#reconnecting indigenous

[dgtor-official]

Sketches of beautiful Klao (more commonly known as Kru) girls! It took me forever to find photos that were specifically southeastern Liberian Klao (closer to where my dakwe would be) for accurate reference. I learned about the indigo forehead mark from a Klao journalist’s article so the girls here have it. All the current photos, though, were black and white, so I had to take a guess on some of the colors based on my own real life reference. I really love this and just might make it a series with the Bassa and Vai people, and maybe even the Kpelle. But yeah! I had a lot of fun on this, and I really loved it came out! Just so tumblr doesn’t nuke this post, I did not draw in nipples. It’s stupid but whatever.

Most of their outfits are based off of this photo:

#black artist #African artist #indigenous people #indigenous art #liberia #Klao people #Kru people #niger-Congo #black girl magic #lappa #country cloth #west african #anime girl #black anime #culture #og art #reconnecting indigenous

[between-the-kola-and-the-sea]

Does anyone here know of some fashion and art historian TikTokers/video essayists that cover West African fashion and architectural history? With a focus on the pepper/gold coast area (Liberia is preferable, but I'm more interested in pre-colonial borders as we share several groups with surrounding countries)? I've been really interested in learning about the ties between art, fashion, and politics when it comes to ethnography (thank you, Isabella Segalovich), but as usual almost everything focuses on either Nigeria or Ghana (No hate to either just wishing for specific resources).

#liberia #i have obligations #west africa #kru #reconnecting indigenous #art history #ethnography #research #video essays #help please #archive liberia is great #but things in video format would be great

[raging-guanche]

"the revolution must be pacific" my people blew up a british marine's arm for fucking up with us

#aboriginal canarian #canarian nationalist #canarian native #canarian amazigh #native #aboriginal #indigenous #reconnecting amazigh #reconnecting indigenous

[chaos-in-one]

Good news, might be able to get actual official tribal affiliation, since I meet the %/ fraction requirement with the tribe I know for sure I descend from. Probably can’t do the same with the other side of my family since I have no clue what tribe they descend from and don’t know how to find out, so this is about the only shot I have to reconnect with this part of my heritage Only problem is trying to figure out how to get records of my ancestor(s) I have that heritage from, because the enlistment for that requires proof of lineage (which makes sense, but it does make things difficult)

#aaaaa I want to reconnect so bad but there's so many steps for this shit #reconnecting native #reconnecting native american #reconnecting indigenous

[handweavers]

like that's what always drives me nuts more than anything re: thg movies/online discussions about them. katniss was brown! gale was brown! the poor people of district 12 were brown and indigenous coded while the ppl with a middle class background like peeta and katniss's mom were white and blonde. that context is vital to understanding the story and it's just completely gone in the movies

#gale and katniss hunting together was them trying to reconnect w indigenous practices that had been outlawed #d12 and d11 were racially segregated societiws #rue's district was racially segregated poor black people working for a white upper class and d12 was segregated poor indigenous ppl #katniss as a character cant be separated from her brownness #haymitch as a character changes when u consider he was also indigenous iirc #like this stuff is vital to the context of the story

[mueritos]

happy indigenous peoples day ^-^ a year ago i found out my family is half indigenous, so ive made it a personal duty to try and reconnect in order to honor those ancestors and histories. it's not my fault that I may never know my tribal affiliation (we know they lived around Popocatépetl), but it is my responsibility to do my best to honor them. since starting grad school, i've made an effort to talk about my indigenous roots more often, and to be honest about the fact that i do consider myself mixed indigenous. I also talk about this taking into account that I have white privilege, and how this has complicated my relationship to indiginiety.

anyway, i went to an ipd event outside of boston today and was so happy!! i had to leave early for a health emergency (thank u random uti) but it was so fun and i experienced and learned a lot. loved the mexica dance group who danced for Huitzilopochtli (i love you Huitzilopochtli he was pulled for me during a tarot reading and he told me to be fucking strong!!!!), and i especially loved experiencing the seven sacred directions where the entire crowd moved as one. i talked to some lovely indigenous people and they gave me so much guidance and love! it made me feel so happy...I wish I was able to stay longer, but I enjoyed being in a space where I was so welcomed.

if you're detribalized like me or trying your best to reconnect, never be ashamed of the fact that you were forcibly removed from your tribal affiliation. never be ashamed of how you look like either! there were so many "white passing" indigenous folks there embracing and celebrating with those in full regalia, and so many people of many appearances joined in for ceremonial dance. even if you're 10% or 3% indigenous, I still think you deserve to know your ancestor's culture and history! i still think you deserve to honor those parts of you! they wanted us to forget about our indigenous roots for a reason, and i refuse to colonize my mind any longer. opening yourself up to indigineity, even if you don't know your affiliation or "how much" is in you, is far better than never learning a damn thing about indigenous folks.

i hope everyone had a lovely indigenous peoples day ^-^

#muerto writes #indigenous peoples day #detribalized #there were a lot of cool redrum bikers too #i also met a bunch of cool taino people #and talk to some cool afro indigenous people about being a mutt haha #i was telling her I was reconnecting but wasnt sure what affiliation i am and she laughed and was like well. we're all mutts! #life is worth living when u are standing in a field with people in various regalia and there are cute lil kids running around #and some of these cute lil kids are wearing headdresses #explodes bro #im definitel gonna get annoying people after posting this but idc im living life and indigenous people irl are not assholes #like oh boy the community most affected by colonization is actually in support of people learning about their own colonized pasts??? #bought some cool necklaces too :3 #yays!!!

[felucians]

Imposter Syndrome as a native person is very real, especially if you're reconnecting or white-presenting.

Whenever pretendians with large platforms built on their "heritage" are outed as liars, it can affect actual natives mental health - which is why pretendians are such a huge issue.

To all natives with Imposter Syndrome, it's hard but you know your heritage and who you are - don't let liars take that away from you, especially when they want to be you.

#woc #woc experience #latina #latine #poc #latino #imazighen #indigenous #native #pretendians #imposter syndrome #reconnection #white presenting poc #white passing poc #when i was early in my reconnection journey i often had imposter syndrome surrounding my heritage #and i often still do when people who have faked their heritage for years are outed #i know my heritage - im accepted by my local community & tribe #i know my family and yet it still can affect me sometimes #and i think it's important that as an indigenous woman who's been through it - to tell other indigenous ppl who are less secure in their #heritage that we do experience imposter syndrome and that pretendians do impact our collective mental health #i owe it to my indigenous brothers and sisters to let them know that they are not alone in experiencing this #and remember most pretendians don't experience imposter syndrome around their fake heritage because they don't care enough to

[zo1nkss]

Happy Indigenous People's Day!!! I'm proudly Native and also Very Broke if anyone wants to throw a few bucks my way so I can celebrate the resilience and survival of my people today?

kofi

$app

Vmo

#Indigenous #Indigenous Peoples Day #Native #Reconnecting Native #happy indigenous people's day #Boost

[walterdoodles]

I MADE AN OUTLINE

dies

Y'all it took me like 2 days, and i HAVE 3 MORE MOTHS AND ONE CICADA TO DO HELP

UPDATE!!!!

It looking good other than a few mistakes, almost done with one wing 🥰♥️♥️

I GOT ONE WING!

#small artist #artist on tumblr #small art account #artists on tumblr #trans artist #gay artist #mixed artist #artist #beadwork #beading #glass beads #moths art #moth #cecropia moth #beaded moth #art #artwork #bEading is hard #why is reconnecting so difficult #indigenous #Native American #ndn #ndn tag #ndn tumblr #ndn art #what is sleep #it looks so cute tho #commisions open #pls commission me #omg ur hot if you commission me

[quasi-normalcy]

.

#Just read a disquieting rumour that my ex was faking being indigenous. #Which... #I mean #I didn't see the evidence #All that I know is that this call-out post went up about 9 months ago in indigenous facebook groups #and my ex's entire online presence was apparently immediately scrubbed afterwards #which i'm only learning just now because honestly i've broken off all contact with them and with the rest of their friends #but like...it kinda wouldn't surprise me? #but the thing was they were an extremely militant decolonization activist #like they would go on long angry rants about appropriation and 'pretendians' and how terrible they were #but also like...they didn't really identify as indigenous until i think a year or so into our relationship? #and at the time i just figured ''whatever they're reconnecting with their roots'' #(I'm not indigenous; I don't know how these things work) #but then they started speaking sporadically in a fake accent when around other Native people and going on about how 'Rez' they were #and like...'Rez'. Mate. #I know for a fact that you grew up in a $10 million house in Hawaii #(at least I assume it was a fact) #And they were a big fan of using social justice arguments and language as a pretext for abusing me. #And if it was a lie then. Well. It would be very much in character for them let me just say. #Like they lied constantly to other people. I just...I guess I assumed that I was an exception? #Or that they wouldn't lie about the big stuff. Especially when they acted so vociferously angry about it. #But yeah. Trying to assume the absolute most marginalised social identity they can for clout sounds very much like something they would do.

[ciderjacks]

Fffuck it fuck this country. I’m out.

#Fuck man. im indigenous I don’t want to leave my fucking land where my people have lived for millennia #Where my culture is #But I refuse to live in a state that still to this day commits active genocide and colonialism #The same which my people faced #I’m not giving my money to that. I’m not giving my time and heart to that. #I can handle the gun violence and the unbelievably bad healthcare and the inflation and the rising unemployment and all the bullshit #But I refuse to participate in a “nation” that pretends to be sooo sorry for what it did to my people while they are still fucking doing #What they did to us #Poisoning our water not letting me reconnect with my tribe making us identify as white then using it against us killing us killing our kids #And brutally killing indigenous people worldwide #I’m fucking done #ndn #death to america

[between-the-kola-and-the-sea]

No anah! Nanh Jugbe, mo klah yesna!

Hello there! I’m Dan, Kru/klao name Jugbe, and this is blog is my virtual journal on my journey to reconnect with my indigenous West African Heritage!

My father’s family is Kru/klao by tribe, and my mother is Bassa, Americo-Liberian (aka Congo), with some Kru/klao. From a young age, I’ve been raised in community here in the states, despite some of the losses I’ve had in connection. However, as I’m heading off to college soon, I want to take this year as my opportunity to learn my language, learn how to prepare more food, and build my sense of community.

This blog is also a tribute to my Great-Grandmother, "Aunty", (the display name translates to “I love you great-grandma”) who has dedicated her time to teaching me Klao, a language belonging to one of sixteen indigenous tribes from Liberia. It's also a love letter and journey to growing closer to my culture and becoming closer to my communities. Here, I'll track my progress while also posting about being Klao and Liberian/West African in general. If that's your kinda thing, feel free to stick around! Currently, I reside in Tsalaguwetiyi, Cherokee/Tsalagi land. I hope to connect not only to the community of my family’s people, but also the community around me and support my indigenous siblings worldwide!

Until then!

Na pomu trawah yo kay kpah wuloh!

1/6/2023 Note: Post was updated to reflect more accurate identity, as the term "Kru" and its etymology are contentious. My grandpa refers to us as "kru," though my grandmother revelaed the word for us in our language is "Klah" more similar to the revised anthropological "Klao".

#indigenous people #Kru #liberia #U.S #west africa #reconnecting indigenous #self-discovery #community

[raging-guanche]

It is not the same moving to another country as a child and growing up with another culture so you identify more with that one than with the "original one" than losing your REAL culture due to colonization and have to grown up without any culture

#rant #vent #racial vent #reconnecting indigenous #reconnecting amazigh #indigenous #colonization

[vampgojo]

being a reconnecting native is very difficult, I feel like especially if you’re like hispanic indigenous, i’m mexican native american and i’m trying to reconnect and find what tribe i’m from but tracking down my lineage on both sides is so hard, i feel stuck and like i don’t know where to start :/

#send help #it really is pretty difficult #and the only person i feel that like really knew was my grandfather #but he passed when i was four #native #native american #reconnecting native #mexican native american #mexican indigenous #i don’t know where to start

[maxellminidisc]

There this one artist I see pretty often amongst gay Mexicans that makes my eye twitch cause so much of his content raises red flags for me of being one of those mixed Mexicans that "reclaims" indigenaity (if you know what I'm talking about, you know, its hard to explain) but I am reluctant to say much cause I do not have the patience to be dealing with the inevitable bitching that would come from it cause I absolutely know how stupid mixed Mexicans can be when you tell them to use their fucking brains and quit being racist LMAO

#its just like so much of his conversation on reclamation fits the whole #obsession with the mexica AND CALLING THEM AZTECS #constantly using regalia like a costume #never clear on what indigenous peoples hes reconnecting with which in combo of still referring to the mexics as aztecs is 🧐 #i could go on... #the issue of mixed mexicans reclaiming indigenaity is a complicated conversation #but like theres definitely ways certain people (especially white passing mestizos) go about it that's telling you know?? lol

[mueritos]

i really think the latino purists are so fucking dumb. a while ago i expressed wanting to reconnect to my indigenous heritage as a mexican person because i believe reconnecting and honoring indigenous ancestry is critical to decolonialism. and what did i get? a bunch of latinos angry as fuck because I dont “look” indigenous or that i’m too white to be indigenous, or that im just a byproduct of United Station culture and that Im a watered down mexican. Turns out from a recent dna test that almost half of my makeup is indigenous american, both Native North and Mexican indigenous. Of course the other half is portugal and Spain, but holy fuck was I happy. Finally I know that I can make the first steps to honoring that part of my ancestry, even if I will never find out what tribe or groups of indigenous people my family is from. the point is that im making those first steps, and I genuinely believe decolonization starts with learning about any and all indigenous ancestry that you may have within your family. Even if that ancestry is not positive, whether from colonization or slavery. Having that knowledge is powerful, knowing the tribes, learning their names, how to pronounce it correctly, familiarizing yourself with that culture...how is that not more important to other latinos? we come from colonization, and we seriously have to start joining our indigenous communities in honoring their presence now and in the past.

#like how r u gonna b latino and not try to learn ur indigenous ancestry #like dude thats you too! #the anti indigenous sentiments are huge in lat am either way #colorism and anti indigenous....spanish purists hating indigenous dialects or hating any change to the spanish language #like dude spanish was not the first language here first off #second off go read some spanish literature and history #transphobes dont annoy me but dumbass latinos do #like damn im rooting for us but youre making it really fucking hard #but all of the indigenous people and indigenous latinos i talk to...like we vibe and we're just trying to reconnect and honor #literally the bare minimum #and yall get mad #literally so annoying