Who and what and where shaped you?
How do you begin?
How do you begin? When you introduce yourself to someone new, what information do you share? I remember a colleague long ago asking me (me!?) whether it was “normal” for a tribal person to identify their family and where they grew up when introducing themselves in a professional education meeting. She’d apparently witnessed this and was baffled, and a little annoyed by it. I didn’t know much then, but I knew enough to say yes, that’s normal. And also to wonder why isn’t it normal for everyone to do that? Don’t we want to be connected to our place and our people?1 And to ground ourselves in the gifts we received from them? It is an exercise in gratitude and humility, made through a very human act: the act of introduction.
I’ve been lucky to live and work in Indian Country long enough to witness these introductions frequently. Last week I spent several days at the Montana Indian Education Association conference and then at Kyiyo powwow and heard many introductions, usually in the speaker’s heritage language. The royalty being honored at Kyiyo were particularly adept at this, but so were adults in the conference setting.
Who helped you become who you are? What place shaped you? How do you identify yourself? These are the questions answered in many traditional Indigenous introductions. Here’s an audio recording of several people, all speaking different languages, who agreed to let me use their voices in this newsletter.
You’ll hear Kevin Kicking Woman (Amskapi Pikuni), Lark Real Bird (Apsáalooke), Bill Swaney (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), Ramey Growing Thunder (Dakota), Michael Geboe (Chippewa Cree), and Winona RunsAbove (Nakoda).
Bill Swaney told me that to speak his language is to preserve his culture. “Our language is important because it defines us. When it ceases to exist we cease to exist as Indian people. It connects us to each other and to our ancestors,” he said.
As a White person, my reason for trying to learn some greetings is certainly different. Because I sometimes meet with tribal councils, culture committees, knowledge keepers and other cultural experts, I would like to be able to introduce myself fully in the language of the tribe I’m talking to because I feel that demonstrates respect. I can say my whole introduction in Salish but only “my name is” in four other Indigenous languages. I have a long way to go, but it’s a start.
Who helped you become who you are? What place shaped you? How do you identify yourself? Consider your answers to these questions. Pronounce the answers so your ears hear your voice. Would you feel awkward listing them in a meeting or presentation? Try silently naming them as a practice in gratitude and humility, and to connect your spirit to these bones of your life.
On another note…
Some righteous shopping may have happened at Kyiyo. But you’ll never hear about it from me.
Maybe some people don’t want to be connected to their people, but I bet they have other people who might serve as good substitutes.
That's a powerful red skirt. You are set.
(I tried to write red skirt in Salish but I don't know how to turn an "e" backwards, or lift "w" above a letter.