October 07, 2007
Strong bloodlines
At first it was weird being home. Maybe it's because m room isn't my room anymore. Or maybe it's simply because this isn't where I live anymore. I don't know what it is, but it's like I don't belong here anymore. This coming from the girl who thought she'd always live at home. But now I'm semi-adjusted. I don't know why I was dreading it so much.
Today I went to a pow wow in Powhatan with Mom and Squirt. It was okay. The Chickahominy one is bigger, nicer, and free. But the people were very friendly. I was doing fieldwork for anthropology (basically observing and writing down everything I saw) and you wouldn't believe how many people came up to me and asked if I was with the paper! I guess I do look old enough to be part of a paper now, don't I? While I was standing in line with Mom at the food vendor, the cook started shouting at me, asking what I was writing. It was in a friendly manner, don't get me wrong. It just took me by surprise how many people talked to me. It was a good thing, though. I didn't have to ask any questions. People asked the question themselves and then answered it for me. All I had to do was write. It was a ice little history lesson, what the cook gave me (though he didn't think I was writing it down!).
The strangest thing that happened was the Master of Ceremonies and a former vice chief cam up ti me and he asked me what tribe I was. Naturally, I was taken aback. For one, it's not something someone asks me everyday or even something I think about. Secondly, our Indian heritage isn't talked about excessively in my family. Apparently it only shows through Mom's sister and me... or at least, we are the only ones questioned about it upon occasion. Anyway, so I confessed to the man that I had no idea, that my granny calls us French Indian. Though this means little to me, he understood and I asked me if I was from Canada. Of course, I have no idea if people in my family came from Canada at some point or another. He seemed to understand that I was clueless and told me I should find out about my people because the blood shows through me. That's why he had to come talk to me... because it shows so much.
I don't know what I think about that yet.
"Antrhopology is currently at the top of my frustration"
scullerymaid at 12:36 a.m.