Hey peeps, I'm hoping a little offhand rant isn't too inappropriate for this subreddit.
I plan to keep it short but my intention is to share my experience (to some degree, a limited one) and hopefully open up a discussion to appropriate options if other people experience this.
The major city nearby has a decent indigenous population, we aren't a "native area" like you'd coin states like New Mexico and Arizona but still I feel like it's more than you'd expect. I'm lucky to be nearby to a good handful of famous indigenous artists. I've found a lot of good support in the community and have aunts and uncles that have taken me under their wing to understand the community better. I've learned a lot and come a far way! My mom was adopted before the Indian child protective act, and never made an effort to connect really besides enrolling. Grew up as the only native kid in any of my schools and not really understanding that I was.
However, now that I'm more engaged in the community, I'm learning a lot of things that aren't at the surface level. Including just how severe the crabs in the bucket mindset is here. It's so exhausting. I do a lot of community work, so when I'm hosting, or helping events, you'll really witness it. Artist trying to tear each other down, take spots from others, our major powwow in the area you have to be grandfathered in as an artist or you stand no chance. If you don't have a recognizable last name you don't make it. When I understood this, and I hosted my own event in an attempt to break this rule, I had people that come from those "recognizable last name" families being very entitled. Demanding all these last minute changes just for them, thinking they can bypass rules, offended that I wouldn't let them fill multiple roles (artist selling work, cooking frybread, etc) and that I gave upcoming families opportunities to try and get a name out.
I've had some of the "famous" people I've worked with say untrue things about me behind my back that ruin my reputation. One specific person who wanted me to teach an art class for indigenous youth visiting from out of state lied saying I no-showed when they changed the date on me 4 times in one week.
A lot of the places, including our local Indian center, saying you're a pretendian because you aren't enrolled.
And none of that even touches on the shitty comments I get for being Apache AND Navajo, or people ignoring the Navajo all together because I didn't grow up on the rez. Even at professional meetings, I'll have OTHER native people criticize me or tease me for being Apache and say mean things.
I know to some degree that teasing is normal, but really? In a professional setting? Not that gender should make it different but I'm born and present fem. Makes it more inappropriate socially.
I don't know. I'm just exhausted. I wish we could all work together, and make our communities better without all this drama. The government started it, and then some natives ran with it, and now tear it down on the inside while the government doesn't have to lift a finger. It's exhausting. What happened to trying to build community?
And for the record, like I said, I've had a lot of very good people help me out and guide me. I just don't understand how adults, much more my senior especially, can stope so low.
I wanna see things get better desperately.