I acknowledge that, as a white women, I've been granted privileges that others have not. Each day my hope is to continue to unlearn the characteristics of white supremacy that society has instilled in me. While I'm flawed, I'm still learning. It's always appreciated, though never expected, when someone with lived experience helps me see any errors in my thinking. Please email me at awakestilldreaming@gmail.com if you wish to point out any language, idea, or concept here that you think is harmful, outdated, or ignorant. I would be extremely grateful to you.

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Many of us are taught as children that there were people living in "The Americas" before Europeans "discovered" the continent. These Indigenous peoples have been referred to as "Indians" and, more presently, as "Native Americans". The details of this history are often left out: how land was forcibly taken from them by white colonizers, that they were massacred and stripped of their freedoms, pushed from their territories into areas of land deemed "reservations". Treaties were made and broken. Children were stolen and their traditions beaten out of them.

Native peoples and their cultures have survived, though often without proper recognition or governmental support. 

What can one do to support the longevity of Indigenous peoples and their heritage?

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• "Native American", "Indian", "Native", "Indigenous" - what do people indigenous to this continent like to be called? Most Indigenous folx prefer to be referred to by their tribal name, though please ask. Tribal peoples aren't one entity, they are unique individuals with their own identities. 

  • I don't use "Indian" because it could be offensive. I also try not to use "Native American", as it implies that this country was always called "America". This land, Turtle Island, had many names before "America".  ​

• Learn about the real history of North & South American colonization, including countries that are under colonial rule to the present day.

• Understand the long-term impacts of colonizing efforts, such as societal inequalities, loss of heritage, and familial displacement. 

• Research native history in your area. Use this tool to explore where Indigenous people reside, past and present.

  • Learn the native names for where you live. For instance, I live in Waawiyatanong (Detroit).

• Unpack American traditions that are rooted in falsehoods. For example, "Thanksgiving" is a Day of Mourning for many tribes. 

  • How can you update your traditions while being conscious of the impact they have and have had on others?

• See how places (cities, roads, parks) have been named after the people who colonized them and not the ancestors of the land. How can we change that?

  • There are efforts to rename parks, roads, and buildings in southern Michigan that bear the name of a civil war general who murdered Indigenous folx. Learn more here.​

• Advocate for funding and programs that uplift Native peoples and their communities. 

• Support Indigenous-owned businesses, artists, and artisans. Buy from sources that are local to your region.

  • Check out SNAG Magazine, a native-owned arts & culture magazine based in California​

• Spread awareness about the state of tribal languages. There are over 160 languages native to North America that are on the verge of extinction. Learn about them and advocate for their representation in educational systems, media, and in native communities. 

• Do not discriminate or appropriate Native culture. Understand your biases and the difference between appropriation and appreciation.

  • Explore your own indigeneity. Understand where your ancestors came from and how they related to their environments. Inherit their traditions if they speak to you. Don't colonize the traditions of other cultures.​

• Subscribe to news from Indigenous sources like the NDN Collective, "an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power". 

• Speak out for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Relatives (MMIWR). 

• Support Land Back efforts in your community!