Thread by @AzieDee

It pisses me off that my family has to get a lawyer, a congressman, and the CBC involved in order to get enrolled in our tribe. All because of a racist old law that band marriage to black people after the Civil War.

This history, and the history of South Eastern tribes in general, esp in VA, is incredibly fraught. Like it’s horrible how racism became a way of survival for our people. I get it. But it’s 2019. And if all those blond, blue-eyed folks have their rightful membership so should I.

The law banning black people was instated to appease white neighbors & officials who would accuse tribes of being too dark (a sign in their minds if black mixture) and use it to justify disbanding the tribe, taking their land, and selling it off. So tribes purged dark members.

And these people weren’t even necessarily mixed w black. And certainly not anymore than anyone else. Listen, when General Lee met General Ely Parker who was Seneca from NY (and Ullysses Grant's secretary), he refused to shake his hand bc he thought he was black. They were idiots.

Y’all know I’m not petty. But I’m going to make what I think is an important comparison.

1st is Pamunkey Tribe of VA, 2nd is the Wampanoag of MA. Contact w Europeans at the same time. Consider there was a larger pop of Africans in VA than MA. The purge was, um... thorough.

Which tribe has no reservation but annual powwow for 98 years? Which has a rez, but no powwow? Which has a thriving language program? Which has their dances & songs? Which does not?

Different histories yes, bt something else is at play here. In losing us, they lost so much more

Tribal law said anyone who married a negro had to leave “Indiantown” (rez) & forfeited enrollment. It also said that Native women married to white men had to leave (to prevent white men from trying to claim land there), remained enrolled. Native men cld marry white women no prob.

So what resulted was several generations of children raised by Southern white women. Which may account for the love of the Confderate flag there when our ancestors fought for the Union. What I’m trying to say is anti-black racism went beyond tribal preservation. It’s ingrained.

I will probably be told by legal counsel to take this down. So read and distribute while you can. And if you have any questions, I’m happy to answer.

I’m adding family photos to this thread because I’m so proud of us. Love my family.