I Can See The Red in You
by Natalie Williams
Many people from this region have ‘Indian Blood’. They are descendants of the Indigenous tribes which once thrived on these lands. Many, often of mixed race; know little of their Native ancestry.
Here, we take the opportunity to celebrate our ancestors, by meeting our community’s residents; and encourage our readers to learn more about their family blood lines.
Anthony Gray – Utica, New York
His father was a Seminole ‘Indian’. “He had red hair – long; going all the way down his back. He also had red eyes”. Many people who are descendants of the Seminole Tribe still live in Florida today. Anthony shares some of his father’s physical features. He has a reddish tint to his hair, and to his eyes.
Nava Yah Yisrael – New Hartford, New York
Her mother had always stressed to her that she was Cherokee. “It was my mother who had told me who I was”. Growing up, I always knew ‘Who’ I was as a child because my mommy always talked about us being the Cherokee Indians, the ‘Copper-Colored’ people. She was constantly reading and studying about the Cherokees, and one time I remember her having me read ‘The Trail of Tears’. It was very hard to finish because of all the suffering that they endured, some dying along the way. I remember one year, my mother cutting her hair into a Mohawk style. She was very much a trailblazer. I always admired her for her strength and because of her, I have continued my studies and the genealogy of my family.”
“I was born and raised in Vernon, New York along with my two other sisters and four brothers. I was brought up in the country with a large quarter acre garden that my daddy did every year”. “My mom cooked Succotash often (an Ethnic Indian corn and lima bean dish) and we loved it ! We had a very large garden. My dad planted rows and rows of corn which was one of our staples.”
“Nava finds that being Cherokee is an important identity. My brothers and sisters all knew ‘Who’ we were; we were the ‘Copper-Colored’ people. As a child, I never liked being called ‘Black’ and whenever someone called me Black, I’d correct them and say I’m not Black, I’m Brown”. She reports that she had worn a headdress and face paint in memory of her ancestors “on the day which is called ‘Thanksgiving’ because it was a holocaust for my ancestors; the ‘Original Indigenous Copper-Colored people’; who had first inhabited these lands.
Nava is currently seeking tribal status. “To this day, I’ve been trying to get our name on the Dawes List; we bare the burden of proof, but recently, I have been spoken about by the Chiefs and the board, and I believe soon I will be officially accepted among the Cherokee Tribe”.
