What Makes Us Native

By Dorina Hawkes

“He doesn’t look Native,” Little Bear says to her mama.
“Do I look Native?” Mama Bear asks.
“No.”
“Do you look Native?”
“Yes!” Little Bear says with confidence.
“But you look like me!” Mama Bear laughs.
“No I don’t! I’m darker!”

After so many years of textbooks and Hollywood, I think it’s been ingrained into people what Native is supposed to look like.  However, after so many generations and intermarriages, Native doesn’t always look any particular way anymore.  Native isn’t any particular color.  Native is on the inside.  It’s in the blood.

A Native might still have high cheek bones, but surely a Native has a high spirit— a connection to the earth, to nature, to the elements.  

A Native might still have strong shoulders, but surely a Native has a strong heart—love for family, friends, community.  

A Native might still have dark features be it skin or hair, but surely a Native has a bright mind — keeping history, making memories, sharing stories.  

Native is on the inside.  It’s in the blood.

These physical features are stereotypes that put us in a box and so many of us don’t look like that anymore.  Some of us are blonde.  Some of us have curls.  Some of us sunburn.  Not all of us are like the warriors of old.  Not all of us like to dance.  Not all of us are storytellers and not all of us are basketweavers, but all of us have our place and so many of us are still looking for our place.  None of us should feel ashamed to claim our Native heritage just because we don’t fit the pictures.  

Always remember: Native is on the inside.  It’s in the blood. 

Don’t be afraid to say: “Hello, my name is White Feather.  I am the daughter of Black Bear and I AM NATIVE.”