Unbroken: Indigenous Peoples Today

Cherokee Philips, Cherokee Native

Cherokee Philips, named after the Cherokee Nation of which some of his ancestors are from, is a dancer that I met at an open invite pow-wow held at D-Q University. The "open invite" means that anyone can attend and take part in celebrating Native dance and culture, regardless of their skin color and background.

For people like Cherokee, navigating the post-colonial world as a mixed-race person (Caucasian and Native in his regard) can be very difficult. In the eyes of some Native people a mixed-race person with not enough Native features or blood quantum might not qualify as a Native at all, and within other cultures, people that look mostly Native can face many forms of prejudice.

Obviously, the issue of multiracial belonging is very complex and many mixed-Natives have expressed that living within the demographic can be frustrating, however thanks to the open invite pow-wows like the one at D-Q, they can find some temporary healing and respite. As I attended I saw many multiracial individuals be able to dance, talk with others, and openly express and enjoy themselves without facing discrimination.

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