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1. Toastie (toastie@journa.host)'s status on Monday, 31-Jul-2023 14:44:09 JST Toastie

   Apropos of non-Native Masto users making fun of an #Indigenous user (not me) for being light-skinned, let's talk about the colonial thought structure called BLOOD QUANTUM.

   You might have wondered things like: Why do some Natives look so white? Are they reeeeally Native? Aren’t they just white people with one distant Native ancestor? Etc. Etc.

   Here are some things to keep in mind.

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   • スカイラー🎄🇷🇺 :z: (skylar@misskey.yandere.love)'s status on Monday, 31-Jul-2023 14:43:57 JST スカイラー🎄🇷🇺 :z:

     in reply to
     @Toastie I'M NOT MOCKING THEM FOR LOOKING WHITE, THAT'S NORMAL, EVERYONE SHOULD LOOK WHITE OR ELSE THEY'RE NOT PEOPLE
     I'M BULLYING THEM FOR TAKING TOO LONG AT THE CHECKOUT AT THE LIQUOR STORE
     DO YOU REALLY NEED 10 HANDLES OF THE CHEAPEST WHISKEY?
   • Toastie (toastie@journa.host)'s status on Monday, 31-Jul-2023 14:44:02 JST Toastie

     in reply to

     These are just a few painful examples. If a Native community claims its children and grandchildren, it’s not the business of non-Natives to question that.

     Being white-passing is a luxury in the sense that white-passing Natives can blend in, and aren’t mistreated as badly as their dark skinned relatives.



     But when you see someone mocking a Native person for looking white, just remember they’re actually REINFORCING racist imperialism.

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     Machismo repeated this.
   • Toastie (toastie@journa.host)'s status on Monday, 31-Jul-2023 14:44:03 JST Toastie

     in reply to

     Reason 3: Assimilation! In the mid-1900s the US drove Native communities into poverty to break up and move them to the coasts for jobs—and assimilation! The idea was to solve the ‘Indian problem’ by erasing Native identity! COOL COOL!

     Reason 4: Boarding schools! Another violent assimilationist shitshow! This one’s been particularly impactful in #Australia, with the stolen generation.

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   • Toastie (toastie@journa.host)'s status on Monday, 31-Jul-2023 14:44:05 JST Toastie

     in reply to

     Reason 1: Rape! This is a great reason not to bring BQ up with Natives! Our ancestors were traumatized! Haha! Leave it alone!


     Reason 2: Betrayal! Some tribes tried to be friendly with (and marry!) the people who ended up colonizing them! SHITTY! Most Natives don’t want to talk about this with strangers either!

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   • Toastie (toastie@journa.host)'s status on Monday, 31-Jul-2023 14:44:06 JST Toastie

     in reply to

     Tribal status is a matter of CITIZENSHIP, not race.

     Nevertheless, some tribes use BQ as a standard for enrollment. It’s their sovereign right to do so, even if many Natives disagree with their decision. It’s messy, and frankly it's usually not non-Natives’ business to judge or get involved with tribal identity disputes.

     

ANYWAY.

     

Let’s think about some of the reasons Native citizens might have heavily mixed European heritage! HMMM.

     

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   • Toastie (toastie@journa.host)'s status on Monday, 31-Jul-2023 14:44:07 JST Toastie

     in reply to

     Tribally enrolled people in the US have a federally issued card from the Bureau of Indian Affairs that says “how much” Indian they are in fraction form. It’s gross and weird.

     And inaccurate! Some people have one ancestor through whom they’re eligible for tribal enrollment, and other ancestors through whom they’re not. Their tribal enrollment card only reflects the former, ignoring the others and diminishing the “percent” of “Native blood” they appear to have on paper.

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   • Toastie (toastie@journa.host)'s status on Monday, 31-Jul-2023 14:44:08 JST Toastie

     in reply to

     Blood quantum is the idea that you can be 1/4 this, 1/64th that, as if you were a dog breed or a racehorse. It’s based on the idea of BLOOD PURITY, which is an idea from eugenics.

     If you don’t read anything else here, please marinate on this:

     Asking a Native “how much are you” reinforces eugenics. It’s rude, it’s racism-enabling—don’t be that person. You don’t ask this of anyone else, so honestly why would you with Natives? Also: disappearing race trope. Yuck.


     
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