Personal Narrative: My Native American Culture

Though I am Native, I have minimal knowledge about my own culture and have not ever participated in events that are often associated with Native American life. Powwow’s, stickball demonstrations and Native pageants are something rather foreign to me, so when I attended the Choctaw fair on April 19th I was quite surprised to find I had never been involved in any of these events before. It was a lively and enriching environment, one that I found to be rather enjoyable. My experience here was unlike any other that I have had before, for my only previous knowledge of my Native heritage was found only through talks with my grandfather. Though my grandfather and I were Cherokee, I found many similarities within the Choctaw regalia and weapons that

my grandfather had shown me before. The craftsmanship was impeccable, and I was fortunate enough to be able to talk to some of the Choctaw people about their work and discover many similarities between their culture and mine.
When I first walked up to the event, I must admit that I felt a little out of place. I had no idea what was going on, who these people were, or what I was supposed to be doing. Walking into the crowds of people seemed to be as good of an idea as any at this time, so I decided to walk over to the information and display tables that were set up rather than joining in on the intimidating and foreign game of stickball. The first table I walked up to was understandably the one that caught my eye first, for it was covered in weaponry, animal skins and fur, and ceremonial instruments. Seeing these types of things was not too uncommon for me because my father and I often hunt and my grandfather has showed me his array of spearheads, skins and beaded work. Yet, I still discovered so much more than I had known before about these things. As I looked at the beautiful spearheads, I was surprised to find that you could make them out of computer screens. When I asked the man who made them how long it took to make each, he said it depended on each stone but mentioned that a couple were actually made from old computer screens. I found the fact that you could make these out of everyday materials to be so interesting. The only spearheads I had seen were the ones me and my father would find on the hillsides of Texas and of course the ones my grandfather had. I then spotted some bows and arrows and discovered that the arrows where made of rivercane. In addition to that, you need to attach a spear and some bird feathers so it can glide through the air. I had always been interested in archery and the craftsmanship this man had really intrigued me. I then asked about a ceremonial piece that had a turtle shell on it and mentioned that I knew the turtle was sacred in many tribes but asked if he knew why. He said it was because the turtle was so close to the ground, and therefore close to mother earth. The shell rattled when shook and had an Eagle foot attached to the bottom of it. With the addition of the turtle shell, I now understood why these things were chosen to be included in a ceremony: it all had special meaning and connection with the earth, something that is praised in Native culture. I think had the most enjoyable time talking to this man because it’s when I learned the most. Though I had seen these things before, I never asked much about it and I had always been interested in things like archery and the weaponry made, so it was great to finally understand the meaning and purpose behind it all.
The next table I went to had dyed baskets spread across it made from the same rivercane that the arrows were made from, but the pieces were shredded to be thin.

This lady had weaved most of the baskets that were displayed and explained that each basket varied in time to make, depending on the pattern. It seemed like a dangerous job because you have to be careful not to get cut from the sharp side of the rivercane, she said her hands were cut many times the first time she made her own basket. I then noticed a similarity between all of the baskets: the pattern in which they were dyed as seemed to resemble a diamond from the diamondback snake. I discovered that the diamondback snake is actually sacred in Choctaw culture because thought they are very dangerous, they killed and kept the varmints away from the crops. I found this to be particularly interesting because the venomous diamondback snake is typically seen as a very dangerous animal to most people, and understandably why. But, they didn’t see it in that way because they understood and appreciated its purpose. The baskets and the meaning behind them was quite beautiful and I was happy to see such harmony found between the Natives and the

earth.
I then went over to talk to a man who had made intricate beadwork.

I mentioned that my grandfather often worked with a lot of leather and asked how much more difficult it was to add on the beads. After talking to him, it proved to be a very tedious task. For you have to count each bead and make sure that everything is identical if you are making a pattern or shape, or else the whole thing would be off. It was obvious that it took a great amount of patience, so I asked how long it took him to make this picture of a woman he had on one of his bigger necklaces. That woman actually turned out to be his mother and was meant to be a sort of remembrance and something to honor her. It was beautiful and of course, took many months. I was happy to find that with some of the simpler beaded necklaces that you could wear them whenever you please, it wasn’t just for ceremonial purposes. The larger ones on the other hand, were obviously made for ceremonies, as they were very big and very beautiful. Each piece was special and could stand or be used for different occasions and I found that to be a wonderful aspect about the beadwork. In addition to jewelry, the beads are often found on the regalia which makes me wonder how much time that takes. Also displayed was regalia worn to a wedding, which had immense and colorful beadwork for both the groom and bride. It was amazing and if I get another chance, I plan on asking why the colorful beads are so often incorporated. Obviously it’s for

ceremonial reasons but I wonder if it has another meaning, just as the turtle had a connection with mother earth.
Coming out of this experience, I definitely want to attend some sort of even again. I earned more about my own culture than I had most of my life. In addition to that, everyone I talked to was very nice and said something that I could learn from. I think that is what I enjoyed most about it, I got to learn about a whole other side of my heritage that I had never known before. I was excited to learn and participate. The stickball game even seemed to grab my interest more, for it was so competitive, lively, and seemed like a lot of fun. I’m very happy I chose to go to this event because I think I learned more from talking to people than I would have from just observing. In part, those who I had the opportunity to talk to were amazing. I definitely had a better time than I was expecting to have and now that I know more about the events and my culture, I think I would be very interesting in participating in such an event again.