Fantastic Story Kathryn and not unlike my own.
My favorite quip is that some of my ancestors came here on a boat
and the rest were on the shore to greet them. :)
Yes my French ancestors arrived here in 1685- French Hugonauts(sp)
fleeing from certain execution. But after 3 generations they were no
longer French, only the name survived. And there is more. Anyone with
French and Indian ancestry is also most likely black as they were
close allies. Almost no one in my family wants to own up to this even
tho the geneology report verifies. I have a picture of one of my
great grandfathers and aside from being very Indian his skin was
unusually dark and his features reminiscent of West Indian. Those
few of us who did embrace this part of our heritage were quickly
ostracized by the rest of our family, so you see prejudice is not
just "out there" we have it right within our family. None of us ever
lived on a reservation nor do we wish to. We "passed" and got away
with it. ( OOOPS I take that back. My grandpas oldest brother
did go to a Reservation and lived out his days there thats a story
for another time)
Interestingly on the 1880 Census every member of that family was
listed as "mulatto".
By 1920 they had all moved to an adjoining county and these same
people are now listed as "white" and have been ever since. When
having to fill out the question of nationality I no longer claim
either white or native american but always check "other" and let
them guess. LOL Tis the Indian side tho that tugs at my heartstrings
and I live as close to the earth as is humanly possible in this day and
age.
At 65 I found myself a "mountain man" and left my home to move to his
mountain and live off the land, etc. Quite a change and except for
the isolation I love it.
zoe
Clayton Family wrote:
My NA ancestors chose to not go to a res- they feared extermination
once all were corralled, which is what happened over and over, but
happily not in all places. They moved West, which they said had much
less hatred for blood and much more respect for the individual and his
accomplishments; they intermarried, and by the time my grandmother was
growing up, she was told she was part Cherokee, but to keep it a
secret or it would be very bad. She had that lovely olive skin, which
I have also been blessed with. As she taught languages, esp Spanish,
she could pass for European. I also have some Cheyenne and some
Canawaka. My ancestors found love to be the most important thing, so
did not pay much attention to the issues of heritage. Sometimes I feel
the loss of that heritage.
I saw on PBS a man who paid money to have his blood analyzed by a
genetic company, and it was found he was mainly NA. This was something
he never knew, he looked Irish, and his family said he was Irish, none
of the current generation knew anything about it. He started attending
the powwows, and enjoying his newly found connection.
I think if we looked into it in that kind of detail, we would see that
most of us came from somewhere else at one time, it is only human
nature to move around, fall in love, and put in new roots in a new
place. If one's family has been on this continent long enough, it is
probable that one has some NA ancestry. After all, in the 1600's,
there were not many Europeans to marry, and with a growing population
it is only natural to intermarry.
In my family, we have ancestors that have fought in every war and on
every side- so who is to judge who is right or wrong? It is important
to honor everyone. One thing is we are taught to stand up for what we
believe in, after thinking about if it is true, is it necessary, is it
kind? In a hundred years, what will happen if we follow this course of
action- will it be good or bad? Many things will not matter at all, so
best not to put too much attention there.
What is funny to me, is that living in Mn, everyone thinks I am from
some foreign country, but my husband who has much more NA blood than I
do, looks totally white. It does come in very handy when travel
abroad, though, I fit in just about everywhere I go, as long as I
don't open my mouth- lol
Cheers, Kathryn
On Oct 1, 2009, at 6:10 AM, zoe w wrote:
Very well stated.
Yes it is still happening today and in some ways its even worse
than it was hundreds of years ago. But we have survived !!! Even
tho not many pure bloods left, and most of us now of mixed
ancestry, what little blood is left is very strong. The
ancestors are speaking thru us and I find it all just amazing.
AND we seem to be finding each other in the most unusual ways, as
on this list. We shall not be forgotten, nor put in a cubbyhole
for safe keeping.
zoe
Sandy wrote:
Yes, Zoe...I know. I've tried to learn from the things that have
come my way whether good or bad. If we learn to be bett
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