Published - October 13, 2016
Native American crafts, storytelling, and dancing have made themselves a place in the media. Often, when people think of Native Americans today, they think of those crafts and stories they've seen on tv and read about in books.
Native Americans once shared those crafts and stories with travelers. It was often a sign of trust. A way to connect and see the similarities with people on their own journey.
Today, many tribes prefer to keep them private. They don't want stories changed without their knowledge or permission. It's no longer a case of someone taking a story and making it a part of their own life. And crafts.
All the crafts, like pottery, weaving, painting, sewing, beading, that were once so popular and a necessary part of life are not so much so these days in the rest of the world where we have machines to make our dishes and clothes.
They also don't want people to take designs and combine them with a different tribe to create something different.
While this understandable, it can be difficult for one of the lost generations to learn about their tribal roots. Their ancestors. Who may have come from a variety of tribes. Often, they only know they have tribal ancestors, though they may not know of which tribe. Or even how many generations ago. Those connections may feel like a tug of war game, trying to guess who they connect with.
Part of this is covered in Crosswinds, about a tribe of misfits. Those least wanted, and most mixed of the tribal land they live on, the least able to sustain themselves with not enough water for their homes, or to grow their own food. And no herds to hunt.
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