Blackness, Indigeneity, and 5$ Indian?

It's also why they erase the ugly parts of their own histories--like 5$ Indians.

In Fall 2020 (right before THE pandemic school year started), I attended a virtual session titled The Legacy of Historical Trauma: A Discussion of the Black and Native American Existence, Identity, and Moves Forward to Healing. It was SUCH an enriching, rewarding, spiritual experience for me. I listened to the panelists (most of whom are Black and Indigenous or were raised in Black/Indigenous households OR are raising Black-Indigenous relatives) speak of the intersecting identities and the double oppressions of being both Black and Indigenous and the acknowledgment of anti-Blackness handed down from our collective oppressors and often internalized and laterally expressed in Indigenous communities, really in both communities. The anti-Blackness being weaponized and stripped from Indigenous Peoples by the dominant culture, to the point that Black-Indigenous people would need to deny their Blackness in order to acknowledge their Indigeneity (a term I learned on that day), or rather to have their Indigeneity acknowledged by and benefits from the dominant culture. And now a reclamation of both identities--because we're all stronger together. Ooohh, chile, it was deep. I learned so much that day that I continue to carry with me.

Which brings me to today's lesson: Dawes Rolls and "5$ Indian."

There is an extra sick and twisted level of oppression, hatred, and racism that has been laterally passed among Black and Indigenous communities, and amongst other communities of color--communities of People of the Global Majority. I continuously learn more about this interconnectedness, and how these double oppressed groups were first oppressed, then used and abused by the dominant culture. But there's also an extra sick and twisted abuse of these identities by the dominant culture, when it benefits them. (We could even draw correlating lines between the existence of "5$ Indian" and cultural appropriation (especially when it comes to appearance) of Black culture.

Today's lesson came from a TikTok from Prof. Sunn mCheaux that I watched recently, and since he had to do TWO videos--1) to make his point about white people commenting on his videos and claiming to be Indigenous, 2) to clarify the term 5$ Indian and add more information and context, I'm sharing the article he linked in the second: "Paying to Play Indian: The Dawes Rolls and the Legacy of $5 Indians." Because as he points out, sometimes, people don't believe what Black folks have to say on stuff until another person from that community speaks on it. But also, often, someone and/or resources from any given community has more credibility to speak on an issue than someone outside that community.

We've only begun to scratch the surface and understand the intersectionality, interconnectedness, lateral violence and racism, and abuse of Blackness and Indigeneity. But I continue to scratch, dig, read, and watch. You should too.

#AlwaysLearning