[MUSIC PLAYING]
How to feel about
my Native heritage? I had an uncle once tell me
that being Native is hard and that our
traditions are hard. Our rituals are hard. We go through really tough,
endurance-building rituals so that we can find ourselves. And I don't think we should
be ashamed to be Native. We've been taught in
school or in our books or in other people's
stories that being Native, we're really stoic. We're really cut, dry people. But that's not
how we are at all. We're a happy people. We're a spiritual people. We know where we are and
where we've come from. We know our ancestors. We know our traditions. We know our heritage,
and just not being scared to be that
Native person, right? We don't all walk
around with feathers. And we don't all walk
around with this, because they're sacred. When we get an
eagle feather, it's something that's sacred to us. And we're a very sacred,
spiritual people. And so not being afraid to be
that sacred, spiritual person with our friends and with our
family and with our peers, not being afraid of
rejection or that, but being proud to be Native. We always have
that Native pride. And we talk about
that Native pride. But I think sometimes
we get so wrapped up in what we're supposed to be. And we kind of distort our view. But being Native
is a happy thing. It's a good thing,
and so just being proud to be Native and a
spiritual, sacred people. [MUSIC PLAYING]