I am Ani Tsalagiyi Nvdagi – of the Texas Cherokee people who settled there after the Trail of Tears. But I was born in Alaska and am part of the Tlingits – Chat dua sauk She-nex-kaw: Kaakwaantaan – Dukteintaan-yechti – Xuna-kaw – Kawa-gunnie-hit. (My name is She-nex-kaw, Eagle/Wolf clan, child of the Raven clan, of Hoonah, belonging to the Burnt-out House).
I have had some great experiences in Indian Country – in the US, Canada and the Amazon. Lots of stories to share.
I have been active in many ways in the native community since about 1994. Yes I play flute, have danced as a traditional Tlingit button blanket dancer, emceed powwows and have eaten way too much frybread. However, due to the many relocations of the Cherokee, I have no sense of direction. However, I have learned to use “glayt-kaw-goo-goo” (white man’s ingenuity) and get directions with an iPhone on the AT&T unlimited plan.
Feel free to ask questions if you like. You will find me posting about native topics from time to time. If you want to get a head start, read the book “God is Red” by Vine Deloria. It will give us a starting point for some great conversations.
Have you taken my Powwow Challenge? It’s easy — just promise yourself that you will visit one powwow this year! Find all the powwows in your area at Powwows.com Hope to see you in circle – dancing!
All my relations!
Ray
Do you still believe in the old religion of your ancestors?
I think that most people believe in the religion of their ancestors. That’s where we get our “worldview” from (or as the Germans say, our “Weltanschaung”). For a good read about native American spirituality, please check out God Is Red by Vine Deloria, Jr. – a great writer who is now on the other side.
I’m so delighted to find you on twitter! I have Cherokee ancestors located in Oklahoma. That’s all I know. It’s a part of my heritage that has always intrigued me & I wish I knew more. I love everything about Native culture. I visited the Powwow site – love it!
What a wonderful web page!…Looking forward to reading your tweets!
I enjoy the tweets. Good reading! I am Seneca myself, as well as Italian (Jewish), and a Messianic Rabbi. Of course there is the line of thinking out there that natives are Jews too-would that make me double Jewish?!
You really are quite set up! I BELIEVE..that you are a very interesting person. Yes ,I like the inventions of the White-man as much as anybody. But we need to cultivate out own inventors. I know there are a lot of Native scientists and such gloriously educated people out there. Maybe somene should could come up with a ‘smoke-signal’ app 4 the iPhone. Oh! Excuse me…”Communication portal.” I will keep on learning from your tweets. By the way, I’m Cree with Jewish-Ukrainian from the Canadian prairies.
Don’t worry..Where I come from ,that’s a common mixture. I wasn’t created in some lab in Area 51.
Like my mother told me.
I am glad to meet you, thanks for adding me on Twitter. I go to as many Powwows as I can each year. Usually get to 3-5. This year I hope to attend more. They give balance to my life, feet to the dirt, closeness to all peoples I meet there, native or not.
I am Black and part Choctaw. Yakoke, Chi haklo lachike!
biakak bilika iakaya
What peoples did you live/speak with/work with in the Amazon? Did you come across the Yanomamos ever?
The Yanomami’s are in a very northern remote area of the reservation. I have not been able to meet with them, but hope to. But the transmission of Western diseases has killed many of them so it’s not something I would undertake lightly.
Hi,
I love your twitter feed and am so glad I am getting to “know” you! Cool about your ancestry. I live in NC and that’s where the Trail of Tears began. I was born in Cleveland TN and there is an entire park devoted to the Trail near there, as well as a natural, deep, spring. Off Weatherly switch Road.
When I was a kid, I was friends with a native American boy. We were best pals as elementary schoolers and I thought “Indians” were just the coolest. One day, at my Great Grandmother’s home in Arkansas, I found a native American woman sitting amongst my ancestors. Turns out, she is my ancestor, too. I was thrilled, as this meant that I am “Indian” too. I couldn’t wait to tell my friend.
Here I was, the whitest white girl, with blue eyes and long, blonde hair, claiming to be native american. I’m sure everyone secretly laughed at me, but I was so very proud.
Thanks for being a great dad to your sons and thanks for tweeting me.
Blessings and love,
Katy Benningfield
@katys on twitter
Hey! I thought I was the only Texas Cherokee ever to be born in Alaska LMAO.
I deleted my twitter, but I’d welcome an email!
Jen