pipud:

apihtawikosisan:

Patricia Monture-Angus recounted a story in her book, “Thunder In My Soul: A Mohawk Woman Speaks” (pp.61-66) that I think about quite often. She was teaching a course on Aboriginal Title at the University of Saskatchewan and found that the atmosphere she was teaching in…

When I was younger, I am ashamed to say I tried very hard to hide my culture and the fact that I am native, born and raised into my traditions. I did a very good job of this since my parents were divorced and so I kept all my non native friends only in contact with my non native family. When I decided to not care what anyone thinks anymore, and I began to live an honest and genuine life how I was raised my white friends didn’t and still don’t know what to do. I get a lot of inappropriate comments. I have realized people are afraid of what they don’t understand.

I did the same thing.  I have friends from childhood, some who knew I was Metis and others who didn’t.  The ones who didn’t have started to realise just how many of their friends and classmates were just like me, from Metis families (many of us related in fact).  I’ve had some of these friends comment on how it’s changed everything they thought they knew about where they grew up and who they grew up with.  But it also shows me how good we were at hiding, and how many of us did it.

I refuse to do that anymore, but like you’ve said, it makes some people uncomfortable.  Their loss :D