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dansup

I am cree, and belong to a long line of chiefs and medicine men

These are passed down to the oldest son of the oldest son

I'm the oldest son. My dad was the oldest, his dad was the oldest. Since I was a kid, I've been prep'd for this

Generations of traditions have been passed down

I struggle with this in many ways, being a gay man most especially. I feel a duty to pass this on to my own son, and to help heal people in need as I was taught

I need to embrace this, and this is my first step!

11 comments
dansup

I'm more white looking than my brothers and family, but that doesn't mean I'm any less native

I struggled with this my whole life, wanting to be seen as only white and pretending I wasn't native because I was embarrassed due to institutional racism

It feels awkward to even talk about this because I never experienced any racism like my more native looking family or other non-white people have faced

Thanks for listening, it's huge for me to even acknowledge this ❀️

Sean Bala

@dansup Thank you for sharing your story, and thank you for sharing your gifts here. I am really glad you seem to feel this is a space where you can share important parts of yourself.

Wigbert B πŸŽ»πŸ›πŸŽ­πŸŽ€πŸ—žπŸŽ₯πŸ“š

@dansup

please, be proud of your courage !

always wonderful, when acknowledgement, acceptance, awareness are shared

Stefan

@dansup so happy you've become comfortable to share!

yaygya

@dansup have you read anything by Drew Hayden Taylor? He’s a white-passing Ojibwe, and he’s written a few essays and books about his experiences.

LM Little

@dansup As I read your words, I pray that you have a circle of elders and other wise nΓ©hiyaw around you to guide and support you, and to remind you that you do not walk alone.πŸ™

Darnell Clayton :verified:

@dansup I did not realize you were Cree! That is really cool to know though. Knowing your ancestry is empowering, & best of luck passing it on to the next generation! πŸ‘πŸΎ πŸ‘πŸΎ πŸ‘πŸΎ

Thatoo

@dansup
Be kind with yourself. Thank you for trusting and sharing, it's a step to (find) make your place.

Nick Trussell

@dansup
What an incredible and amazing journey you are on. I'm so very impressed with your powerful gifts and am so very thankful for everything you are carrying forward and bringing out into the world and doing so as yourself, in uniquely the way that you can.

MeKobi

@dansup Traditions are important. But so is your happiness and all, so hope you can keep the struggle light. There has been long traditions I heard in native cultures of gay, lesbian, trans, two-souls, whatever it was called, I bet it happened before, maybe talk to open/progressive elders that might remember.

Fox

@dansup
Thank you for sharing. May your journey be fulfilling.

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