Native Archives - The Race Card Project

We are living on stolen land.

October 13, 2025October 13, 2025 GA, immigrants, indigenous, land, McKayla Milam, Minority, Native, Natove Ameican, Powder Springs, stolen land

McKayla Milam,
Powder Springs, GA

The six words that I chose was to remind people, including myself, that everyday we live our lives on land that never initially belonged to us. Therefore, we are all immigrants except for those that are Native Americans. I try to keep them in mind more often and not just around Thanksgiving like the rest of society does. I cannot imagine how they must feel on a daily basis or what they go through having to be the minority on land that was theirs to begin with.

Stuck between two races..fitting neither.

July 9, 2025July 9, 2025 Bartow, culture, different, fit in, FL, group, Margaret Hayes, Native, Race, southern, stuck between, two races

Margaret Hayes,
Bartow, FL.

I am mostly White on my mother’s side. Her family is all Southern. I do not look anything like them nor was I raised in the South so I don’t always think or act like they do. I am Native American on my father’s side. I definitely look much more like my father than my mother (actually nothing like my mother’s side with their pale skin and light eyes) but I wasn’t raised like he was either. With my parents being military, I moved everywhere. I have little to nothing in common with either side as my extended families didn’t share my experiences nor I their’s. I wish I had more in common with my Native side since I live in the south. But while I live in the South, it’s definitely not the same as being born and raised here. I have good relationships with both sides but I feel culturally like an outsider on both sides. I feel cultural ties are one key part to our identities. For me, it’s an important one. It shows up in family gatherings… on both sides. I have no shared childhood or early adulthood memories. Culture is tied to race. For me, it feels isolating. I feel different. I fit neither group.

Indian, born here but built there.

July 9, 2025July 9, 2025 CA, Indian, Morgan Hill, Native

Udbhav Kuppa,
Morgan Hill, CA

Blood and Tears But Footprints Remain

January 22, 2025January 23, 2025 African American, blood and tears, Boston, brave, Footprints, Justin John Banks, labor, MA, Native, U.S.

Justin John Banks,
Boston, MA.

My ancestors were both Native and African American. The U.S. was molded by the labor of both of these brave peoples and although they shed blood and tears in the countries formation, they left their mark on U.S. soil forever.

Native blood and how I feel

November 6, 2024 48439, American, MI, Native, Tylor Newman

Tylor Newman,
48439, MI

I am white and native American
I embrace the native American side of my family by hunting taking care of the forest and other things such as that I believe in Egyptian native American greek roman gods i listen to basically all music my last name is Newman

Native blood and how I feel
My race and ethnicity has affected me positively and negatively a lot of people don’t believe I’m native American because I’m white and a lot of darker people don’t like me because I’m white
The way my race and ethnicity has affected me has been positive and negative in a lot of different ways during my life in school situations and professional situations and because i appear white i feel like i get treated differently in a better way based on my other skin colored peers in my life and its extremely unfair

I miss eating Vindaloo with Dad.

May 6, 2024May 7, 2024 Australia, australian, blonde hair, Colbert's Late Show, curry, danish, depp tan, Family, generational, India, Indian, Native, restaurant, scottish, tan, Vindaloo, white wife, Wilhelmine Taylor

Wilhelmine Taylor,
Australia.

My father’s family was originally from India, but his mother was Scottish/Danish. People tended to assume he was a white guy with a deep tan, so when he and I went out for curry, the restaurant employees were surprised when he ordered vindaloo. One of my happiest memories of him was the time when, after Dad’s vindaloo had been brought out, all the restaurant staff came out and stood in the kitchen doorway and watched him eat as though he was defusing a bomb in front of them.

In many ways, my father’s family history is a generations-long tragedy. When Dad’s great-grandfather moved to Australia from India, he did so as the brown adopted son of an otherwise white, English family. His adoptive father appears to be the only member of the family who wanted him. Dad’s great-grandfather tried his hardest to fit in, and doing that meant leaving his culture behind and trying to become an English gentleman. Every generation after him was taught to blend in- to dress white, and act white, and to marry the whitest person they could find.

Dad married my blonde mother, but he also ate vindaloo, and he was the first member of his family in a hundred years to reconnect with Indian culture. He was proud of who he was and where his family was from, though for most of his life it wasn’t safe to talk about that in public. The racist undercurrent in Australia has a terrible impact, and even now the emphasis is still on assimilation and toning down cultural differences, when it should be on celebrating diversity in all its myriad forms.

But because Dad was the only member of his family to reconnect with his heritage, I can’t talk about that with his family. They’re all pretending to be white. So I’m here, telling a stranger that I miss my late father, who loved vindaloo.

Native Education: Moving beyond the Asterisk*

March 19, 2024March 19, 2024 AK, Alberta Jones, Asterisk, build, education, Juneau, move beyond, Native, Native American

Alberta Jones,
Juneau, AK.

Alaska Natives and American Indians are often just an asterisk (*) in higher education and other data. We are collectively, trying to build our critical masses and be a voice that is often unheard.

White but grew up as minority

February 12, 2024February 12, 2024 Alaska, Austin TX. Submitted via @atxtrina, border town, educated, elementary school, Mexico, midwestern, Minority, Native, Olympia, origin, other, teacher, TX, Vicki Hohner, WA

Vicki Hohner,
Olympia, WA

While I am a white midwesterner by origin, I spent most of my formative years as a minority. First as part of the only white family in several Alaska Native villages, where my parents were elementary school teachers for many years; and in my high school years, as part of a small Texas-Mexico border town which was 3/4 Hispanic. I have been the target of bullying and racial stereotyping, and while I know what I experienced was not as extreme as many people of color experience it did give me some perspective on their lived experiences. In Alaska, even at a young age, I could see how the white Western influence was destroying native communities’ ability to continue to live off the land without providing adequate alternative livelihoods for the “educated”. In Texas, I saw how the white power dynamic enabled the smaller white population to dictate much of the social and economic interactions of the Hispanic residents. When I first moved to my present location I was uncomfortable because I found the town “too white”. When traveling in other countries, I try to fit into the local population and avoid “ugly Americans”, of which I, unfortunately, see many; entitled, demanding, loud, and disrespectful of the people and places they are visiting. I find it interesting as well as infuriating when white people who do not know me well make statements that assume I think like they do, seeing people of color as “the other” or less than/undesirable. My parents felt some guilt about subjecting us to such an unusual childhood, but I am extremely grateful for the perspective it provided, which allows me to relate more often to the challenges and negative experiences of people of color and be more outraged at the disparate treatment of similar activities and offenses.

Playing by everyone’s rules is exhausting

January 19, 2024January 19, 2024 anonymous, cuttlefish, defend, Esme, France, heawr, Hispanic, Madison, Native, playing, pride, pubic, rules, souther, white, WI

Anonymous,
Madison, WI.

To Fred down the street I’m half-Asian; to Nick the bus driver I’m from southern France; Veronica thinks I’m obviously Native; McKayla says I’m White; to Esme I look like one of those pochos who thinks he’s too good to be associated with “them.”

Sometimes it’s okay for me to talk about my experiences, but usually no one wants to hear it because I’m automatically wrong. I can’t know what it’s like to be stared at in public, for instance, because I don’t look non-White enough. Never mind that I get stares and rude looks not just at the grocery store, but at the mercado too.

No one wants to hear it so I keep my mouth shut and do my best to accommodate them. It’s not so much that I think they know more about my experiences than I do, but that the people in this state generally aren’t ready for such conversations. Also I value my time too much to give someone who I’m never going to see again a talking to about how not to be a dic*.

Everything’s so black and white here, that those of us who don’t fit so neatly into one of two categories are used to being scrutinized for every little thing we do. If we rightly take pride in our non-White ethnic and/or racial heritage, we’ll have to continually defend ourselves against the people who tell us we’re too White; if we give in and try our best to assimilate, then we’ll have to defend ourselves against the hordes of people who ask us why we’re so ashamed of our non-White heritage.

Much like cuttlefish, many of us change our skin when the need arises, to prevent something bad from happening -by “bad” I mean that unbearably awkward moment when someone tells you that you can’t be “Hispanic” because you look too “American” (or that just as intolerably awkward moment when someone tells you to buck up because other people have it worse). We get a lot of flak for that too. It’s not my fault I was born this way; no es mi culpa haber nacido al otro lado del Bravo. By the same token, it’s not my fault that you don’t understand and probably never will.

Ya se despide este pocho, hasta luego y ay los watcho.

I’m not white, but I’m white.

January 18, 2024January 19, 2024 AR, Aslaskan, Athabaskan, difference, first experience, Jonesboro, Kelsee Jensen, Native, white

Kelsee Jensen,
Jonesboro, AR

I am from Alaska and have a lot of Alaskan native family members. Growing up, I did not think of myself as white. My family members told me that I was Athabaskan or Alaskan Native, but not white. When I moved to Missouri at the age of 8 I was told that I was, in fact, white. Either way, it makes no difference.

Founding document. (merciless Indian Savages) Hmmm?

January 15, 2024January 17, 2024 American, Berdell Macon, FL, foudning document, Indian, Native, Riviera Beach, savages

Berdell Macon,
Riviera Beach, FL

Suicide: Native voices must be heard.

December 5, 2023December 5, 2023 AL, Anchorage, Native, Native American, Rusty Creed Brown, Suicide, voices

Rusty Creed Brown
Anchorage, AL

I want to understand Cultural Appropriation.

October 31, 2023October 31, 2023 Canada, costume, cultural, cultural appropriation, culture, dress up, Facebook, Halloween, inappropriate, Native, Native American, Rae

Rae,
Canada.

An issue came up on Facebook, about Halloween costumes. People were talking about it being inappropriate for kids to dress as native people. I didn’t feel that it was so bad, that it was a way for kids to explore culture. I remember how often I used to pretend I was a native person, making forts out in the bush. If I had dressed that way for Halloween, it would have been out of interest, not out of any bad feelings towards the native people. I was naturally told how hurtful this attitude is, and that it is just WRONG, but I feel like it’s natural for cultures to blend and borrow from one another, and that’s how we become a new culture. Thoughts?

It’s not racism if they’re Native

June 14, 2023June 14, 2023 African-Canadians, Arthur Webster, CA, Carlsbad, Native, outlaw, racisim

Arthur Webster
Carlsbad, CA

Obviously, this shouldn’t be the case, but often I feel as though people think it is ok. I live North of the border, and while Canadians have a slight tendency to get…shall we say, a bit self-righteous over racism (underground railroad, anyone? Outlawing slavery? We’re the good one’s, right?). I don’t believe any nation in the world, on any reasonably large scale, really understands racism and has succeeded in confronting it. We know that we are not supposed to say bad things about African-Canadians, just as before then we learned that we couldn’t say bad things about Jewish people, and the Irish, etc. etc. We are learning that we can’t be mean to immigrants, people from Asia, and so forth. But it (frustratingly) seems as though thats all it ever is: learning what we can and can’t say.

I was very disheartened to read some (trolls, of course) comments in some media outlets regarding some natural disasters in reserves and areas occupied by Native Canadians. Not that racism against those whose land we share is anything new, but simply the extent to which it wasn’t considered bad. You see any comment thread about a case involving racism against a person of African descent, and any comment with racist content would be lambasted by other commenters. If we are talking about Native Canadians, though, not so much. One such comment read that the ‘culture of dependency of the {Native’s} knows no bounds’ (paraphrase), referencing the governments supply of emergency provisions to the area. This coming shortly after major floods in Calgary and southern Alberta (that’s a city and it’s province in Canada’s west, for those not familiar with Canadian geography). I’m sure I don’t need to explain my frustration with this. In any case, it simply seems to me that our gradual overcoming of racism seems to be solely a consecutive stream of learned political correct sayings, and we need to be constantly told what is or isn’t ok.

Let’s grow up a bit, shall we?

*Note: I do apologize if anyone was offended by the 6 card…it was for effect, though I am open to criticism if it was too much.

What does Puerto Rican look like?

June 13, 2023June 14, 2023 Boricua, DC, explore, Janet Jimenez, label, latina, mixed, Native, native islander, Puerto Rico, Puertorriqueño, Puertorro, skin, Washington

Janet Jimenez
Washington, DC

Puertorriqueño(a) is the “proper” term used to address a native islander from Puerto Rico. Do not confuse with Newyoricans, or anyone else born outside the island to Puertorriqueño parents. A real Puertorriqueño(a) knows the words to “La Borinqueña”, speaks Spanish (FLUENTLY), has lived on the island, and cries to the words of “En Mi Viejo San Juan”. Other terms used to refer to a person from “La Tierra del Encanto” are: Puertorro(a) = a shortened version, Borinqueño(a) = after the island’s Taino name “Borikén”; and Boricua = a variant of the previous. The terms Boricua or Puertorro(a) can sometimes be insulting, particularly to an affluent person. However, average people, especially those from the “caserios”, do not typically mind these terms. I copied this from Urban Dictionary as its the one definition I like the best. People mistake me for Lebanese, or some mixed race Latina. Parents are straight up from PR. Gray eyes on the paternal grandparents side and white skin as well. It’s been an interesting subject to explore. What do you say?

Black childhood, Asian marriage, Aboriginal church.

June 8, 2023June 8, 2023 Aboriginal church, Asian marriage, Black Caribbean, Black childhood, British, Canada, church, Debbie Haughland Chan, German, heritage, Native, Norwegian

Debbie Haughland Chan,
Canada

My heritage is Norwegian, British and German. Growing up, my church gradually became half (or more) Black Caribbean. I married a Chinese man. My daughters-in-law are Chinese from China, Chinese from Malaysia and Sri Lankan. The church I’ve attended for the last 13 1/2 years is in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Canada with a primarily Native Indian population, which is reflected in the make-up of our congregation. I love the diversity of my world.

No one else chooses my identity.

March 17, 2023March 17, 2023 African American, Chickasaw, Choctaw, German, grandmother, identity, irish, Luxembourgish, mixed, Natalie, Native, pass, Seattle, self-identity, suburbia, WA, welsh

Natalie,
Seattle, WA.

My grandmother never got to pass for white. She was sent to indian boarding school. 50 years later, I grew up in white suburbia, where no one assumed I was Native or even mixed-race. I self-identify as Native, I speak Chahta, I participate as a tribal citizen, I carry on the family stories, and today I’m a physician and activist fighting against poverty, homelessness, addictions, and diabetes. Ancestry: African-American, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Irish, German, Luxembourgish, Welsh.