MY ART IN NATIVE HISTORY MAGAZINE!

        Guess what? Some of my paintings are now                     featured on Native History Magazine!

Native History Magazine is a great e - zine sharing diverse aspects of First Nations cultures here in the USA. While media and stereotype lump all Native Americans into the fringed deerskin, feather bonnet and Asiatic featured braves and winsome maiden or wise crone categories, The reality is much more interesting than that. Yes, there are many First Nations people with the traditional facial characteristics, and who come from nations in which deerskin and moccasins are traditional garb. Even more have completely different clothing, art, fine craft and religious/cultural traditions and facial characteristics. Think of the various European states: historically Christian, predominantly Caucasian and that's where it all ends.  Each region has different languages and dialects, Christian sects, and distinctive art, music, foods & industries. Now the mass influx of new immigrants is changing European culture once again. 

The same holds true with Indigenous culture in the west: it isn't static or a living museum to 19th century lifestyles of the ancestors. Native culture itself is in flux just as cultures are everywhere.

The people of eastern, southern, and west coastal nations have married non native partners for generations. These tribes were invaded and assimilated much earlier than the Plains nations.
Many descendants are not registered members of any tribe. Our indigenous ancestors left the reservations generations ago for the same mixed bag of reasons people everywhere leave their natal communities. Our 'blood quota' is 1/4 or much less. Some of us were raised in traditional ways, others left the reservation and traditional ways behind generations ago, blending into mainstream culture.

African, Asian, Celtic, French,Germanic, Hispanic and Scandinavian DNA now flows in our veins. To those unfamiliar with the Metis and mixed blood cultures, we don't appear "Indian" at all. We may have black skin, white skin, freckles, blue or green eyes, amber eyes, round or narrow eyes, no cheek bones/broad flat cheekbones, our noses may be wide and have broad nostrils, or petite and turned up. Our hair might be blond, brown, brunette or red: wavy locks or poker straight. We come in all sizes and colors.

We honor our First Nations blood the same way we honor the other heritages in our families. We know we are not full blood and don't claim to be: a native heritage is only one aspect of our identity.  Most of us have no desire to speak the old tongues, practice the old time religions, dress or live as any of the ancestors ( although we are interested in learning about these).  We don't want tribal allotments, medical benefits or scholarships. We usually have our own spiritual, philosophical or religious beliefs and don't want or need to pillage or attempt to mimic the cultural and spiritual traditions of any tribe. 

We weave together the best aspects of our inherent cultures and look for the common threads that connect us all. Beneath the language the same values are present.  We might attend Scottish Highland games, an Eid celebration, Pow - wow and Moon Festival all in the same summer.

Media culture (is culture even a term for mainstream and cable media? Its more like lack thereof) is divisive because controversy draws viewers, and viewers attract advertising, which is how networks make their money. For the most part media is obsessed with everyone belonging to one camp or another: one being right/good and the other wrong/bad. Our society has become the same. There's an unspoken insistence, emphasized and reinforced by the media that one can't be 'mixed blood' - one must join a team and stay with it. Republican or democrat? Catholic of Baptist?Black, red, yellow or white? In many circles, even being friends with somebody of another team is discouraged - and these are educated adults I'm referring to. 

I celebrate my mixed blood - I embrace both Celtic and Pawnee ancestors in my family. Magazines like Native History are one way for me to be better informed, and are written in a way that appeals to young and older readers.

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