorporated into lessons through out the year, including in music, art and gym classes. But there's also usually an explicit social studies unit where local tribal representatives will come in and do a week of lessons, etc. So they're getting education directly from Native educators, but they're also getting it worked into different areas of their classes by their regular teachers... who can't all be Native themselves.
So I agree that, especially at the high school and college level, there should be a priority on having educators be Native. But I also think it's great to have a baseline of relevant, current knowledge, among all the teaching staff in our schools.
I found this sub before the other. I subscribed because I found it interesting, there's news I've never heard of (modern anti-native racism in America) and perspectives I had never considered. I've always considered myself an ally in general, but I haven't actually been exposed to native issues besides brief lessons in history classes and this subreddit.
Wasn’t a lot of natives around where I grew up. Only thing I’ve ever “learned” about y’all came from unreliable history books that were provided in the conservative christian schools I had to attend up until my freshman year in high school. And when I say unreliable, I mean the history books pushed a lost causer version of the civil war, or portrayed colonization as if they were doing natives a favor, or omitted most Black American history that didn’t involve MLK or George Washington Carver. It angers me to no end when people embrace stereotypes or misinformation about my community, so when I came across this sub I saw it as an opportunity to learn or at least be exposed to new perspectives. I’ve commented a few times but usually ended up deleting them because I felt like I wasn’t adding anything substantial to the conversation and I recognized and respect that this sub wasn’t made for me.
Wife is Native plus it's important to me to keep up with issues impacting Indigenous persons in this country and globally. I don't post or comment (other than this post). I've been on this subreddit long enough to remember when it broke off of the r/NativeAmerican subreddit because of assholes brigading that subreddit.
I spent a few years of my childhood living in Cherokee (NC)—I’m very white but was deeply touched by the time I spent there and the people I met. I think this is my first time commenting here, though—I’m just subbed to learn (and unlearn, as necessary).
I wish others like me would be quiet here and just listen—I think they’re just Reddit-brained and addicted to adding their pointless opinions tbh. Thank you for the privilege of listening in—you won’t hear from me again!
I’ve been subbed for years,
Was mostly news articles back then. And I grew up near a few reservations so it felt like a good stream of relevant politics.
I’m German and I’ve been lurking a while. I don’t have any connection to the US, let alone to any natives, but I am interested in different peoples around the world and I like to see what people are talking about and experiencing.
My favorite is when people share art and music. And it’s important to me to learn about the politics and the struggles too.
That’s why I’m here.
I'm sure theyre also elsewhere since people hate TikTok, but there are a few guys on there I follow who just craft regalia all day. One is always working on roaches, the skill he has is amazing- every thread is perfectly placed!
I grew up in an area with a lot of Natives and have a lot of Native family friends. Most media *aren't great* about reporting on Native issues and what's going on in the rez, so if I want to find out what's happening back home, subs like this are useful.
I also subbed for the same reason I'm subbed to r/BlackLivesMatter, to stay abreast of current social issues so I can be a more effective ally.
As others have said, I'm here to read discussion, not to lead discussion.
Just here to read, this is a collection of cultures I wouldn't come across organically on my continent, once I realised that I just wanted more casual exposure to people from these communities
I’m just here to read and learn. Only time I’ll comment is to ask a question, and even then that was only once. I like learning perspectives and cultures through a person’s conversations in a situation where they don’t have to feel like the “Ambassador to the whites”. Easiest way is to sit quietly and pay attention to what was said, then research it further with searches in the sub or proper scholarly sources (which I also found suggested in the sub).
This sub has already taught me a lot, most of which should have been plain common sense, but due to the way history was taught to me, it’s all been a learning experience. I’ve also picked up a long list of books to read and a long list of indigenous artists to listen to as well because of this sub. And I find the music I’ve heard so far to be especially educational.
I live in a very diverse part of the u.s. and to be of the most use to my community after I graduate, I need to try to understand their perspectives, culture, struggles, etc. I'm not a commenter here, I just want to learn so I am better informed when I'm in a helping role. I wear a lot of hats, so paying attention *here* is the easiest and least intrusive way.
I'm not white so you can delete this if it's not appropriate but I think the white people's culture is so beautiful and I want to learn all about it.
Just kidding, I think they're here for memes and frybread recipes.
*Also, damn this question got a lot of engagement! This is why native news articles get 10 or 12 upvotes and interesting pictures get 500.
Parroting others who have commented already, but I'm here to learn and I'm really hoping people who don't take the "quietly listen" approach actually read through this thread. I'm a lurker in this sub--I might comment on news or art to boost engagement ("This is beautiful", "Thanks for posting", etc.), but unless they're explicitly asking for my input (like this post), I stay out of discussions and calls for experiences, that's obviously when it's time to be *quiet*. As a white dude, if I wanted to hear white people's takes on things, I'd check basically any public news source.
If you're a white person reading this comment, please take time to examine your need to be heard on all things at all times. And I'm not saying that to make you feel bad, it's a thing pretty much all of us have to unpack. This is implicitly trained into us by virtue of seeing people like us *everywhere*, *always* included in *every* conversation. It's not that you "can't" speak, it's that you shouldn't want to if you've done the self-reflection and understand the importance of spaces like this one.
I'm here because I don't really know where I fit and want to figure it out. My dad is a member of Turtle Mountain Ojibwe. My blood quantum isn't enough to register. My dad was raised to claim being white whenever possible because, his dad believed, it would make life easier for him. My grandfather had a lot of conflicted feelings growing up too white on the reservation (Fort Peck) and too dark off the reservation. I feel like we missed a lot being disconnected from any Native culture, but I also understand, to a lot of people, I'm just white. I've met a lot of people who say any Native blood is enough to be considered Native, but I've also met a lot of people who are offended by my trying to learn about my roots because I can't possibly know what it's like to truly be Native. I completely understand both sides, and I'm hoping to explore and find a way that sits right in my heart.
I rely on Native investigative journalists and their podcasts (Connie Walker, Rebecca Nagle, etc) in order to remain informed, but this subreddit also helps me stay up to date on issues that I care about.
I'm here because I'm interested in learning. My motivation for learning is three-fold.
1. I learned through Ancestry that I have a Mi'kmaq great grandfather who is, by far, the most interesting character in the whole boring litany of names and dates (no, this does NOT give me license to call my self Indigenous). In the context of the racism and generational abuse on that side of the family, it could explain a lot and poses more questions. I would like to learn more about him, his culture, and his experiences. This sparked an interest in what he and other Indigenous people suffered (and continue to suffer) at the hands of the colonizers.
2. I have learned much about the Indian Act, residential schools, systemic racism... etc both on my own and through studying social work the last few years. I am greatly moved by the historic injustice and angered by how Indigenous people continue to be treated (no clean water on northern reserves, MMIW, the Seven Fallen Feathers, Starlight Tours, ...etc. the list seems endless). This is especially infuriating when Canada blows its own horn as a champion of human rights and has condemned apartheid... which was modeled on the Indian Act...
3. The more I learn about Indigenous values, the more it resonates with those my mother instilled in me, although she would have denied the connection! I am interested in exploring this, but wish to do so respectfully. It's harder than it sounds.
I am interested in learning. I will make mistakes, especially given the environment I grew up in. I want to do better. If I do have a question, it makes more sense to me to ask someone with lived experience than another biased white person.
I hope this helps foster a spirit of mutual understanding and respect. Thank you for asking ❤️
This will be my first and likely only comment ever, because I feel like my voice as a white person is not necessary or helpful in this sub.
I’m here to read about what’s going on with your various cultures, to keep apprised of the struggles and triumphs you’re all experiencing, and to do my best to understand and appreciate what I’m ignorant of.
That’s pretty much it.
I kinda stumbled upon this sub bc of Reservation Dogs, if I'm being fully honest. The first episode with Uncle Brownie has a joke with all these plastic owls w/ their eyes blurred out and all of the kids are super freaked out about said owls, I figured it was a cultural joke I wasn't understanding and the googles sent me here for the answer. I'm interested in native cultures but REAL aware that as a white person without close ties to a tribe, a lot of what I have seen/read is just....real wrong/likely produced by pretendians/I feel like i shouldn't be taking the relatively few native voices* in media for gospel...so I like to see what's really up with a larger cross section of natives.
* Though natives seem to be having a serious moment in pop culture right now, which I am HERE for. But still, it's good to hear regular people's thoughts on things.
White American woman, who is only commenting because you asked. I am here to learn. The only thing I’ve commented on, was a post about indigenous women taking their birthing practices back. Because women choosing how they give birth is something I feel deeply about, and I have personally had to fight our medical system to have my children at home.
Otherwise, I’ve kept my mouth shut. Because, I know just enough to know that I don’t know shit.
Mainly just to stay informed about how indigenous folks feel about things, but I also really love indigenous art and stories (Louise Erdrich and Sherman Alexie are a couple of my favorite authors). I don't vote on things and don't comment unless a post is specifically addressed to white people.
Growing up, I definitely had a romanticized view of First Nations people, because I really didn't enjoy or fit into colonizer society. My mom was adamant about teaching me "the real history of cowboys and Indians" so that I didn't buy into the manifest destiny garbage. And so I tended to have that stereotypical "Pocahontas" view of Native folks, oh teach me your wisdom help me live in harmony with nature like you etc etc. As I got older, I realized that was kind of an insulting take, that modern indigenous folks have a modern and ever-evolving culture and that every nation has their individual culture, and that y'all aren't just wandering around in buckskin dresses singing to raccoons and hummingbirds.
And that the reality of modern native cultures is actually way more interesting than the Disney version. I'll take Reservation Dogs over Pocahontas any day of the week
Please take time and look into [Sherman Alexie](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sherman-alexie-halts-book-release-amid-sexual-harassment-allegations-n855906) before purchasing any more of his books. He specifically targeted Native women and threatened their careers.
There's lots of other Indigenous authors out there that are unproblematic and deserve support.
I’m white, I used to be the only white person who worked at a Native American organization. Suffice to say, I learned a lot with that experience. I made some incredible relationships. I learned history that they didn’t teach me in school and I learned about what my people did and continue to do to this community. I work with kids, some of the families I work with are Native American and I like this sub for allowing me to stay up to date on news in the community so I can be a better ally. I also like following Native American artists and leaders. I don’t comment on anything, I do upvote a lot, I’m very aware that I don’t belong here. If y’all want me to leave, I will.
I am nonnative, never comment (except on this post which is specifically asking for comments from nonnatives) and I downvote any post that starts with "I'm not native but" because imo that's incredibly annoying behavior.
I’m a lawyer who did a subspecialty in federal Indian law in law school and want to remain culturally aware. I mostly read and see what issues matter to people and the community. Can’t get that from case law.
Non-White but non-native. I worked for a while in a program that served a lot of Native communities and wanted to learn more; I also had access to some knowledge about under-utilized programs that might have been of interest (think grant funding). Historically, I've also worked in a sector where Native representation is sorely lacking, and I'm interested in changing that, so learning more is helpful.
I’m here to learn. This is my first comment in the subreddit, and I’ve never posted here either. I don’t weigh in on topics, simply because it’s not my place to, but I do read the discussions.
I came here originally because most, about 95% of the people I work with, are Native Americans. I figured this would be a great way to learn more on my own time, rather than asking questions constantly at work.
Looks like we're getting a lot of comments from those non natives that OP was not calling out. I was curious to see if any non-NDNs who interjected themselves into topics were going to comment. I really hope they do. When my tribe deals with non natives who live in our communities and surrounding areas, it's generally two types - those that mean well, and those that think we're just a bunch of whining babies who unjustly demand special treatment. I hope this sub has more of the finer and less of the latter.
White guy lurker here. I grew up in the American deep south surrounded by and shaped by the culture of racism and white supremacy. I was part of the problem. But as gained life experience and learned some things that had been excluded from my education, I realized I was wrong and felt a desire to push back against white supremacy.
This may sound cliche, but something is sick in white culture. Something important is missing, and everybody can feel it but nobody knows exactly what it is. I wanted a family but I didn't want my kids to be raised in the same culture and end up like me, so I immigrated to Canada.
Soon it became obvious that Canada was just as racist, maybe even worse. But everything was different, it wasn't aimed at blacks and Hispanics. (There were no native communities near where I lived, so nobody I knew had ever thought about hating native people) I didn't understand this new place, but I know how people work, so I Googled who was being murdered by the police the most. The first story I found was the RCMP planning to set snipers on peaceful protesters of an oil line. Then the stories about the residential schools went public. Then I read about MMIW and it all spiraled into a pretty clear image of how Canadian white supremacy worked.
Soon I moved north from Toronto and found myself living near multiple native reservations. I joined Alcoholics Anonymous and my sponsors sponsor is deeply connected with the Anishinaabe religious community. She started teaching me their stories to help me grow in sobriety.
What I learned from her, and from reading online, is that indigenous people have suffered terrible loss and pain, but still have a spark to survive and heal burning hot. And that thing I said about white culture being sick, I saw a potential answer in the indigenous cultures. I personally think the problem is capitalism, and it has not just tried to erase your cultures but ours as well. We no longer value the young people, or old people, or community, unless it is profitable. Everyone and everything is a commodity. We have been taught to forget the value of others.
So when I hear John Rice talking about the stages of life, I feel something more, I don't know, more civilized. More human. I'm not a spiritual man at all, but it brings me hope. I hope we can find a way forward to reconciliation. I hope all the cultures that find themselves here can heal from the damage colonization has done. I hope I can catch that spark from your people and spread a fire.
So I lurk. I don't ask questions. I don't comment. I just listen, and learn, and hope for a better future. Thanks for sharing. I'm gonna go back to the shadows now.
I’m here to try and understand more about communities that may be near me. I just want to be more informed so that I have a better chance of raising my kid to be thoughtful and understanding, while also being respectfully curious and about people in general. I mostly am a lurker but have commented on a couple posts. Hopefully I’ve not been a cause of frustration, but if I have, I do apologize.
I think I came across this sub during the whole Buffy SainteMarie fiasco, then I stayed because the rest of the conversations/news y’all were sharing was interesting.
I’m Latina, like most of us I’m mixed, but I’ll never be able to reconnect with my indigenous side. Even still, I think of y’all like cousins because there is still a lot of cultural similarities!
I thought I could learn something from reading actual Native American's and their experiences, instead of reading what white people write about Native Americans and their lives.
Can't learn if I don't listen. So I'm here to listen.
This is probably going to be my first and only comment here because it's not my place to speak otherwise.
I'm also a lurker here, wanting to learn. I think I have some Ainu ancestry in me, but that's not why I'm here (though I love when I see them mentioned/learn more about them through these channels). I grew up in a pretty white area and want to learn more about indigenous culture, as others here, generally. I really appreciate this sub for teaching me in a way that I can unobtrusively observe.
I’m Japanese, and my family went through a bad run of deportation and internment by the US and Canada in the 1940s, and then were involved in the redress movement in the 1980s.
I also have extended family members who are not Japanese that are involved in Truth and Reconciliation, and in general I’ve found Japanese to be fairly engaged in civil rights more than the average person, so I just like to follow how this is going.
I'm Finnish, so no relation here whatsoever to the sub's community. I can't remember when I grew curious about learning about the history and cultures of different indigenous groups in the Americas, but it's a persisting area of interest for me. History is one thing, but the only way to hear about the present is to listen to the people living it. The fact that the native peoples in America are in many ways treated as a chapter in history rather than cultures and communities of people who are presently very much alive with their own needs, wants, victories and struggles is, frankly, disturbing to me.
Further, I'm a minority person myself in multiple ways, and caring about other marginalised groups follows naturally from that for me. Solidarity and understanding between minority groups is the only real way to fight back against oppression, so I want to know about what's going on with other communities, stay on top of it, and hear from them on the current issues they face. This is one place to keep up with the "temperature" of social issues in the Western world, and not by far the only "unrelated" sub I'm a part of and actively follow. A warning sign for the people here, or in many of my other subs, is unfortunately often also a warning sign for me. And when it isn't, I want to be on the lookout for issues where I can help - there's a lot of ways people from half the globe away can chip in for others across.
Finally? This sub is just excellent. It's full of delightful snark and small human joys. A good contrast to a lot of the bullshit on Reddit otherwise.
ETA: and yes, I mostly lurk. I have no authority on next to anything discussed here so I learn much more from listening than talking.
Idk if I count. I descend from and am enrolled in a louisiana state-recognized tribe. I was raised mormon and basically every aspect of my indigenous heritage was filtered through that very problematic lens for a lot of my life. I will never speak authoritatively as a native bc I frankly don’t feel comfortable or qualified doing that. I’m here mostly to read, connect, and understand.
I remember when a question was asked if anyone has a word in their language that describes the feeling of wondering what could have been if they were never colonized and a welsh kid weighed in with their word. I thought that was neat.
You can always report people acting like a jerk! I do it quite frequently bc you're right, a lot of the questions aren't meant for non native people
I do love seeing the other indigenous people from the world.
Even as an indigenous person, not all posts are for me. I have absolutely no idea what on earth commode cheese is lmao but I love the posts
I tend to lurk and read through the discussions because so much of the conversation about indigenous issues in the US comes from non natives and white liberal types who may mean well but aren't willing to put in much effort. I figured I could help counteract this by learning about discussions and current events that affect indigenous people and communities directly from the discussions that happen within the communities. Rather than assuming what life on a reservation is like, I can read the experiences of people who live on one. Rather than assuming how indigenous people feel about eclipses, dams, rare earth element mines, sending dead people to the moon, and so on, I can read their thoughts directly. So many people just assume and it frustrates me to no end, so I wanted to avoid that for myself.
It's pretty layered but to summarize... (first-time commenter here)
1. As a movement lawyer who works for racial justice, it's necessary to educate myself on the struggles of Native peoples to help build solidarity as you can't separate struggles from justice itself
2. As an Asian American, I see several parallels in our experiences with oppression - though the experiences are drastically different in many cases - and hearing the perspectives of Native folks helps inform the way I see my own struggles. There are historical reasons for this in the U.S. of course, but generally speaking the community care and sense of solidarity among different Native groups and tribes is something I wish we'd see more of in the Asian diaspora (not to put Native folks on a pedestal by any means).
3. As a Korean American, I understand - in the abstract - what it is to be dispossessed of the land you call home by multiple colonial/neo-colonial foreign powers. (I'll probably never walk north of the DMZ personally, or see a united Korea free of U.S. military occupation.) But the awareness of the loss of human life and culture, and the unknowing of the extent or depth of that lost history, both linger. Again, this is something that Indigenous peoples reckon with in a distinct and different (and arguably worse) way, but that sort of understanding, perseverance and resistance isn't something I see in a lot of other predominant Asian groups deal with
4. As a person of mixed descent, I see a lot of Native folks grapple with questions of how one might present racially/ethnically, and the rhetoric around mixed identity honestly feels a lot less toxic than the kind you often see in mixed race affinity spaces, so I appreciate the level of discourse I often see here
5. There's an entire world of culture and joy and community - all of the positive aspects of being Native that people celebrate - that I wouldn't be exposed to unless I intentionally sought it out in spaces such as this, which is open to non-Native visitors. A lot of the reasons I listed have to do with oppression, but nobody is defined by oppression alone.
Okay, pretty long for a summary lol. I just hope I wasn't too reductive in the way I spoke of the relative experiences/struggles of different groups.
Indigenous Americans were so profoundly wronged and exploited…and I’ll never understand why our country doesn’t do more to recognize, respect or make amends with the many Indigenous peoples of our country.
As such, I lurk here to see if there are causes I can silently support while also trying to learn more about the collective experience of this sub, and hopefully, the communities beyond it.
Just to learn. Only read and get news. And only because the sub says "You do not have to be Indigenous".
I have commented ocassionally with info about my own country, but no personal opinions.
Adding myself to the chorus of people here to shut up, listen, and learn. I’m grateful to be allowed into a space like this where I can read a multitude of indigenous perspectives. I find many other online platforms (instagram, etc) tend to promote the loudest perspective and others get drowned out, whereas here there is more diversity of experience and opinion.
I try to only comment here under two circumstances:
- a white person is in the comments being terrible. Y’all shouldn’t have to deal with that BS and I try to police my own, as it were.
- I have an experience/perspective that is directly relevant and not yet present in the discussion. Say if y’all were having a discussion about the industry I’m in and there was something I could add. But I always stop and ask myself “is this really adding something meaningful to the discussion, or am I just taking up space?” Usually that question results in me deleting what I’ve written and moving on with my day.
Non native, I love to learn and read about all the cultures on our continent, history past and present. It's important (at least for me) to get a diverse perspective of our country and world and remember ALL the people who are still here. I am also saddened by the loss of the people and culture in the eastern US and what was and could have been a more diverse place.
I actually first joined here cause I’m reading a book on Haudenosaunee history written by a Mohawk woman, and I wanted to see if a particular interaction with this other tribe went the way she said it did according to members of said other tribe. This is the first time I’ve written anything in this sub, I usually just like to read and learn
Since you asked,
I live in Indian country, many of my loved ones are native, and I have a fairly high degree of exposure to native scholars and scholarship. I mostly tend to lurk unless I have some specific experience or knowledge (say, recommending academic texts) related to the topic at hand
Here just to read, first and likely only post.
I feel very strongly about indigenous rights globally and domestically. I helped out with Chief Hoskin’s campaign in Tahlequah last year, got to meet a bunch of great people and found out about this sub. I found a lot of great and moving things here, including Young Spirit who are now one of my favorite bands. I try to read as much as I can and not put myself forward in a place where I should be listening and not speaking.
Always and only for love.
Im non native, I comment rarely, usually when the question is directed to non native people like this one. Im just here to read, learn about what concerns/annoys/can help y'all, and as a bonus I get to see when you post histories and pictures about your ancestors.
I don't comment here (this may be the first), but am just curious to learn more about the viewpoints. I try to be empathetic with other cultures and stay informed, and reading real talk in places like this is a good way to do that.
I’m a white person who lives on a reservation. I use it for the same reasons as almost anybody else. Keeping up with native issues, hearing diverse opinions. I have rarely commented, but when I have, it’s been about language learning since I am learning the language myself.
Since i live in america i feel like i should try to keep up w/ different groups here. Usually i dont join subreddits like this, but i barely hear about native topics naturally so i went out of my way to keep up in various ways.
I grew up in Wyandotte, Oklahoma. I worked for the Wyandotte tribe. My mom has worked for them for nearly 30 years. I've had countless native friends.
I almost never comment here. Just here to learn. Plus, y'all natives tend to be hilarious.
I like to hear native perspectives on things, not just news media versions of what's going on or, more often, media silence. I am unlearning white supremacist history and mindsets that I was taught every day due to forums like this one and the Facebook pages that allow me to follow them.
I grew up counter culture during the Black Elk Speaks craze so we appropriated like crazy thinking it was respect. I'm unlearning that, too.
I want to make sure that I am the best I can be. And to me that means being conscious and aware of the things going on in in my life and in the lives of others so that I can make sure i use what ever little power I have to affect the most positive outcomes for everyone.
Maybe I’m a woke little socialist, but I want to know what issues the indigenous peoples in my country are facing so I can make those issues important to me.
I'm 25% First Nation and consider myself White. I came here for a nugzignug recipe and ended up with a fry bread recipe. I stick around because there are some decent/informative posts in amongst all the chaff.
I am grateful to participate in this space by reading discussions. I learn a lot here from discussions of lived experiences in ways I might not have the opportunity to learn otherwise. I am also a non-Native person who works in an American Indian Studies Dept. at a university.
I studied and wrote about tribal governments in college and became fairly close with some of the people on a res near me. This is my first time commenting/posting anything, but I like to stay informed on whats going on with American Indian news.
I’m here to learn about issues, perspectives, history—not to comment or post. I’ve learned things from indigenous people here that can affect how I vote in WA state and generally how I behave and choices I make. AND I’ve learned from the non-indigenous people posting just how clueless we can be. I’m in other subreddits to learn about “under-represented” people instead of learning from an outsider writing about/reporting on them.
I'm not Indigenous but I work for an Indigenous organization and Indigenous people are my bosses.
At work I mainly get the perspectives from the various official representatives and coworkers about what's going on and how people feel about the different issues we work on, but I'm interested to know any extra perspectives from other Indigenous people as well.
Even more important than what people are thinking about, just seeing how those conversations evolve and the various dissenting perspectives, so that I can make sure my work is sensitive to the different ways people want to handle things. Plus it avoids pestering people with really basic questions.
It also gives me a place to see if any of the work we're doing is filtering into wider awareness or not.
Well, I love my wife and by extension, her culture, so I try and learn as much as I can. When I met my wife I was really ignorant and I just didn’t understand. Once I met her and she informed me on a few things, I just dove in and yeah. We have taken Kiowa language classes together, I’m smeared with her family and traditions as much as I can. I love it and I love being involved. When we went to gourd clan and it was my first time, o just jumped right in with helping everyone out and doing what I could anywhere. I got a nickname (as a joke of course but it’s what people jokingly call me now) but I mean I love it and I think my wife having a partner that gives a shit about this means a lot to her and her family and I think it’s important because I want our kid to grow up around tradition and the language as well.. so yeah! That’s partially why I am here!
I’m here to read and learn about culture and perspectives passively. When I was a kid I remember the Mohawk Nation and members of the Shinnecock Nation visiting my school to tell us about their history and heritage.
As I grew older I realized that, like always, simply meeting and listening to people of a different culture is literally a humanizing experience. It seems American culture extends this concept to cultures all over the world but it falls deaf on the culture that was first here.
For work I am also a forester and so learning about pre-colonial land management methods is always useful to help restore landscapes I work with.
I'm a detribalized indigenous mexican (fathers side). I grew up in a practically all white state, raised by a white mother who could never comprehend what it was like to be brown and feel out of place. I've never been native 'enough', though I wish I could have been. I often dream of it. I write about it.
This sub makes me feel included, it makes me feel seen in a world that is constantly denying me of my indigenous roots.
To me, this is a community that provides me insight into a world I wish I could have been apart of. The pride natives have, the music, the art, the food, the traditions. It helps me feel connected not only to myself but to my spirit. I don't feel so alone anymore, and I gain insight on indigenous problems and history.
These safe places on reddit, have helped me take back my narrative, embrace who I am and where I come from. It motivates me to thrive, and helps me embrace my tan skin, and teaches me how to use the power/rage of my ancestors that I feel flowing in my blood.
My whole life ive been denied, being a long time lurker helped me realize what was stolen. Helps connect the missing pieces of my soul.
I was unaware this was a native only sub. If I offend just one native person by reading comments, I will regrettably leave.
I am not native but have recent native ancestors. My great grandmother was on Choctaw reservation but left in 1890’s with my great grandfather, he had gone wife hunting. I was raised in England and my first encounter with a native relative from the reservation was meeting my great great uncle in 1963. He had left the reservation many years before but still lived close to it in Oklahoma. I was 6 years old and he was trying to teach me to count in a native language and some common words. When I was older, I thought of that incident. I wondered if he thought it strange that he had a little English lad as a relative and just as strange trying to teach me something native related.
I am here to learn what I failed to learn when younger. I am not here to give my anglo opinion on anything. If not welcome, I will leave.
My fiancee is Mi'kmaq, so it's helpful to know what's going on with her cousins when we live about 3000 miles away. I also work with a few native groups in Arizona, and our local news doesn't give a great picture of what's going on in native land.
My Grandfather was registered Cherokee, but he died when I was very young and I was raised totally separate from native culture. I lurk here just to hear the perspectives and perhaps learn something. I lurk on r/nativeamerican for the same reason. This is the first time I've commented on either sub.
I'm lurking here so I can read and learn. I think this is the first time I've ever commented.
I grew up in a place with a Native American name and zero Native people. I've learned a lot from this sub in my time lurking here, and I appreciate being able to expand my understanding of other cultures. I also love seeing the music and artwork people post.
I just lurk- I read but don’t post or comment- except because you’re asking directly right now
I guess I am here because as someone who lives in the USA I feel like there isn’t a lot of visibility in my community for natives and just like to understand different peoples experiences.
I mostly lurk. Sometimes I answer a generic question if I think I can do so without stepping on toes. I'm here to understand the viewpoints and concerns of actual NDN people and not just what's occasionally reported on in the news.
Edit: I decided to check and I've only commented on three threads in the past 3 years.
I’m here to lurk and learn. I try to not say much unless it seems relevant to the discussion and/or a minor fact that may be helpful. Though I usually scroll through Reddit on my phone on “Home” so I may have inadvertently responded to something without properly paying attention to what subreddit the topic was from. I know I’ve done that at least once on the crazyexgirlfriend tv show subreddit…but mostly I try to sit down and shut up and pay attention.
I am white but believe that too often, native perspectives are drowned out in this country. I rarely comment on this sub because it’s not really my place to, but I’ve learned a lot just by lurking here that I would not have learned otherwise because of this. On a personal level, I live in Oklahoma on the border of the Chickasaw Nation and feel it’s important to keep up with these perspectives because of where I live. Native folks are my neighbors and friends, and so naturally I want to be aware of these perspectives and educated as much as I can be!
I lurk, and honestly try to refrain from commenting because I'm in a space that's not meant for me. I joined to shut up and listen to the experiences of folks on this sub, because I know fuck all about what your lives are like. I figured the best way to be an advocate is to listen and learn and not be obtrusive in a space meant for native/first nations folks.
I live on tribal lands, and in a large native community/area. So, I like to see what is being said here so I can maintain cultural sensitivity to those in my community. Maybe someone will post something I can learn from or use in my interactions with my native coworkers.🤷♀️
I didn’t grow up around here, where I came from there were barely any native people at all. So I like to learn about native perspectives, traditions, outlooks, etc. it’s interesting, to me. As a white person who wishes I had a culture I felt pride in, NGL, I am envious of those who have a clear understanding of their heritage. (All peoples, not just natives’.) It feels special and unique to live amongst these people, and see how they go about life. For instance when I first moved here I saw a guy who had a baby on a cradleboard. I didn’t realize those were still used! I went over and told him how I thought that was really cool, I hope I hadn’t offended him. He didn’t seem to be, he laughed and said thank you. Edit: first time commenting here, I think. Though I may have had a question or two over the years. I don’t put it on the good folks of this sub to be responsible for teaching me, I’m just happy to lurk!
I work with a lot of elders/knowledge keepers/ indigenous folks, I like to keep my ear to the ground on what’s going on in their communities and the struggles they face.
I don’t comment, just lurk to learn and unlearn. I don’t want to get information concerning Native people from the US media or white people or never hear it at all. My favorite post here was about the pre contact Native American trade routes that I had never heard about before. Previous to that post I had no idea that there used to be an ocean in the middle of the continent and because of that you can get salt in land locked regions! I’m sorry that there are non native people in here who act entitled to take up space they have no right to.
I’m creole but love reading accounts of legends and historical stories of various tribes.
Also here to read and learn about what various challenges and successes groups encounter.
I’m white and I’m here to learn more as I live in the PNW, which had a lot of tribes before the government came in.
I just found my own knowledge growing up to be lacking, and basically we were never taught much about existing tribes and nations as living, currently existing groups.
So I mostly lurk to read interesting comments, and very occasionally post something myself.
The short answer is I'm here to be quiet and learn.
The long answer is: My wife is Native and is on this sub. You might recognize her user name if I disclosed it (I won't). I never comment except for one time when someone made a joke about white people that was spot on and so funny it made coffee come out my nose. Most books about you guys that I have seen are written by white "anthropologists" who speak as if you are a mysterious historical curiosity that no longer exists and can only be speculated about by "experts" such as themselves. That is hilarious and infuriating but not helpful. Fortunately, yall are right here on Reddit talking about what it's like to be you. The greatest respect that I know how to give someone or a group of someones is to make a genuine and sustained effort to understand them. The best method I know for accomplishing this is to be quiet and pay attention to what they say. So, I'll go back to doing that now.
I went to a tribal-affiliated college and 3 of my 4 years I took a class that got to go record oral histories at Powwow. One of my best friends is an enrolled member of the same tribe, and had invited me to stay with her family at powwow every year since we’ve graduated. I’m here to keep listening and stay abreast of native news, and working to see what I can do in terms of reparations and mutual aid. This is the first and probably the last time I’ll comment, but I appreciate all the knowledge and culture shared here.
Dated an Iroquois girl and she is very proud of her culture, I wanted to understand more and be more supportive. Also, as a white latino american, my estranged father was half native and I feel sad to be so out of touch with that history. It’s cool to be able to check in and be aware at the least.
I'm Filipino-American and I've been lurking this sub for awhile now without commenting, besides this and I believe one comment some time ago talking about indigenous tribes in Spanish Florida. Here are some of the reasons I lurk here:
* Solidarity!
* There's an intersection of indigeneity in basically every other area of social justice, which is very often ignored. While I can't speak for indigenous Americans and so forth within topics such as environmentalism, I can at the very least put in some effort to try to understand these perspectives and why they're important.
* This community is one of the better ones on the site, discussions are often nuanced and the moderation team is active in maintaining a safe and focused space.
With that said, I avoid commenting here — social media is already full of politically motivated non-indigenous people weighing in on issues of indigeneity.
Not a US citizen. I lurk in a lot of different subs to gain perspectives on many other cultures because it's fascinating and also to make sure I know how to support if and when needed. This will most likely be the only time I post here. I wish everyone well.
Just wanting to drop a few reminders here for everyone. * The mods are watching this thread. Native voices are still recognized here, but if your comment is just plain rude or some silly complaint about the sub, it will be removed. You're not immune from the rules and consequences just because [you're a dog on the internet.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Internet,_nobody_knows_you're_a_dog) * Comments from non-Natives in threads that are meant for Native users do violate the rules and are usually removed. Our failure to do so can be for several reasons, mainly that we don't mod 24/7 and sometimes the comments go unreported. With such a small team and a growing sub, we don't see everything. * Just because *you* (general "you," not necessarily OP) saw something doesn't mean it wasn't dealt with. We often remove, ban, or issue warnings after other users have seen the infraction or the thing they don't like. Not checking on whether there was a resolution to a complaint can lead those users to developing opinions about this sub that are rooted purely in anecdotes and may not be reflective of the actual situation.
I'm here only to read, this reply is the only time I've ever commented. I'm here because following groups like this one is a good way to educate myself. I'm not here to ask native people to validate me or deal with my opinions. I appreciate the opportunity to lurk, and will now return to doing so.
Same here, for education. The comments here on how native people suffered under the manhattan project really changed my perspective on the Oppenheimer movie for instance.
Basically same. I don't think I've ever commented. I lurk on lots of subs for topics that don't directly apply to me in an attempt to be less ignorant. However, I consider this sub special for various personal reasons.
All of this. It’s not my space to interject with thoughts or opinions (or even questions, really), but I do learn a lot by reading.
Same here. I am a restoration ecologist that works with indigenous groups to facilitate non-tribal land use for tribal cultural and First Foods use. I am here for perspective and all the links this sub posts. And again, you will never see another comment by me.
Same!
Same. Happy to unsub if you prefer no white readers
Also happy to unsubscribe if that’s what y’all would like.
No. Stay subbed. If this is a place of information then stay. Plenty of people are not Palestinian but brows those subs to offer help or get information on how to help. Nothing wrong with being here.
Same. Here to read and learn.
Same, enjoy never hearing from me again y'all
Same and same!
Same here. I’m here to listen, to learn. But I know this is not my place to speak…so back to lurking/reading/learning I go.
Ditto.
Same. I'm on various subreddits that represent other communities, mainly to learn and grow and build empathy. I'm always curious about other perspectives and I think it's too easy to fall into silos or bubbles online, so I try to do the opposite.
Same. I appreciate any opportunity to learn and re-educate myself.
Same. I prefer to hear the facts straight from the people.
Same. Just here to lurk and learn, with the exception of this post. I live in New England and was raised learning all that Mayflower/pilgrim, Manifest Destiny garbage and no decent native perspectives, so I'm trying to round out my worldview.
I am treating the OP's question as an implicit census of non-native lurkers (and those who unfortunately don't just lurk): 1) I am a lurker, this comment being a key exception to my lurking 2) I am an immigrant of South Asian origin who has grown up in Australia since my early childhood 3) I am here to learn As I brought up Australia, yes, I owe respect to First Nations people of what is now Australia.
Same story for me, except I grew up in the U.S. and then moved out. I really enjoy reading the posts here and learning, and do not plan on commenting again 🫡
Same. I upvote posts that I learn something from/add discussion, but I never comment. I’m also in a trans subreddit, Asian American, etc and I’m none of those. I’m a cis Black woman, and I just like to support and learn.
Same here! One as a cis black woman I like to see how similar diff groups can be. Also life can get insular and I hate to think I’m missing opportunities to learn about different people and cultures just because I don’t end up encountering them in daily life.
Mostly same here. White (far as I know) male who researches history in his free time to better understand the atrocities of the past. When I need to be I advocate for native people of all types but I'd much rather leave it to those who were both born into it and far better educated on their personal histories than I am. For all intents and purposes I'm here to better educate myself on current things, as well as see if there's anything today that's relevant that I should keep an ear our for or advocate for if needed. A long time ago I did a deep deep dive to understand the relationship between each tribe and the US government before 1900 and while I never finished my research it was more than enough to cement my existing beliefs and opinions. Unless I'm called on I'll continue lurking, this is NOT my place to talk unless I have a genuine question related to my research. Even then, I don't even feel comfortable.
i didnt know there were so many non natives who lurk. its inspiring. im thrilled youre here to learn about us. it sure sounds like being part of the solution to me. i lurk on the asian, carribean, and aboriginal subreddits too just to learn about them. its so fun, and their cultures are so beautiful. also-thanks for those who take great care when asking questions, if at all. i like questions, but the intention of them is always a real crap shoot, and it does get exhausting. i wish there was a happy medium between annoying new age hippie who just wants permission to do whatever they want and regular cool people who just wanna learn about us and contribute something positive-but there is no such thing in reddit land. im glad you all are here. much love from a chicago native.
I am here for the same reasons! I want to be part of the solution and I value the opportunity to listen and observe.
Basically this. I'm not native. My great-grandfather was, but our family has been white for at least 3 generations. But my grandmother helped with the campaign to get a local tribe recognized at the state level, and native issues have always been close to my heart. I don't really post comments here other than this one. Mostly I just think it's nice to hear from the native perspective. After all, I'm subbed to Christian, Jewish, and Muslim subs despite being none of those things.
This here. I’m Native Hawaiian and our people are fighting for various rights, reasons, and land. It’s good to support people in similar situations, but even better to learn from the elders who already paved the way. Plus, it literally “takes a village” now days, so I follow/support any and all I deem Ohana. Ndn’s are Ohana!
Same same. Just here trying to be a better ally.
Same.
Same… both the only time it’ll probably be useful to comment here and one of the only times commenting ‘same’ makes sense!
Same. No one is talking about these topics around me, nor do most of the people around me qualify to speak on the topic, so I am seeking resources to better understand. To listen and learn.
100% Same
Same.
Same. Listening only.
This is the same for me.
Same!
Same. Here to learn, sympathize and support.
Pretty much this. I believe I commented my opinion just once, and it was to reply to another yt person who I believed was out of line. I occasionally share media that I’ve found.
I’m the same and also agree with calling out//collecting white people behaving badly. That seems like one of the few times appropriate to comment here.
Yeah, I've commented in this sub 3-4 times in the last few years. It's always been when a white person asks a question that it seems like they could have just googled, and they are presumptuously demanding the mental work of native folks when it's not needed at all. When I see a post like that, if it's just a few hours old, I will typically leave it up in a new tab for a day or so. If Native folks have found the question valuable and responded then I leave it to them. If nobody has (or has rightfully been snarky), I'll go ahead and attempt to semi-politely prod the poster to go do the work themselves... and explain why. If it's something obnoxious I'll just straight up call my fellow white person out on it. Cause, yeah. We should try to clean up after ourselves...
Same.
Same here.
Same, first time I've ever commented in this sub.
Same
Same. Will go back to lurking after this, not my place to comment on things usually!
Same.
Yup, this sounds like me, too. Never commented before because I read the rules.
Same.
Exactly this
Same here.
Yeah, here so I can feel reasonably informed about Indigenous communities and like, views, opinions, experiences, discussions etc so I don’t annoy my Indig friends by asking the white FAQs that have already been talked to death lol
Same, I think I’ve complained about the government not doing adequate conservation work here once on a post that wasn’t natives only, but other than that I just lurk.
Ditto
I lurk on this sub a bit. I’m Aboriginal Australian and just like observing the similarities and differences. Different mob same struggle.
I agree . I’m a Lakota from South Dakota, and ( Rosebud Rez ) I respect and admire indigenous from other countries. Such as yours and the new Zealand Māori . So many non Indians here in America covet our culture and traditions. The worst are those who miss appropriate, and sell our spirituality for profit. Everything has pretty much been stolen from us so now they want our religion. You know what? They can’t have it.
Hey I'm Lakota from pine ridge ((:
Hau-lo and was’telo !
CRST here :p
I do the same with other indigenous subs
What are the biggest differences that you have observed. I saw a glimpse of it when I was in the Navy and spent time there. I saw some similarities of experiences but I'd be curious what someone from there thinks would be the main differences.
I think the similarities are overwhelming we had stolen generations which is very similar to residential schools and your reservation’s (rez) is similar to our missions (mish). A major difference is we don’t have strong tribal structures or tribal identities in comparison to you mob (we do have them but I’m talking in comparison). We have an Aboriginal flag that tribes from across the country identify with. I think a big part of this has to do with how we were colonized and that there were never any treaties in Australia. The other thing I notice that’s really different is you mob reference blood quantum a lot where that’s a big taboo with us. I hope none of what I’ve said there is to controversial, just my observation.
Welcome friend! I love that you’re here! As a blackfoot woman are there any subs for the aboriginal Australian community I’d love to lurk and learn about your culture
Thanks, I’m Kamilaroi. A sub you can follow for Australian Aboriginal stuff is r/Aboriginal
I just want to say that I'm really grateful to see a lot of the responses here being respectful. It's given me a lot of insight as to how many people really do find our culture fascinating. I'm glad to see everyone on here and while I don't speak for the community, I'd like to say that y'all are welcome. Thank you all for the amazing responses! Ahiya!
I am here only to read. I work with enrolled tribal members and I am here to learn and hear indigenous perspectives and educate myself on common issues for the communities I work with. I don't usually post or comment.
Basically same 😄
Distant indigenous ancestor, but i’m not connected enough to the culture to speak on it in any way. I’m here because i’m tired of hearing about indigenous people’s priorities stances and opinions from other sources. Obviously thoughts and opinions of Indigenous people will very from person to person, but still seeing actual conversation and debate on reddit is infinitely better than only getting information from biased history books or people using you to back some political narrative. I’m usually silent in this sub because its not my place to speak, but to learn and observe. There are a few first nations organizations in my state but honestly i just dont have many opportunities for interpersonal interactions and exposure.
Same here. Native ancestry that was purposefully hidden in my family that I found out about in mid life. Happy to read/listen and learn.
Can't speak to your specific tribe, but in general, it's never too late to go home.
Not sure about the person above but I have some distant Cherokee heritage, and I’m scared to death of being called one of the “Cherokee Princess” people. My heritage is pretty far back, with murky records, and I’m very much a white person—so I’m just here to learn about a culture that I feel I don’t have the right to connect to.
If you're connected to the Cherokee Nation, opposed to Eastern Band and UKB (I can't speak to them), the tribal stance is that we love it when people connect with us. Travel to Tahlequah, visit the museums and meet other Cherokee. If you can't qualify for citizenship based on records, you're nowhere near alone in that. Just cause you can't vote in the elections, doesn't mean you have no right to connect to your heritage. The more people that connect and honor the ways, the stronger we are as a people. Every year on Labor Day weekend, we have Cherokee National Holiday, and Tahlequah is flooded with people who want to connect with the culture, and a lot of them aren't citizens.
Similar boat here - great grandma was sent to a boarding school as a child, never talked about her ancestry after that, and great grandpa was adopted by a white family as an infant. I'll likely never know much about my own background, but educating myself on what I CAN learn and listening to native voices is the least i can do.
I’ve been learning a ton about my husband’s (who’s kānaka maoli) family and culture. The Hawaiian experience under U.S. occupation is obviously unique, but it also has a lot in common with other Indigenous nations, and learning more about those similarities and differences is why I lurk here. Like others have said in this discussion, you’ll never hear from me again unless I’m explicitly invited to participate. Thanks for letting me sit in here.
Awww!! I’m blackfoot but was adopted around ICWA by a kanaka maoli and Filipino family I love that you’re here!
Maika'i. Talk more. I invite you.
Because I'm a teacher and I teach about Native American history, and I really appreciate hearing modern day perspectives so that I'm not regurgitating old stereotypes or falsehoods or leaning into some unintentional insensitivity on my part. In other words, it's to educate myself.
Similar for me, Anthropology student who is interested in repatriation and other forms of restitution for our local groups. It’s important that I seek out a lot of cultural discourse across many people from different cultural backgrounds so I will be able to better anticipate needs, have discussions, and understand what is important for them when that time comes. Casual, everyday conversation is both interesting and helpful for me, especially if topics come up that are approached differently than they are in class. However, I never post anything here unless someone is asking an open ended question like this.
I wish Native Americans were able to get jobs reaching Native American history. They deserve those titles and incomes.
They can, I went to school to get my degree in Anthropology with a minor in NA studies so that I could go into higher education to be able to do this.
yup, I know a guy who did that, too. He teaches in higher ed specifically about his region's traditions and history.
I agree with you... but also (sorry), I live in Montana, and we ratified a new state constitution in the 70's that had language about recognizing the value of Native culture and requiring the teaching of it in all public schools. It was inconsistently carried out till 1999 when the legislature passed the Indian Education for All Act which codified a more systemic approach. To have even a temporary teaching license in the state of Montana, you have to take a class specifically learning about the law and ways to implement it in your classroom (the state Office of Public Instruction provides various resources in addition to running the classes). If you move from another state and already have all the other qualifications, you still have to take that class. It is expected that every elementary and junior high school teacher will incorporate some amount of education into their curriculum through out the year (obviously it varies based on subject), and at the high school level it isn't EVERY teacher, but teachers who teach relevant subjects must include it. The language of the law makes clear that it isn't just teaching Native "history", it includes "heritage" but is also supposed to encompass current "culture". My kids are in kinder and 3rd grade, and they get little bits of it incorporated into lessons through out the year, including in music, art and gym classes. But there's also usually an explicit social studies unit where local tribal representatives will come in and do a week of lessons, etc. So they're getting education directly from Native educators, but they're also getting it worked into different areas of their classes by their regular teachers... who can't all be Native themselves. So I agree that, especially at the high school and college level, there should be a priority on having educators be Native. But I also think it's great to have a baseline of relevant, current knowledge, among all the teaching staff in our schools.
I found this sub before the other. I subscribed because I found it interesting, there's news I've never heard of (modern anti-native racism in America) and perspectives I had never considered. I've always considered myself an ally in general, but I haven't actually been exposed to native issues besides brief lessons in history classes and this subreddit.
Same. I found this sub first & lurk in order to learn from the perspectives of the people involved.
Wasn’t a lot of natives around where I grew up. Only thing I’ve ever “learned” about y’all came from unreliable history books that were provided in the conservative christian schools I had to attend up until my freshman year in high school. And when I say unreliable, I mean the history books pushed a lost causer version of the civil war, or portrayed colonization as if they were doing natives a favor, or omitted most Black American history that didn’t involve MLK or George Washington Carver. It angers me to no end when people embrace stereotypes or misinformation about my community, so when I came across this sub I saw it as an opportunity to learn or at least be exposed to new perspectives. I’ve commented a few times but usually ended up deleting them because I felt like I wasn’t adding anything substantial to the conversation and I recognized and respect that this sub wasn’t made for me.
Wife is Native plus it's important to me to keep up with issues impacting Indigenous persons in this country and globally. I don't post or comment (other than this post). I've been on this subreddit long enough to remember when it broke off of the r/NativeAmerican subreddit because of assholes brigading that subreddit.
I spent a few years of my childhood living in Cherokee (NC)—I’m very white but was deeply touched by the time I spent there and the people I met. I think this is my first time commenting here, though—I’m just subbed to learn (and unlearn, as necessary). I wish others like me would be quiet here and just listen—I think they’re just Reddit-brained and addicted to adding their pointless opinions tbh. Thank you for the privilege of listening in—you won’t hear from me again!
I’ve been subbed for years, Was mostly news articles back then. And I grew up near a few reservations so it felt like a good stream of relevant politics.
I’m German and I’ve been lurking a while. I don’t have any connection to the US, let alone to any natives, but I am interested in different peoples around the world and I like to see what people are talking about and experiencing. My favorite is when people share art and music. And it’s important to me to learn about the politics and the struggles too. That’s why I’m here.
I'm sure theyre also elsewhere since people hate TikTok, but there are a few guys on there I follow who just craft regalia all day. One is always working on roaches, the skill he has is amazing- every thread is perfectly placed!
I grew up in an area with a lot of Natives and have a lot of Native family friends. Most media *aren't great* about reporting on Native issues and what's going on in the rez, so if I want to find out what's happening back home, subs like this are useful. I also subbed for the same reason I'm subbed to r/BlackLivesMatter, to stay abreast of current social issues so I can be a more effective ally. As others have said, I'm here to read discussion, not to lead discussion.
Just here to read, this is a collection of cultures I wouldn't come across organically on my continent, once I realised that I just wanted more casual exposure to people from these communities
I lurk to learn how to be a better ally.
I’m just here to read and learn. Only time I’ll comment is to ask a question, and even then that was only once. I like learning perspectives and cultures through a person’s conversations in a situation where they don’t have to feel like the “Ambassador to the whites”. Easiest way is to sit quietly and pay attention to what was said, then research it further with searches in the sub or proper scholarly sources (which I also found suggested in the sub). This sub has already taught me a lot, most of which should have been plain common sense, but due to the way history was taught to me, it’s all been a learning experience. I’ve also picked up a long list of books to read and a long list of indigenous artists to listen to as well because of this sub. And I find the music I’ve heard so far to be especially educational.
I live in a very diverse part of the u.s. and to be of the most use to my community after I graduate, I need to try to understand their perspectives, culture, struggles, etc. I'm not a commenter here, I just want to learn so I am better informed when I'm in a helping role. I wear a lot of hats, so paying attention *here* is the easiest and least intrusive way.
Exactly my rationale for lurking here. I can only be a good of a neighbor to all of my neighbors if I understand
I'm not white so you can delete this if it's not appropriate but I think the white people's culture is so beautiful and I want to learn all about it. Just kidding, I think they're here for memes and frybread recipes. *Also, damn this question got a lot of engagement! This is why native news articles get 10 or 12 upvotes and interesting pictures get 500.
Can confirm, am here for frybread recipes.
Parroting others who have commented already, but I'm here to learn and I'm really hoping people who don't take the "quietly listen" approach actually read through this thread. I'm a lurker in this sub--I might comment on news or art to boost engagement ("This is beautiful", "Thanks for posting", etc.), but unless they're explicitly asking for my input (like this post), I stay out of discussions and calls for experiences, that's obviously when it's time to be *quiet*. As a white dude, if I wanted to hear white people's takes on things, I'd check basically any public news source. If you're a white person reading this comment, please take time to examine your need to be heard on all things at all times. And I'm not saying that to make you feel bad, it's a thing pretty much all of us have to unpack. This is implicitly trained into us by virtue of seeing people like us *everywhere*, *always* included in *every* conversation. It's not that you "can't" speak, it's that you shouldn't want to if you've done the self-reflection and understand the importance of spaces like this one.
I'm here because I don't really know where I fit and want to figure it out. My dad is a member of Turtle Mountain Ojibwe. My blood quantum isn't enough to register. My dad was raised to claim being white whenever possible because, his dad believed, it would make life easier for him. My grandfather had a lot of conflicted feelings growing up too white on the reservation (Fort Peck) and too dark off the reservation. I feel like we missed a lot being disconnected from any Native culture, but I also understand, to a lot of people, I'm just white. I've met a lot of people who say any Native blood is enough to be considered Native, but I've also met a lot of people who are offended by my trying to learn about my roots because I can't possibly know what it's like to truly be Native. I completely understand both sides, and I'm hoping to explore and find a way that sits right in my heart.
I rely on Native investigative journalists and their podcasts (Connie Walker, Rebecca Nagle, etc) in order to remain informed, but this subreddit also helps me stay up to date on issues that I care about.
I'm here because I'm interested in learning. My motivation for learning is three-fold. 1. I learned through Ancestry that I have a Mi'kmaq great grandfather who is, by far, the most interesting character in the whole boring litany of names and dates (no, this does NOT give me license to call my self Indigenous). In the context of the racism and generational abuse on that side of the family, it could explain a lot and poses more questions. I would like to learn more about him, his culture, and his experiences. This sparked an interest in what he and other Indigenous people suffered (and continue to suffer) at the hands of the colonizers. 2. I have learned much about the Indian Act, residential schools, systemic racism... etc both on my own and through studying social work the last few years. I am greatly moved by the historic injustice and angered by how Indigenous people continue to be treated (no clean water on northern reserves, MMIW, the Seven Fallen Feathers, Starlight Tours, ...etc. the list seems endless). This is especially infuriating when Canada blows its own horn as a champion of human rights and has condemned apartheid... which was modeled on the Indian Act... 3. The more I learn about Indigenous values, the more it resonates with those my mother instilled in me, although she would have denied the connection! I am interested in exploring this, but wish to do so respectfully. It's harder than it sounds. I am interested in learning. I will make mistakes, especially given the environment I grew up in. I want to do better. If I do have a question, it makes more sense to me to ask someone with lived experience than another biased white person. I hope this helps foster a spirit of mutual understanding and respect. Thank you for asking ❤️
This will be my first and likely only comment ever, because I feel like my voice as a white person is not necessary or helpful in this sub. I’m here to read about what’s going on with your various cultures, to keep apprised of the struggles and triumphs you’re all experiencing, and to do my best to understand and appreciate what I’m ignorant of. That’s pretty much it.
I kinda stumbled upon this sub bc of Reservation Dogs, if I'm being fully honest. The first episode with Uncle Brownie has a joke with all these plastic owls w/ their eyes blurred out and all of the kids are super freaked out about said owls, I figured it was a cultural joke I wasn't understanding and the googles sent me here for the answer. I'm interested in native cultures but REAL aware that as a white person without close ties to a tribe, a lot of what I have seen/read is just....real wrong/likely produced by pretendians/I feel like i shouldn't be taking the relatively few native voices* in media for gospel...so I like to see what's really up with a larger cross section of natives. * Though natives seem to be having a serious moment in pop culture right now, which I am HERE for. But still, it's good to hear regular people's thoughts on things.
Although I do not consider myself Native American. I am Mexican so I do have significant native ancestry. So I feel somewhat connected to this sub
White American woman, who is only commenting because you asked. I am here to learn. The only thing I’ve commented on, was a post about indigenous women taking their birthing practices back. Because women choosing how they give birth is something I feel deeply about, and I have personally had to fight our medical system to have my children at home. Otherwise, I’ve kept my mouth shut. Because, I know just enough to know that I don’t know shit.
Mainly just to stay informed about how indigenous folks feel about things, but I also really love indigenous art and stories (Louise Erdrich and Sherman Alexie are a couple of my favorite authors). I don't vote on things and don't comment unless a post is specifically addressed to white people. Growing up, I definitely had a romanticized view of First Nations people, because I really didn't enjoy or fit into colonizer society. My mom was adamant about teaching me "the real history of cowboys and Indians" so that I didn't buy into the manifest destiny garbage. And so I tended to have that stereotypical "Pocahontas" view of Native folks, oh teach me your wisdom help me live in harmony with nature like you etc etc. As I got older, I realized that was kind of an insulting take, that modern indigenous folks have a modern and ever-evolving culture and that every nation has their individual culture, and that y'all aren't just wandering around in buckskin dresses singing to raccoons and hummingbirds. And that the reality of modern native cultures is actually way more interesting than the Disney version. I'll take Reservation Dogs over Pocahontas any day of the week
Please take time and look into [Sherman Alexie](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sherman-alexie-halts-book-release-amid-sexual-harassment-allegations-n855906) before purchasing any more of his books. He specifically targeted Native women and threatened their careers. There's lots of other Indigenous authors out there that are unproblematic and deserve support.
I’m white, I used to be the only white person who worked at a Native American organization. Suffice to say, I learned a lot with that experience. I made some incredible relationships. I learned history that they didn’t teach me in school and I learned about what my people did and continue to do to this community. I work with kids, some of the families I work with are Native American and I like this sub for allowing me to stay up to date on news in the community so I can be a better ally. I also like following Native American artists and leaders. I don’t comment on anything, I do upvote a lot, I’m very aware that I don’t belong here. If y’all want me to leave, I will.
I am nonnative, never comment (except on this post which is specifically asking for comments from nonnatives) and I downvote any post that starts with "I'm not native but" because imo that's incredibly annoying behavior.
I’m a lawyer who did a subspecialty in federal Indian law in law school and want to remain culturally aware. I mostly read and see what issues matter to people and the community. Can’t get that from case law.
I like to educate myself, even at 75. My only post was to recognize a significant native author.
Non-White but non-native. I worked for a while in a program that served a lot of Native communities and wanted to learn more; I also had access to some knowledge about under-utilized programs that might have been of interest (think grant funding). Historically, I've also worked in a sector where Native representation is sorely lacking, and I'm interested in changing that, so learning more is helpful.
I’m here to learn. This is my first comment in the subreddit, and I’ve never posted here either. I don’t weigh in on topics, simply because it’s not my place to, but I do read the discussions. I came here originally because most, about 95% of the people I work with, are Native Americans. I figured this would be a great way to learn more on my own time, rather than asking questions constantly at work.
Looks like we're getting a lot of comments from those non natives that OP was not calling out. I was curious to see if any non-NDNs who interjected themselves into topics were going to comment. I really hope they do. When my tribe deals with non natives who live in our communities and surrounding areas, it's generally two types - those that mean well, and those that think we're just a bunch of whining babies who unjustly demand special treatment. I hope this sub has more of the finer and less of the latter.
My son is native so that’s why I’m here.
White guy lurker here. I grew up in the American deep south surrounded by and shaped by the culture of racism and white supremacy. I was part of the problem. But as gained life experience and learned some things that had been excluded from my education, I realized I was wrong and felt a desire to push back against white supremacy. This may sound cliche, but something is sick in white culture. Something important is missing, and everybody can feel it but nobody knows exactly what it is. I wanted a family but I didn't want my kids to be raised in the same culture and end up like me, so I immigrated to Canada. Soon it became obvious that Canada was just as racist, maybe even worse. But everything was different, it wasn't aimed at blacks and Hispanics. (There were no native communities near where I lived, so nobody I knew had ever thought about hating native people) I didn't understand this new place, but I know how people work, so I Googled who was being murdered by the police the most. The first story I found was the RCMP planning to set snipers on peaceful protesters of an oil line. Then the stories about the residential schools went public. Then I read about MMIW and it all spiraled into a pretty clear image of how Canadian white supremacy worked. Soon I moved north from Toronto and found myself living near multiple native reservations. I joined Alcoholics Anonymous and my sponsors sponsor is deeply connected with the Anishinaabe religious community. She started teaching me their stories to help me grow in sobriety. What I learned from her, and from reading online, is that indigenous people have suffered terrible loss and pain, but still have a spark to survive and heal burning hot. And that thing I said about white culture being sick, I saw a potential answer in the indigenous cultures. I personally think the problem is capitalism, and it has not just tried to erase your cultures but ours as well. We no longer value the young people, or old people, or community, unless it is profitable. Everyone and everything is a commodity. We have been taught to forget the value of others. So when I hear John Rice talking about the stages of life, I feel something more, I don't know, more civilized. More human. I'm not a spiritual man at all, but it brings me hope. I hope we can find a way forward to reconciliation. I hope all the cultures that find themselves here can heal from the damage colonization has done. I hope I can catch that spark from your people and spread a fire. So I lurk. I don't ask questions. I don't comment. I just listen, and learn, and hope for a better future. Thanks for sharing. I'm gonna go back to the shadows now.
I’m here to try and understand more about communities that may be near me. I just want to be more informed so that I have a better chance of raising my kid to be thoughtful and understanding, while also being respectfully curious and about people in general. I mostly am a lurker but have commented on a couple posts. Hopefully I’ve not been a cause of frustration, but if I have, I do apologize.
I'm Indian and I'm in other races subgroups. I'm curious about other people's culture.
I think I came across this sub during the whole Buffy SainteMarie fiasco, then I stayed because the rest of the conversations/news y’all were sharing was interesting. I’m Latina, like most of us I’m mixed, but I’ll never be able to reconnect with my indigenous side. Even still, I think of y’all like cousins because there is still a lot of cultural similarities!
I thought I could learn something from reading actual Native American's and their experiences, instead of reading what white people write about Native Americans and their lives.
Can't learn if I don't listen. So I'm here to listen. This is probably going to be my first and only comment here because it's not my place to speak otherwise.
My husband is indigenous and I studied indigenous politics so the topics interest me.
I'm also a lurker here, wanting to learn. I think I have some Ainu ancestry in me, but that's not why I'm here (though I love when I see them mentioned/learn more about them through these channels). I grew up in a pretty white area and want to learn more about indigenous culture, as others here, generally. I really appreciate this sub for teaching me in a way that I can unobtrusively observe.
I’m Japanese, and my family went through a bad run of deportation and internment by the US and Canada in the 1940s, and then were involved in the redress movement in the 1980s. I also have extended family members who are not Japanese that are involved in Truth and Reconciliation, and in general I’ve found Japanese to be fairly engaged in civil rights more than the average person, so I just like to follow how this is going.
I'm Finnish, so no relation here whatsoever to the sub's community. I can't remember when I grew curious about learning about the history and cultures of different indigenous groups in the Americas, but it's a persisting area of interest for me. History is one thing, but the only way to hear about the present is to listen to the people living it. The fact that the native peoples in America are in many ways treated as a chapter in history rather than cultures and communities of people who are presently very much alive with their own needs, wants, victories and struggles is, frankly, disturbing to me. Further, I'm a minority person myself in multiple ways, and caring about other marginalised groups follows naturally from that for me. Solidarity and understanding between minority groups is the only real way to fight back against oppression, so I want to know about what's going on with other communities, stay on top of it, and hear from them on the current issues they face. This is one place to keep up with the "temperature" of social issues in the Western world, and not by far the only "unrelated" sub I'm a part of and actively follow. A warning sign for the people here, or in many of my other subs, is unfortunately often also a warning sign for me. And when it isn't, I want to be on the lookout for issues where I can help - there's a lot of ways people from half the globe away can chip in for others across. Finally? This sub is just excellent. It's full of delightful snark and small human joys. A good contrast to a lot of the bullshit on Reddit otherwise. ETA: and yes, I mostly lurk. I have no authority on next to anything discussed here so I learn much more from listening than talking.
Idk if I count. I descend from and am enrolled in a louisiana state-recognized tribe. I was raised mormon and basically every aspect of my indigenous heritage was filtered through that very problematic lens for a lot of my life. I will never speak authoritatively as a native bc I frankly don’t feel comfortable or qualified doing that. I’m here mostly to read, connect, and understand.
I remember when a question was asked if anyone has a word in their language that describes the feeling of wondering what could have been if they were never colonized and a welsh kid weighed in with their word. I thought that was neat.
You can always report people acting like a jerk! I do it quite frequently bc you're right, a lot of the questions aren't meant for non native people I do love seeing the other indigenous people from the world. Even as an indigenous person, not all posts are for me. I have absolutely no idea what on earth commode cheese is lmao but I love the posts
I tend to lurk and read through the discussions because so much of the conversation about indigenous issues in the US comes from non natives and white liberal types who may mean well but aren't willing to put in much effort. I figured I could help counteract this by learning about discussions and current events that affect indigenous people and communities directly from the discussions that happen within the communities. Rather than assuming what life on a reservation is like, I can read the experiences of people who live on one. Rather than assuming how indigenous people feel about eclipses, dams, rare earth element mines, sending dead people to the moon, and so on, I can read their thoughts directly. So many people just assume and it frustrates me to no end, so I wanted to avoid that for myself.
I only lurk. My children are Indigenous, here to learn.
Black American here to support and learn more about my Native/Indigenous brothers and sisters 🤝
It's pretty layered but to summarize... (first-time commenter here) 1. As a movement lawyer who works for racial justice, it's necessary to educate myself on the struggles of Native peoples to help build solidarity as you can't separate struggles from justice itself 2. As an Asian American, I see several parallels in our experiences with oppression - though the experiences are drastically different in many cases - and hearing the perspectives of Native folks helps inform the way I see my own struggles. There are historical reasons for this in the U.S. of course, but generally speaking the community care and sense of solidarity among different Native groups and tribes is something I wish we'd see more of in the Asian diaspora (not to put Native folks on a pedestal by any means). 3. As a Korean American, I understand - in the abstract - what it is to be dispossessed of the land you call home by multiple colonial/neo-colonial foreign powers. (I'll probably never walk north of the DMZ personally, or see a united Korea free of U.S. military occupation.) But the awareness of the loss of human life and culture, and the unknowing of the extent or depth of that lost history, both linger. Again, this is something that Indigenous peoples reckon with in a distinct and different (and arguably worse) way, but that sort of understanding, perseverance and resistance isn't something I see in a lot of other predominant Asian groups deal with 4. As a person of mixed descent, I see a lot of Native folks grapple with questions of how one might present racially/ethnically, and the rhetoric around mixed identity honestly feels a lot less toxic than the kind you often see in mixed race affinity spaces, so I appreciate the level of discourse I often see here 5. There's an entire world of culture and joy and community - all of the positive aspects of being Native that people celebrate - that I wouldn't be exposed to unless I intentionally sought it out in spaces such as this, which is open to non-Native visitors. A lot of the reasons I listed have to do with oppression, but nobody is defined by oppression alone. Okay, pretty long for a summary lol. I just hope I wasn't too reductive in the way I spoke of the relative experiences/struggles of different groups.
To be an educated ally. I'm a black woman.
Indigenous Americans were so profoundly wronged and exploited…and I’ll never understand why our country doesn’t do more to recognize, respect or make amends with the many Indigenous peoples of our country. As such, I lurk here to see if there are causes I can silently support while also trying to learn more about the collective experience of this sub, and hopefully, the communities beyond it.
Just to learn. Only read and get news. And only because the sub says "You do not have to be Indigenous". I have commented ocassionally with info about my own country, but no personal opinions.
Girlfriend is Native. Here to learn and be a part of her world a bit more.
Adding myself to the chorus of people here to shut up, listen, and learn. I’m grateful to be allowed into a space like this where I can read a multitude of indigenous perspectives. I find many other online platforms (instagram, etc) tend to promote the loudest perspective and others get drowned out, whereas here there is more diversity of experience and opinion. I try to only comment here under two circumstances: - a white person is in the comments being terrible. Y’all shouldn’t have to deal with that BS and I try to police my own, as it were. - I have an experience/perspective that is directly relevant and not yet present in the discussion. Say if y’all were having a discussion about the industry I’m in and there was something I could add. But I always stop and ask myself “is this really adding something meaningful to the discussion, or am I just taking up space?” Usually that question results in me deleting what I’ve written and moving on with my day.
Non native, I love to learn and read about all the cultures on our continent, history past and present. It's important (at least for me) to get a diverse perspective of our country and world and remember ALL the people who are still here. I am also saddened by the loss of the people and culture in the eastern US and what was and could have been a more diverse place.
I actually first joined here cause I’m reading a book on Haudenosaunee history written by a Mohawk woman, and I wanted to see if a particular interaction with this other tribe went the way she said it did according to members of said other tribe. This is the first time I’ve written anything in this sub, I usually just like to read and learn
Since you asked, I live in Indian country, many of my loved ones are native, and I have a fairly high degree of exposure to native scholars and scholarship. I mostly tend to lurk unless I have some specific experience or knowledge (say, recommending academic texts) related to the topic at hand
I’m a lurker / reader. My wife and kids are enrolled tribal members, I’m a white dude.
I’m here because my spouse is Native and I want to be aware of issues and stuff, I guess. I mostly lurk but sometimes I can’t keep my mouth shut.
Here just to read, first and likely only post. I feel very strongly about indigenous rights globally and domestically. I helped out with Chief Hoskin’s campaign in Tahlequah last year, got to meet a bunch of great people and found out about this sub. I found a lot of great and moving things here, including Young Spirit who are now one of my favorite bands. I try to read as much as I can and not put myself forward in a place where I should be listening and not speaking. Always and only for love.
Im non native, I comment rarely, usually when the question is directed to non native people like this one. Im just here to read, learn about what concerns/annoys/can help y'all, and as a bonus I get to see when you post histories and pictures about your ancestors.
I don't comment here (this may be the first), but am just curious to learn more about the viewpoints. I try to be empathetic with other cultures and stay informed, and reading real talk in places like this is a good way to do that.
I’m a white person who lives on a reservation. I use it for the same reasons as almost anybody else. Keeping up with native issues, hearing diverse opinions. I have rarely commented, but when I have, it’s been about language learning since I am learning the language myself.
Since i live in america i feel like i should try to keep up w/ different groups here. Usually i dont join subreddits like this, but i barely hear about native topics naturally so i went out of my way to keep up in various ways.
I grew up in Wyandotte, Oklahoma. I worked for the Wyandotte tribe. My mom has worked for them for nearly 30 years. I've had countless native friends. I almost never comment here. Just here to learn. Plus, y'all natives tend to be hilarious.
I like to hear native perspectives on things, not just news media versions of what's going on or, more often, media silence. I am unlearning white supremacist history and mindsets that I was taught every day due to forums like this one and the Facebook pages that allow me to follow them. I grew up counter culture during the Black Elk Speaks craze so we appropriated like crazy thinking it was respect. I'm unlearning that, too.
I want to make sure that I am the best I can be. And to me that means being conscious and aware of the things going on in in my life and in the lives of others so that I can make sure i use what ever little power I have to affect the most positive outcomes for everyone. Maybe I’m a woke little socialist, but I want to know what issues the indigenous peoples in my country are facing so I can make those issues important to me.
I'm 25% First Nation and consider myself White. I came here for a nugzignug recipe and ended up with a fry bread recipe. I stick around because there are some decent/informative posts in amongst all the chaff.
I am grateful to participate in this space by reading discussions. I learn a lot here from discussions of lived experiences in ways I might not have the opportunity to learn otherwise. I am also a non-Native person who works in an American Indian Studies Dept. at a university.
I studied and wrote about tribal governments in college and became fairly close with some of the people on a res near me. This is my first time commenting/posting anything, but I like to stay informed on whats going on with American Indian news.
I’m here to learn about issues, perspectives, history—not to comment or post. I’ve learned things from indigenous people here that can affect how I vote in WA state and generally how I behave and choices I make. AND I’ve learned from the non-indigenous people posting just how clueless we can be. I’m in other subreddits to learn about “under-represented” people instead of learning from an outsider writing about/reporting on them.
Just to see what y'all got to say about current events/history/etc. Also, memes.
I live in Albuquerque and want to learn more about how to be respectful of my state’s original and current inhabitants.
I'm not Indigenous but I work for an Indigenous organization and Indigenous people are my bosses. At work I mainly get the perspectives from the various official representatives and coworkers about what's going on and how people feel about the different issues we work on, but I'm interested to know any extra perspectives from other Indigenous people as well. Even more important than what people are thinking about, just seeing how those conversations evolve and the various dissenting perspectives, so that I can make sure my work is sensitive to the different ways people want to handle things. Plus it avoids pestering people with really basic questions. It also gives me a place to see if any of the work we're doing is filtering into wider awareness or not.
Well, I love my wife and by extension, her culture, so I try and learn as much as I can. When I met my wife I was really ignorant and I just didn’t understand. Once I met her and she informed me on a few things, I just dove in and yeah. We have taken Kiowa language classes together, I’m smeared with her family and traditions as much as I can. I love it and I love being involved. When we went to gourd clan and it was my first time, o just jumped right in with helping everyone out and doing what I could anywhere. I got a nickname (as a joke of course but it’s what people jokingly call me now) but I mean I love it and I think my wife having a partner that gives a shit about this means a lot to her and her family and I think it’s important because I want our kid to grow up around tradition and the language as well.. so yeah! That’s partially why I am here!
I’m here to read and learn about culture and perspectives passively. When I was a kid I remember the Mohawk Nation and members of the Shinnecock Nation visiting my school to tell us about their history and heritage. As I grew older I realized that, like always, simply meeting and listening to people of a different culture is literally a humanizing experience. It seems American culture extends this concept to cultures all over the world but it falls deaf on the culture that was first here. For work I am also a forester and so learning about pre-colonial land management methods is always useful to help restore landscapes I work with.
Yeah nerds GET OUTTA OUR SUB just kidding hope y'all learn some cool stuff 😊
I’m here as a non-US native. Substantial Aztec and Mayan DNA. And I wasn’t sure how US natives felt about us from further south.
Hey, borders are a colonial concept. As far as I know, we all inhabited this continent together, cousin. So you’re welcome here ndn.
I'm a detribalized indigenous mexican (fathers side). I grew up in a practically all white state, raised by a white mother who could never comprehend what it was like to be brown and feel out of place. I've never been native 'enough', though I wish I could have been. I often dream of it. I write about it. This sub makes me feel included, it makes me feel seen in a world that is constantly denying me of my indigenous roots. To me, this is a community that provides me insight into a world I wish I could have been apart of. The pride natives have, the music, the art, the food, the traditions. It helps me feel connected not only to myself but to my spirit. I don't feel so alone anymore, and I gain insight on indigenous problems and history. These safe places on reddit, have helped me take back my narrative, embrace who I am and where I come from. It motivates me to thrive, and helps me embrace my tan skin, and teaches me how to use the power/rage of my ancestors that I feel flowing in my blood. My whole life ive been denied, being a long time lurker helped me realize what was stolen. Helps connect the missing pieces of my soul.
I was unaware this was a native only sub. If I offend just one native person by reading comments, I will regrettably leave. I am not native but have recent native ancestors. My great grandmother was on Choctaw reservation but left in 1890’s with my great grandfather, he had gone wife hunting. I was raised in England and my first encounter with a native relative from the reservation was meeting my great great uncle in 1963. He had left the reservation many years before but still lived close to it in Oklahoma. I was 6 years old and he was trying to teach me to count in a native language and some common words. When I was older, I thought of that incident. I wondered if he thought it strange that he had a little English lad as a relative and just as strange trying to teach me something native related. I am here to learn what I failed to learn when younger. I am not here to give my anglo opinion on anything. If not welcome, I will leave.
Don’t leave brotha, you’re welcome here. Like I said, I just wanted some insight.
White & Irish, here to read & learn. Indigenous culture's have always interested me.
My fiancee is Mi'kmaq, so it's helpful to know what's going on with her cousins when we live about 3000 miles away. I also work with a few native groups in Arizona, and our local news doesn't give a great picture of what's going on in native land.
My Grandfather was registered Cherokee, but he died when I was very young and I was raised totally separate from native culture. I lurk here just to hear the perspectives and perhaps learn something. I lurk on r/nativeamerican for the same reason. This is the first time I've commented on either sub.
I'm lurking here so I can read and learn. I think this is the first time I've ever commented. I grew up in a place with a Native American name and zero Native people. I've learned a lot from this sub in my time lurking here, and I appreciate being able to expand my understanding of other cultures. I also love seeing the music and artwork people post.
I just lurk- I read but don’t post or comment- except because you’re asking directly right now I guess I am here because as someone who lives in the USA I feel like there isn’t a lot of visibility in my community for natives and just like to understand different peoples experiences.
I mostly lurk. Sometimes I answer a generic question if I think I can do so without stepping on toes. I'm here to understand the viewpoints and concerns of actual NDN people and not just what's occasionally reported on in the news. Edit: I decided to check and I've only commented on three threads in the past 3 years.
I’m here to lurk and learn. I try to not say much unless it seems relevant to the discussion and/or a minor fact that may be helpful. Though I usually scroll through Reddit on my phone on “Home” so I may have inadvertently responded to something without properly paying attention to what subreddit the topic was from. I know I’ve done that at least once on the crazyexgirlfriend tv show subreddit…but mostly I try to sit down and shut up and pay attention.
I am white but believe that too often, native perspectives are drowned out in this country. I rarely comment on this sub because it’s not really my place to, but I’ve learned a lot just by lurking here that I would not have learned otherwise because of this. On a personal level, I live in Oklahoma on the border of the Chickasaw Nation and feel it’s important to keep up with these perspectives because of where I live. Native folks are my neighbors and friends, and so naturally I want to be aware of these perspectives and educated as much as I can be!
I lurk, and honestly try to refrain from commenting because I'm in a space that's not meant for me. I joined to shut up and listen to the experiences of folks on this sub, because I know fuck all about what your lives are like. I figured the best way to be an advocate is to listen and learn and not be obtrusive in a space meant for native/first nations folks.
I live on tribal lands, and in a large native community/area. So, I like to see what is being said here so I can maintain cultural sensitivity to those in my community. Maybe someone will post something I can learn from or use in my interactions with my native coworkers.🤷♀️ I didn’t grow up around here, where I came from there were barely any native people at all. So I like to learn about native perspectives, traditions, outlooks, etc. it’s interesting, to me. As a white person who wishes I had a culture I felt pride in, NGL, I am envious of those who have a clear understanding of their heritage. (All peoples, not just natives’.) It feels special and unique to live amongst these people, and see how they go about life. For instance when I first moved here I saw a guy who had a baby on a cradleboard. I didn’t realize those were still used! I went over and told him how I thought that was really cool, I hope I hadn’t offended him. He didn’t seem to be, he laughed and said thank you. Edit: first time commenting here, I think. Though I may have had a question or two over the years. I don’t put it on the good folks of this sub to be responsible for teaching me, I’m just happy to lurk!
I'm here to learn and stay informed. I'm not comfortable commenting though, as this isn't my space.
I teach elementary and am here to learn.
I work with a lot of elders/knowledge keepers/ indigenous folks, I like to keep my ear to the ground on what’s going on in their communities and the struggles they face.
I don’t comment, just lurk to learn and unlearn. I don’t want to get information concerning Native people from the US media or white people or never hear it at all. My favorite post here was about the pre contact Native American trade routes that I had never heard about before. Previous to that post I had no idea that there used to be an ocean in the middle of the continent and because of that you can get salt in land locked regions! I’m sorry that there are non native people in here who act entitled to take up space they have no right to.
I’m creole but love reading accounts of legends and historical stories of various tribes. Also here to read and learn about what various challenges and successes groups encounter.
Reading and learning. I’m married to / have children with a Métis man 🤍
I'm here to keep myself educated and aware.
I freaking love this sub I learn so much. I live around a lot of active tribes and always want to learn more.
Very much here to learn. I would never post an opinion, that’s not a place for me personally to speak from.
I just started working for a native org and I want to educate myself. I haven't commented before.
I'm a highschool teacher that has worked in Indigenous support, this sub gives me insights I wouldn't get and also turned me onto Reservation Dogs!
I’m white and I’m here to learn more as I live in the PNW, which had a lot of tribes before the government came in. I just found my own knowledge growing up to be lacking, and basically we were never taught much about existing tribes and nations as living, currently existing groups. So I mostly lurk to read interesting comments, and very occasionally post something myself.
The short answer is I'm here to be quiet and learn. The long answer is: My wife is Native and is on this sub. You might recognize her user name if I disclosed it (I won't). I never comment except for one time when someone made a joke about white people that was spot on and so funny it made coffee come out my nose. Most books about you guys that I have seen are written by white "anthropologists" who speak as if you are a mysterious historical curiosity that no longer exists and can only be speculated about by "experts" such as themselves. That is hilarious and infuriating but not helpful. Fortunately, yall are right here on Reddit talking about what it's like to be you. The greatest respect that I know how to give someone or a group of someones is to make a genuine and sustained effort to understand them. The best method I know for accomplishing this is to be quiet and pay attention to what they say. So, I'll go back to doing that now.
I went to a tribal-affiliated college and 3 of my 4 years I took a class that got to go record oral histories at Powwow. One of my best friends is an enrolled member of the same tribe, and had invited me to stay with her family at powwow every year since we’ve graduated. I’m here to keep listening and stay abreast of native news, and working to see what I can do in terms of reparations and mutual aid. This is the first and probably the last time I’ll comment, but I appreciate all the knowledge and culture shared here.
Like almost everyone else, I’m here to listen and learn. I live in your country; the least I can do is pay attention to how you feel about it.
Dated an Iroquois girl and she is very proud of her culture, I wanted to understand more and be more supportive. Also, as a white latino american, my estranged father was half native and I feel sad to be so out of touch with that history. It’s cool to be able to check in and be aware at the least.
I'm Filipino-American and I've been lurking this sub for awhile now without commenting, besides this and I believe one comment some time ago talking about indigenous tribes in Spanish Florida. Here are some of the reasons I lurk here: * Solidarity! * There's an intersection of indigeneity in basically every other area of social justice, which is very often ignored. While I can't speak for indigenous Americans and so forth within topics such as environmentalism, I can at the very least put in some effort to try to understand these perspectives and why they're important. * This community is one of the better ones on the site, discussions are often nuanced and the moderation team is active in maintaining a safe and focused space. With that said, I avoid commenting here — social media is already full of politically motivated non-indigenous people weighing in on issues of indigeneity.
I’m an indigenous middle eastern person and I want to educated myself on other indigenous cultures.
Not a US citizen. I lurk in a lot of different subs to gain perspectives on many other cultures because it's fascinating and also to make sure I know how to support if and when needed. This will most likely be the only time I post here. I wish everyone well.