Hi Jennifer, i wanted to say that i share your experience but my roots to the indigenous ancestors is much more hidden...Many generations ago...I am part of the Miami this was a very powerful tribe in Indiana before it was stripped of all its lands, wealth, and political power...The Miami thought it was important to cross bread with whites to survive...I am a descendent of Little Turtle...Born near the Blue Lake on Eel River...Near Churubusco, IN

Chief Little Turtle handed the white army their worst defeat in Indian and white war battles...it was a masacre...so they stripped the Miami tribe of Indiana of its status and federal legal recognition as a tribe...They tried to wipe it off the pages of History...it is an amazing tragedy

My Great Grandmother was full-blood James Bay Cree who married a French Canadian. When NA women in Canada marry outside there race they lose all tribal affiliation (it still happens to this day). Then they immigrated to the US (Connecticut) and checked "white" on their social security applications and other documents. So that's how my family assimilated and how I lost my connection to my ancestral peoples.

But fortunately, I have recently (last few years) been adopted by other oyate and now live in a traditional manner on the Good Red Road. I give humble thanks to Creator for presenting me with this beautiful path. Aho!