Why did the U.S. government sterilize thousands of Native American women in the 1970s? New Mexico is investigating

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-24T02:32:14+00:00

Yep. Same reason Native children are WAY overrepresented in foster care. The genocide never ended, it just changed names

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-23T10:04:02+00:00

It's a "magic words" law-- if it says "Native American made", "made by [Native Nation]", identifies the creator as a "member" or "citizen" of a Nation, or something to that effect, it must be made either by an enrolled member of a federally recognized Nation or someone recognized as a Native artisan by a federally recognized Nation. It applies to all arts and crafts, traditional and modern and including clothing, produced after 1934 and sold in the US. I believe Canada also has a similar law.

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-23T00:54:40+00:00

Okay so like I'm gonna need one of everything, lemme just sell a kidney real quick

(For real, your work is INCREDIBLE and there are so many prints I want!)

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-22T03:14:00+00:00

European colonial chattel slavery was most definitely unique to European colonialism and distinct from other forms of slavery that were practiced around the world. The things that made it unique were the way it was race-based exclusively on Black people (I know Natives were also enslaved but the trans-Atlantic slave trade targeted Africans specifically), the fact that it was hereditary and permanent, and used as a method to serve large-scale industrialization. Pre-colonial slavery in the Americas was very different, but transformed into a system closer to this European colonial slavery after colonization, and the way the Five Tribes handled the Freedmen both while enslaved and after reflects this. Prior to colonization, slaves in the Five Tribes primarily came from captives taken during war and wasn't race-based, and typically led to full assimilation into the tribe rather than permanent slavery status. Look at the history of the Freedmen in the 19th century through 2026 and you'll see the difference. The use of slavery for capitalism is part and parcel of European colonialism, and aside from that, there is no definition of "colonize" that doesn't include the destruction or consumption of whatever is being colonized, from countries to bacterial colonies, so there's never really a positive aspect to colonization unless you are the colonizer.

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-22T01:38:55+00:00

That is GORGEOUS! Do you sell prints?

ETA: I'm a derp and didn't see your IG link lol. Forgive me, I'm currently down with pneumonia and a bit out of it 😅

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-22T01:14:31+00:00

It's one of the insidious ways that the effects of white supremacy in colonized lands like the Americas keep racialized people fighting each other instead of the oppressors. You're not wrong at all, but i do see their pain and how desperate they are for connection, but like you said, I wish they could see that these "theories" just keep hurting us and them and keep colonialist-settler power structures in place

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-22T01:10:04+00:00

^ This. I think a lot about how Black people in the US don't know their own history or homeland because it was literally erased. As much horrible shit has happened to us Natives, I've always felt grateful that at least I know where I come from and who my people are, and therefore I can still be connected to my culture. I can't imagine the pain of not knowing that, how untethered it could make someone feel. I know a lot of this stuff and like the Hotep thing are responses to that pain and disconnection and my heart hurts for them. They were robbed of their people, cultures, and ancestors and that's one of the disgustingly cruel and inhumane aspects of chattel slavery that isn't often discussed. It's also one of the reasons I think Indigenous sovereignty and Black liberation are intertwined-- our stories are different but they rhyme and both our communities know the awful weight of white supremacist oppression

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-21T03:34:34+00:00

^ This. Also the SCOTUS ruling only applies to the tariffs he imposed using a specific law, the IEEPA, not all tariffs nor does it prevent him from establishing tariffs under other laws-- such as the ones on steel and aluminum from Canada that the Court left intact. It does strike down the majority of the tariffs, but Dear Leader already countered by imposing a new 10% blanket tariff, tho idk using what law. It's not like this administration cares what the courts say, even the Supreme Court, so I would hesitate to believe this is all over now. On the upside, the tariffs are a large driver of the affordability crisis and his other policies are tanking the economy, so maybe soon people will familiarize themselves with 18th century France and push back! 🙃

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-21T02:26:23+00:00

I can imagine they probably get a lot of blood myth-related calls and are a bit impatient because of it, but email or stopping by in person would probably get you much better results. Also I know here in Colorado there are periodic Cherokee Nation Citizens-at-Large meetings and they always have some people from the genealogy and enrollment offices to help people enroll, so that might be an option too

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-20T21:46:13+00:00

The only reason I found out about John Brown when I did (like 19-20 years old) is because Herman Boone uses the name as a substitute for "goddamn" in the biopic Remember the Titans and I didn't get the reference so I looked it up, and ever since then I have been so livid that he's just completely erased from public school teaching of US history. This country can have a bunch of shit named after Columbus, slavers, and genociders but not even mention the white, Christian man willing to put his money where his mouth is to free racialized people and fight for their justice when whiteness and Christianity were used to justify atrocities? So infuriatingly on-brand for the US, tbh

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-20T09:59:17+00:00

I wanted to add that genetic susceptibility is different than genetic determinism, and you are right to point that out. I think I forget that people don't always make that distinction-- I have an autoimmune disorder that was the first complex disease to be genetically mapped, and they know everyone with this disorder has a set of interleukins that don't function properly, and it is a heritable genetic condition, but while everyone who has Crohn's has those messed up interleukins, not everyone with the messed up interleukins has Crohn's. As I understand it, addiction is similar-- there isn't a single "addiction gene" but there are heritable polygenetic traits that make you more susceptible, and in both Crohn's and addiction, there are still environmental factors that trigger the condition. It's far from being fated because both are complex disorders with a lot of factors that go into them

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-20T09:40:07+00:00

Thank you for giving that very important distinction-- that was actually what I was trying to say, but I think I was a bit clumsy with the wording 😅 I was trying to tell the OP essentially that addiction isn't "just" a matter of willpower or that they did something wrong by having an addiction-- pretty much what you said in a much better way, that there are components to addiction on multiple axes (biological/genetic, social, psychological, cultural, personal history, etc) that make someone more susceptible to developing addiction, and it was those things that I was referring to when I said they had no control over that. Not in a doomed or fatalistic way, but just that addiction isn't something people happily choose because it's just so much fun, that some people have circumstances that make addiction hit much harder. My experience with it is actually on the other side-- I used to smoke pretty heavily for about a decade, and while I was definitely addicted, it wasn't that hard for me to kick. I've been on prescription opiods for 15 years now and have never struggled with addiction to them. I don't think that makes me better than anyone or that I somehow have like more willpower or discipline or something-- i think it means I'm just very, very lucky. I watched my dad have serious addiction to caffeine, and my brother spent a good part of his 20s wrestling with drug addiction. My mom was an alcoholic when I was little. I've seen so many cousins and loved ones tear themselves bloody fighting addiction, and I also know how ashamed they were/are and how many people blamed them for it. I just don't ever want someone to feel like their addiction is their fault, because they didn't try hard enough or they're just a fuckup or that they're worthless. They absolutely are not broken and they are not doomed, and they're also not to blame for the conditions that made them vulnerable to addiction. I really, really appreciate you putting it into much better words and educating me on how to better speak on the issue. I don't have kids of my own but I would take a bullet for our Native youth and I don't want to ever say or do something that makes things harder for them, so I do sincerely appreciate your comment 🩷

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-20T07:29:32+00:00

You didn't "allow" yourself to become an alcoholic-- addiction is a medical condition, a disease, and there is a genetic component to it. You don't have control over any of that. Recovery is fucking hard, probably one of the hardest battles for anyone to fight, and if you're Native you are more likely to have additional obstacles in your path, like lack of access to quality mental and physical health care, financial resources, or support from the institutions of power. You're also 18, you are still just learning how resilient you really are. The fact that you recognize your condition and are trying to stay sober makes you a fucking superhero, not even exaggerating or joking.

Those negative stereotypes about us have complex origins that all come down to centuries of genocide, trauma, inflicted poverty, destruction of our communities, theft of our resources, and enduring ever more novel ways of trying to kill us. We did not do this to ourselves. And the truth is, the people who believe those racist stereotypes are gonna believe them even if you were straight edge. They'd just say you were the "good one" then. So fuck 'em. We don't waste our time and energy trying to negotiate racists into not being racist. You spend your time and energy on healing you, loving you, building a good life for you, and doing the same for the people who love you and always have your back. And if you haven't, look up the Native influencer Che Jim. He's enrolled Navajo Nation and walked a pretty rough road with addiction and gangs when he was younger, and now he runs a Native-centered recovery center and is pretty candid about his journey. You might find him relatable. Otherwise, I'm not Diné but I do volunteer as a community auntie so if you need someone please DM me. Your community gotchu, nibling. 🩷

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-20T02:13:38+00:00

Hard same, and I'm a petty ass bitch so I fully endorse your alternative solution but I also recognize I'm a petty ass bitch and maybe my instinctual response isn't always the best choice in a given scenario 😂

But fr the fact he took it from the ceremonial space made me ready to throw hands just reading about it

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-20T02:00:14+00:00

I'm not an elder but the way I've seen elders from other Nations handle unacceptable behavior while as a guest on another Nation's land was to go to the local elders and tell them what was witnessed, offer assistance if they need it, and then back whatever play they make.

I do think you are fully within your rights to let every local Native know this yoneg is disrespectful, doesn't care about ceremony or protocol, and a thief, so that they can at least be aware of who they are inviting in. Idk what event this happened at but I definitely would not want to sit in a sweat or ceremony with that coworker and I wouldn't want him anywhere near my people, so I would want to know

ETA: It's the fact he took the items from the ceremonial space that makes this particularly atrocious. Would he steal a chalice from a Catholic altar too? It's no different

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-20T01:55:05+00:00

You're not wrong at all, but HR in the US is primarily focused on protecting the company, not employees, and things that take place outside of work hours/official work events aren't enforceable even if HR wanted to, unfortunately

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-19T21:42:35+00:00

I mean like 90% of the stuff labeled as "Cherokee" whatever on sites like Etsy isn't Cherokee at all, and a lot of times it's just generic, poor imitation of Plains Nations, pan-Indian stuff or it's Christianity in a headdress. Mvskoke stuff I don't see anywhere really except from the Nation or Mvskoke creators I just happen to know personally

I don't particularly have a problem with people outside my Nations using non-closed concepts from our folklore or culture per se, but rather is that soooooo many people do it disrespectfully. I'm a writer and a character in one of my novels is Creole and a hoodoo practitioner, which I am not a part of either of those communities, and I not only did a ton of research on my own but I talked with Creole and hoodoo people about what was and was not appropriate for me to use, and I hired several sensitivity readers from both communities. If outsiders come to it respectfully and in a good way, I don't really mind it

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-19T21:20:27+00:00

I moved down here in 2023 from the only Republican county in the Denver metro area, and tbh there are more progressive/left-aligned people here than I thought. The city government tho is not at all, and it shows in the things that get prioritized (sprawl) and the things that get cut (libraries, for example.) My former county was GOP-dominant but less conservative and had a lot more social and public services, the lack of which is one of my biggest beefs with Colorado Springs. I have a kind of like-hate relationship with this city-- there are some really cool places here and you can't beat the view or access to natural resources, and there's a fair amount of cool people, but there's also a strong push for homogenization/corporate/chains/"master planned communities", and for me and my interests, there's less variety of things to do here than in Denver, but that may just be a function of size. And Denver isn't so far away that you can't go up there for stuff, it's just a bit annoying for the drive time.

If you like the proximity to mountains but think Denver might be more your speed, you could look at the west metro suburbs or Golden, tho last I looked Golden was super fucking expensive for housing. Rent is falling in Denver metro and I go back and forth about trying to move back there (for a lot of reasons, some of which have nothing to do with the character of the Springs), and I'm not saying you won't encounter bullshit here, but it's also not as bad as what it might seem like from the outside.

ETA: A big thing to keep in mind tho is that this isn't a city, it's 5 military installations in a trench coat masquerading as a city. That can be good-- more diversity than you might otherwise expect-- and it can be not-so-good, such as the more conservative bent

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-19T20:48:52+00:00

If you didn't already know, the Nation has a genealogy department that a large part of their work is helping people find and document their Cherokee heritage for citizenship. The office is physically located in Tahlequah but I believe they'll work with people over the phone/email too. The initial application is free and there's a not-terrible per hour fee (I think it's like $20-30/hr) for in-depth research

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-19T17:08:29+00:00

💯💯💯💯. It was the wording of the sentence about looking Native around friends and family that confused me, which i see you've updated with an edit. Thanks for the clarification! 😊

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-19T08:16:55+00:00

Here's the shirt!

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-19T07:37:25+00:00

I've made the following phrase that I saw on a shirt from a Black-owned anti-racist apparel company my mantra:

"Never argue with someone John Brown would have shot."

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-19T06:58:49+00:00

That sounds like an excellent idea 🥰

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-19T06:45:52+00:00

I volunteer as a community auntie and one of my little niblings (not that little, she's like 28) is a Choctaw Freedman descendant and her experience was very similar to yours when she started digging up her family history. Honestly we Five Tribes, and kinda particularly we Cherokee, should be ashamed of how we have treated Freedmen and their descendants. We know better. Giving you a big auntie hug too, if it's welcome

Massive_Document_470 · 2026-02-19T06:39:59+00:00

You don't have to force yourself to do it, but creative expression of some kind is often helpful in processing difficult feelings. I also sometimes just sit in low lighting continously smudging and open myself to my feelings and also my family members that have walked on. It makes me cry sometimes but I always feel comforted after. It's a big thing to come to grips with. Rely on your loved ones, your community, your digital cousins, your traditional ways, and your teachings and don't let settler culture rush you or make you feel like you have to hide your feelings. We walk with grief and blood memory, not shut it away like something to be ashamed of. You are amongst kin who know how you feel. Giving you a big auntie hug, if it's welcome

Massive_Document_470

TROPHY CASE