Dear Internet,
I am a Native American living in Wisconsin. I enjoy talking about Native American cultural issues, but these days I find myself hesitant to answer the question, "How much Native American are you?" Complete strangers think it is okay to ask this question because it is "small talk." Attempts to steer the conversation away politely results in further inquiries such as "Is your father Native American, or your Mother...?"
Truth be told, asking a Native American that question is extremely personal, not for the question itself, but for the follow up. "Oh, that is enough to get you benefits, huh? What kind of benefits to you get?" and the ever favorite "You don't look Indian to me."
I am tired of being judged! How can I politely tell these folks that this isn't a polite question to ask. It's no more polite than asking a black person how black they are, or a what percentage a Jewish person is. Attempts at saying "That is a rude question," and "That isn't a polite question to ask.." have resulted in defensive behavior in which I get accused of not participating in "small talk."
Sincerely,
Searching for Neutral Ground
posted by hadjare @ 11:42 AM
2 Comments:
Reading your post prompted me to think about the who issue of percentages an=d isssue forth this ramble:
It seems to me that part of why that question gets brought up particularly in the context of Native Americans is because what little white (and other non-Native Americans) people tend to hear about Native Americans is that there is some sort of percentage requirement in order to be recognized as Native American by the US fedral govt and therefore have access to things like scholarships or some funding, I guess. And maybe also because the whole thing about who gets federal money and who gets scholarships to colleges and that sort of thing is so politicized that people always have an opinion on who "should" and "shouldn't" get it, whatever it is. And these days being Black or Jewish isn't currently measured by percentages in the eyes of the Feds as far as I know (though I'm sure people still ask questions of people with inter-racial/inter-ethnic heritages regarding "whose side" the particular heritage of interest comes from. So I suppose that there are a bunch of reasons that people fixate on the percentage question. It seems to have become a bit of "public knowledge" through this politicization and media attention over the years which obscures the situation that such a question is personal and related to topics that for many people are considered personal, ie family and money. But the fact that people asking don't (necessarily) think about the percentage question in this way is indicative of the way that our society depersonalizes and judges what people do with "our tax dollars" ie govt. funds with the result that people who are elligible for govt funds find aspects of their lives laid bare for public comment while others retain their right to privacy. And then I suppose also people think it's cool to be part Native American, like its an exclusive club and are envious. Though also, asking what percentage you are could also function as a way for them to judge how "worthy" you are of "special club" status, whether or not they have any personal stake in the question.
Of course sometimes people are just nosey and love asking personal questions too. And in other cases notions of what counts as personal might differ. But I bet that a lot of the percentage-like questions stem from some sort of exoticized curiosity on the part of the questioner without their taking adequately into account the personal nature of the questions.
Hey Anonymous,
Thanks for the thoughtful comment!
about Native Americans is that there is some sort of percentage requirement in order to be recognized as Native American by the US fedral govt and therefore have access to things like scholarships or some funding, I guess.
You are right,=. For some Native Americans that is true, but that is also true for poor white folks whose parents never went to college or graduated high school.
There are stupid guidelines as to who is "indian" or not based on these lame guidelines. For example a full blood lakota could marry a full blood Oneida, but their kid would only be considered 1/2 indian by the Federal government. Eradication of Native Americans is still happening. Rather...assimulation. This has become such an important part of who Natives are -- that focus is being taken away from cultural knowledge. In the end it isn't about how much you know about being a an Indian, it's only based on who your Daddy/Momma was. I guess I am just tired of propogating that idea.
But the fact that people asking don't (necessarily) think about the percentage question in this way is indicative of the way that our society depersonalizes and judges what people do with "our tax dollars" ie govt. funds with the result that people who are elligible for govt funds find aspects of their lives laid bare for public comment while others retain their right to privacy.
That is a really good point and a perspective I hadn't thought of before. When it comes what is viewed as public money, then people get awful onery and righteous.
I also agree with the "cool club" idea.
are could also function as a way for them to judge how "worthy" you are of "special club" status,
Again with the judging! And I fully concur. I can't count the number of times I have been appraised regarding the worthiness for the club, but BOTH native and non-natives.
For the very reasons you have stated, I feel like too many Natives are taking this "blood quantum" to heart, and focusing on that way more than their cultural heritage. I think it's time for every native to stop answering tha question.
The question is, how to do that politely.
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