Descendians - Indigenous or Closer to Pretendian?

I had a friend who produced a child With a man who is a self proclaimed native. No community claims him, and he isn’t enrolled in any tribe. He was telling people he was part Lakota for years, now he’s saying he was monacan all along. My friend for some reason wanted to know how native her daughter was so she gave her a dna test. The child’s test came back she was 1% percent indigenous, and she was completely convinced that her daughter was native. She now wanted her daughter fully immersed in her father’s culture, which is a joke. I explained to my friend that if you need to use DNA testing to determine a persons nativity then they are not native. She got very apprehensive when I said that. She then proceeded to tell me that she doesn’t need validation from the feds to say her daughter is native. She did not want to hear what I had to say. I myself am from a fed recognized tribe so i know what I’m talking about, but i now was a prentendian in her eyes because I wouldn’t support her fantasy. She even wanted me to teach her daughter my ways which was very strange. Needless to say she was giving off big settler vibes so i ended that friendship

It's hard to explain to someone who blithely says they 'feel a spiritual connection' or whatever, and chooses to make a claim on our cultures or lands. As a kanaka maoli (native Hawaiian) our culture - like most indigenous cultures - includes a lot of responsibility to family, to our people as a whole, and to the land. So many people see a movie or other fake portrayal of indigenous cultures and want to be a part of that - and not the real lives of modern indigenous people (which they usually reject because they're nothing like the movies)! I can't tell you how many times I've talked with people who rhapsodize about my "beautiful" culture, but then when they hear about Hawaiians struggling with poverty, displacement, drugs, anger and all the other very real effects of being a colonized and exploited people, they react in a cruel and judgmental way.

This seems like a different issue, but I'm wandering if the term"indigenous" should be revised, simply because the Metis (Red River) have such different standards for legitimacy, they seem destined to dominate the indigenous landscape of professional and academic opportunities. And I'm only taking about math, nothing against Metis. There is simply no"blood quantum" for full Metis status and so the population grows exponentially with less and less "indigenuity" one would think, unless all other "puzzle pieces" are disregarded every generations, which can't be the case. Anyways, I support the Metis identity, but it doesn't seem fair to first Nations and Inuit that they should operate on the same feild??

How can people who are pretending to be indigenous qualify for indigenous benefits if they are not recognized members of a specific community? Don't they have to prove affiliation and ancestry?

"Wanting the rhythm without the blues" is something that is going to stick with me. Well articulated.

Booshoo Sandi, 'it's really soothing listening to you speak", the adage of rhythm & blues, penetrating; I spoke with my baby sis Jolene, & she knows you, which is helpful & she believes you are the person we are seeking and I believe it too. As always your videos are so insightful & informative & Mega Miigwetch...Dove that flies thru Thunder Storms aka janis

I would LOVE to talk to you about this! I was raised as the "white" sister in a blended settler and First Nation family. I've lived with the delight of being a fierce Indigenous ally and have built my personal and professional life around this understanding of myself. I've also had true suffering related to the impacts of colonial systems on my family... kids in ministry care I'm currently raising 3 of my nieces), substance use, family violence, trouble with the law... Last year, at the age of 40 I learned that I do have First Nation ancestry and it's really created havoc with my sense of self. I would never use this knowledge to access funding, jobs, etc. I know I have benefited from white privilege and that's how the world perceives me, but I've also lived a life intertwined with my Indigenous brothers and sisters. Am I Indigenous? Am I a Decendian? Am I just a white lady with a complex family?

I claim all the puzzle pieces but I still participate in indigenous practices because thats an integral piece of who i am. I also have a direct grandparent thats Indigenous so maybe its different than what youre talking about.

Liars will always be liars. This is an interesting subject and I'm glad I found your channel. I am none of the above, however, I do like to learn about cultures and customs.

thank you for saying that it's ok to say that you are a descendian if you only mean it as a point of interest, and not all of who you are. I try to be an ally, by buying things. Having sold my own kind of jewellery on the beach, I know how it feels when someone likes your work.
I was told that my jewellery looks Celtic, and I always sold well during the Celtic thing at Kew Gardens in the Beaches. I do have Celtic in my ancestry.
I hope that I don't look silly when I wear Indigenous things that I bought.
( I also have odd things like Azerbaijan in my DNA, the dna companies say. No idea where that came from. )
Another reason why people may make a big deal of Indigenous ancestry is because they feel that it's boring to be white. I know that tons of Anglicans became Tibetan Buddhists and Wiccans and so on, for instance. I went to a Tibetan Buddhist place a few times for my brother who had cancer. All white people at that one. One guy told me that maybe he'd decide to be Anglican in his next life. Obviously, he WAS Anglican in this life. (Note: the Dalai Lama says to keep your own religion, please.)

I'm curious regarding your perspective regarding S3 Status Indians as members of their Nations. Do you regard them as 'descendians'? Because many are 4 or 5 generations removed from community. My father obtained S3 Status as well. We are extremely proud to reclaim our ancestry for ourselves and for our ancestors who were denied their place as members of their nation. None of my ancestors lived on reserve or went to residential school. The Indian Act is designed to eliminate Indians. We're here as members of our Nation to come back to community and reclaim the identities that were stolen from us.

Hi, Thank you for your views on this. I have been struggling with this topic for many years. I have British, French, Indigenous, German, Icelandic, and Netherlands ancestry. My grand father was indigenous but died at 20 and my mother was adopted into a white family and I was raised without any lived experiences as an indigenous person and was never informed of that part of my ancestry most of it because of Candian/NL history. I don't have status and I don't care about any of that but I do really care about acknowledging that part of my puzzle. I was raised on the land and know in my heart that i have inherited that connection. I have answered those questions you posed to me through that interview and I thank you for that as it provides great insight. My indigenous journey only began about 10 years ago but it has saved me in that I do try and follow the 7 sacred teaches of the Mi'Kmaq people and allowed me to overcome some incredible bad times in my life. This part of my journey doesn't involve benefits of money, trying to attain rights, or employment benefits but has allowed me to fully engage in healing and love for my indigenous community, which I adore. Wela'lin