Tag Page IndigenousVoices

I Replied to a Question About Native American Reservations being trashy ... Here's a longer reply.

Is it regional? Generational? Maybe. But let’s get something straight: this isn’t just about reservations. I was in the Cherokee Nation just two days ago picking up tags for my vehicle, (Tribal Citizen), that I could have had sent in the mail but I love the area so much I try to go every excuse I can, (about 3.5 hours each way). I was not born there but my grandma and great grandma and more ancestors call me back to the hills in Cherokee County, as if I were. I arrive feeling like I should have never left. Yes, like any place, there are shady corners, trashy spots, and people making hard choices in harder circumstances. Same as any urban ghetto in Tulsa or backwoods badland. Why? Because all people are people. All classes. All cultures. All backgrounds. We are the same. Every single one of us has the capability to take care of ourselves and others — and we also have the free will to not give a rat's ass. That’s not a race thing. That’s a human thing. So stop using poverty or struggle as a way to demean Native communities — or any community. Instead, lift where you stand. See the good, call out the bad, and hold space for both. We rise or fall together, warriors. Wado. #FindingYourTribe #NativeAmericanCulture #NativeAmerican ##IndigenousVoices #IndigenousCulture

Man Recalls Being Removed From Carson Graham High School and Facing Racism as a First Nations Student Don Mathias recalls his time at Carson Graham High School as a painful chapter marked by discrimination, exclusion, and racism. As a First Nations student, he says the school system failed him and other Indigenous male students, leaving lasting scars that still shape his memories today. Mathias says school administrators removed a group of First Nations male students from Carson Graham High School while allowing Indigenous female students to remain. He claims the decision reflected racial bias and a lack of protection for Indigenous youth. According to Mathias, a First Nations counselor at the school did not intervene or defend the students who were expelled. As a result, the removed students transferred to Keith Lynn School, which Mathias describes as a troubled environment that exposed them to further hardship. One incident stands out sharply in his memory. Mathias recalls learning that a white student allegedly used a racial slur against his cousin. When he confronted her brother and saw no response, Mathias says he took matters into his own hands and went to Carson Graham High School to demand an apology. He states that the individual refused to apologize, escalating the situation into a physical confrontation. Mathias emphasizes that his actions came from a deep sense of loyalty and protection toward his family and community. He says he cannot tolerate bullying or racism directed at those he loves. While he acknowledges that he has many more stories from that time, he chooses not to share them publicly, citing fear and ongoing tensions involving families within the Squamish Nation. #FirstNations #IndigenousVoices #RacismInSchools #StudentRights #CarsonGrahamHigh #TruthTelling #IndigenousStories #SocialJustice #EducationEquity

That single line carries a lifetime of truth. We spend so much energy fighting the “other side,” forgetting that there is no other sky. We all live on the same land, breathe the same air, and depend on the same future. Disagreement was never the problem — dehumanization is. Many Native American teachings remind us that everything is connected: people, land, spirit, and generations yet to come. You can walk a different path without denying someone else’s humanity. Balance doesn’t come from one wing overpowering the other — it comes from both moving together. Different views don’t require different humanity. We can disagree without destroying each other. One bird. One sky. One shared future. 🕊️🤝 #NativeHistory #IndigenousVoices #facebookrepost