[Image clarification: A view of downtown Seattle, with tall buildings overlooking Mt. Rainier in the distance. Seattle was named after Chief Seattle, who was a Suquamish Tribe and Duwamish Principal. Prototype obtained from Pixabay.com]

Today is Indigenous Peoples Day. A colleague asked me to write and encourage people to not use sayings that reference Native American civilisation ("permit's have a pow wow") or insinuate to Native Americans as enemies ("circle the wagons"). I realized that as well our thoughtless usage of phrases, we all probably do other things that are disrespectful. I checked in with a few of my friends and colleagues who are Native almost things that they wish all of us who are not Native would do or not exercise. It has led to some centre-opening conversations.

The tips below, in no particular guild, are from Tara Dowd, Inupiaq; Randy Ramos, Colville and Coeur D'Alene; James Lovell, Turtle Mountain Ojibwe; Joey Gray, Métis and Okanagan; Vicki Mudd, nondocumented Cherokee and Blackfoot; and Miriam Zbignew-Angelova, Choctaw, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Sauk/Fox, and African-American and Ashkenazi. Sentences in quotation marks are from them. I want to thank my colleagues for their time and suggestions for resources. This is conspicuously an area that many of us need to larn more about and practice better on, and I'm grateful for their time and energy.

I know that Native American history and identity are extremely complex and can't be covered in a blog post, especially one that is written past a non-Native, merely I hope that at the very least, this would be a get-go for all of us to exist more thoughtful in our interactions with our Native colleagues and customs members.

  1. Empathise that being Native ways unlike things to every person. "To some people, it means being Indian. To some, it means beingness Native. To some it means beingness American Indian. Native American. Ethnic. Alaskan Native. First Nations. Some folks exclusively use their tribe's proper name." Here's an article, for instance, virtually the complexity of the term "Native American" and "American Indian."
  2. Find out whose land you are on, and honor it. "Remember that every inch of the US land was acquired illegally and then that'south the deficit that organizations need to understand as they begin working with tribal people and entities." If you don't know whose land you lot are occupying, here'southward an awesome map where you tin can enter in your urban center in the U.s. or Canada and information technology'll tell you, along with links so y'all can learn more near the Nations or tribes whose state you are on.
  3. Never ask anyone if they're an "enrolled member." There is so much complexity to this question. "Yous may exist 100% eligible and non enrolled." Many people are from multiple tribes. Some people may non have their paperwork for a variety of reasons.
  4. Practice non lightly claim that you accept Native American heritage. Don't lightly say things similar y'all accept an uncle who was a shaman or your grandmother was a Cherokee princess. "No ane is a Cherokee princess. No tribes had that term in the history of Indigenous people and then simply stop with that non-sense. Along with this, yous don't go Native but considering your DNA examination says you are. Similar just DON'T." Hither'southward a thought-provoking article on why so many people claim to be Cherokee.
  5. Avoid sayings that diminish or disparage Native civilisation. As mentioned higher up, don't say things similar "permit'south have a pow wow," "lowest person on the totem pole," "too many chiefs, not enough Indians," "Indian giver," "circle the wagons," etc. These phrases are disrespectful, and we still utilize them every day. "Spirit animal" is another one; some colleagues suggest using "Patronus" instead (that'due south a reference from Harry Potter.)
  6. Don't "play Indian." As this commodity states, "While minstrel shows have long been criticized equally racist, American children are withal socialized intoplaying Columbus Day celebrations, Halloween costumes, and Thanksgiving reenactments stereotype Indigenous Peoples as ane big distorted civilisation. We are relegated to racist stereotypes and cultural caricatures." Avoid treating Native communities and members as logos, mascots, costumes, caricatures, etc.
  7. Be where people are. Go to the reservation and Native community organizations. Visit your local Native cultural middle. Learn about the civilisation and history.
  8. Support Native artists and businesses by ownership Native. Buy art, jewelry, clothing, and other items fabricated by Native people and communities. Practice not buy "Native" items that are not made my Native Americans and that are only taking reward of Native civilization to make coin; be aware of scams by not-Natives who claim that proceeds from sales are benefiting Natives. These scams are illegal according to the Indian Arts and Crafts Human activity of 1990 and should be reported.
  9. Invite an elderberry or tribal leader to practice an opening prayer or invocations at large events. This is a way to honor and to bring attention to the tribes whose land the event is taking identify on. Simply do your enquiry first and so you do it correct. And make sure y'all honor people'south time, culture, and expertise by providing an honorarium to the leader or organization.
  10. Understand that there are over 550 tribal affiliations in the Us. They are extremely various and have different languages and cultural community. This is why it is important to do your research. Practise not lump everyone together. A colleague mentioned, for case, being asked to stand for the tribe whose land the system was trying to honour, even though she is non a member of that tribe.
  11. Don't assume that tribal people get money from casinos. As mentioned in this handy simple guide, "Out of more than than 560 Federally recognized tribes, only 224 operate gaming facilities. Virtually three-fourths of those tribes reinvest revenue in the community. In 2006, only 73 tribes distributed direct payments to individual Tribal members."
  12. When disaggregating information, make sure to include Natives. Even if they are a small percentage. "I mean, think about it," says a colleague, "They are such a small percentage of the overall population Because of the injustice done past colonization and indigenous cleansing." It does not aid to further minimize people'southward existence by excluding them.
  13. Don't wait every cultural custom will be explained to you. For instance, when y'all are at a cultural event. As a colleague mentioned, "We don't want to experience like an showroom and have to explain everything going on." Also, in that location might exist times when people are required not to talk about something. If yous work with kids, for instance, be sensitive about forcing them to share their civilisation. "Some things are not meant to exist shared."
  14. If you're at an outcome, exist thoughtful and patient around time. Events may not start or terminate on time. This does non necessarily hateful that people can't exist punctual. They may just value other things more highly, such every bit creating space to build relationships, or to exist inclusive of everyone'southward stories.
  15. Be sensitive during meal times. Food is a significant part of many communities and cultures. A colleague mentioned that in her tribe, elders swallow first, and those who are athletic are expected to become plates for the elders or for mothers with small children. Be aware when you are at an consequence and not just jump directly into the food line.
  16. Don't say costume when referring to native trip the light fantastic toe outfits and traditional wear. A dancer'due south outfit is called regalia. As mentioned in this commodity on pow wow etiquette: "Often pieces of the regalia are family heirlooms. Regalia is created by the dancer or by a respected family member or friend. The feathers in detail are sacred and highly valued and cared for. The beadwork may accept a very long time to complete. Sometimes years accept gone into the final completion of a dancer'southward regalia."
  17. Do not assume Native Americans have loftier rates of alcoholism. Really, every bit mentioned here, Native Americans take "the highest charge per unit of complete abstinence. When socioeconomic level is accounted for in a comparing group, alcoholism rates are no different for AI/ANs than for other indigenous or racial groups." Adds a colleague, "But alcohol WAS used to obtain illegal signatures for treaties and access to lands and resources that belonged to tribal people. And then maybe don't invite Natives to do 'business' in a bar without checking in first."
  18. Practice not tokenize people. As with other marginalized communities, they'll know if you lot are but trying to look diverse, or to look expert for a grant awarding or something. Spend time building bodily relationships, and ensure people and organizations are equitably compensated.
  19. Ensure the voices of Natives are amplified. Nosotros've seen when not-Native journalists are paid to tell stories about Native communities and their struggles. Permit's ensure the people whose stories are being told are the ones telling them. However, nosotros all need to do our own research and reflections so our Native colleagues are non e'er having to educate us. [Update: This is my personal blog, so my research and writing on this topic is part of my personal learning and reflection. I would never, for example, let myself to exist quoted in another publication or get paid to speak on behalf of Native/Indigenous communities]
  20. Don't bring up the land bridge theory. Many communities are very sensitive to the theory that Native Americans came over from Asia through the Bering Strait. You can read a couple of articles from Native perspectiveshere and here, but it may be best not to bring it upward.
  21. Check your white privilege. "Native people don't have fourth dimension or the emotional energy to labor through your hang ups around race issues or your identity crisis." Do your work to understand your own heritage and the privileges that come with it, and sympathise your family's history, including the parts that may be challenging, that may have involved displacing Natives from their country, for example.
  22. (Update). Use the present tense. Many of u.s. make the error of using the past tense when talking near Native communities, and according to this article, "A staggering 87 percent of references to American Indians in all fifty states' bookish standards portray them in a pre-1900 context." Many kids believe that Native Americans only be in the past; they have no agreement of current Native cultures and challenges, and we adults often inadvertently contribute to this. As a colleague states, "the use of just the past tense contributes to the genocidal narrative that we're anything but still here."

I know this is a simplistic list that can't mayhap cover hundreds of communities and cultures, but I hope it'southward a start. Thank you over again to all my colleagues. Please let me in the annotate department anything I missed or got wrong, or other things information technology would be important for us all to know.

—

Support the maintenance of this website by buying NWB (Now NAF) t-shirts and mugs and other stuff.

Make Mondays suck a litt le less. Get a find each Mon forenoon when a new post arrives. Subscribe to NAF by scrolling to the superlative right of this page (perhaps scroll down a little) and enter in your email address (If you're on the telephone, it may be at the bottom). Too, join the NAF Facebook customs for daily hilarity.

Also, bring togetherNonprofit Happy Hr, a peer back up grouping on Facebook, and if you are an ED/CEO, bring togetherED Happy Hr. These are great forums for when you have a problem and want to get advice from colleagues, or y'all just want to share pictures of unicorns. Cheque them out.

Donate, or requite a grant, to Vu'south organization, Rainier Valley Corps, which has the mission of bringing more leaders of color into the nonprofit sector and getting diverse communities to work together to accost systemic issues.