In “Sharing One Skin”  Jeanette Armstrong starts off with the importance of Identity and Responsibilities and how important it is to let people know about who she is, where she comes from and what her responsibilities are as an Okanagan member. She makes it clear that it is her knowledge she is talking about and not anybody else’s. In the Okanagan there are “4 capacities of self” that help bring people together to feel more connected to Earth within our surroundings and consciousness. The physical self which is the connection between us and everything that surrounds us, the emotional self that allows a connection within our “larger selves” creating strength in us with each bond we create. The intellectual self, gives us our knowledge and the wisdom for us to make decisions amongst ourselves, but can also be dangerous. Lastly, the spiritual self is like the intellectual self, it  helps guide us with knowledge coming from our surroundings to help connect us to our consciousness and spiritual selves. Earth to the Okanagan people is sacred, along with the importance of having a healthy community, to help each other out and to come together to help take care of the Earth from the badness happening outside.

Jennifer Bereskin is a member of the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska, Unangan/Aleut and Coast Salish Snohomish, who resided in Washington her whole life. She talks about having her grandmother’s resilience in keeping connected to her tradition and culture, even though she’s never been to where her grandmother lived. She couldn’t help but wonder and feel the need to learn about her grandmother’s homelands. When WW2 had started they had evacuated her grandmother’s homeland and were sent to live amongst the cities, then later passed the Dawes Act of 1887 the law that divided their land and sold them. Impacting them from losing their homelands where they learned to hunt, fish and gather. This was the government’s attempt to assimilate natives but their resiliency was strong and didn’t allow it. Since then the population of Urban Indians has increased tremendously, and while some get lost with their connection to their tribes Jennifer has been keeping herself connected, by attending gatherings and powwows in an attempt to “colonize her mind.”

This documentary made by Rocky Mountain PBS tells the stories of how urban natives came to be as well as their personal experiences with urbanization. Native Americans moving from place to place wasn’t anything new for some tribes and people, until around WW2 when native men grew interested in enlisting with the military to fulfill their “destined warrior'' in fighting for their homelands. With many people enlisting they needed people to work jobs out into the city as well, such as women giving them opportunities they wouldn’t be able to get in the reservation. Once WW2 ended many people felt out of place being home, when they had gotten used to the urban areas, which caused some natives to move back to the city. Then came the relocation act, in which BIA programs would send native americans out into cities for jobs and opportunities. This had some mixed outcomes, some people got used to being in the city and remained, some weren’t able to handle it and came home, while others had come home but due to moving they were labeled as “not Indian enough” that they felt the need to move back. As the years went on the more generations of natives grew up in the urban areas, with some children having connections to their tribe or no connections at all due to loss. A lady named Claudia Barrientos spoke about her grandmother losing her language and said “ I would like to know my language.” While other people were unfortunate there are still a lot of older people who wish to teach the younger generations their ways in hopes of a continuation after they pass for the next future generations that will come.

  Dr. Amanda Tachine talks about her forthcoming book Native Presence and Sovereignty in College: Sustaining Indigenous Weapons to Defeat Systemic Monsters. In her book she mentions that it talks about family, clanship and kinship as well as the self determination of today’s generation. In her book she talked with 10 Navajo college students and their experiences in a college setting away from home. A boy named Chris in her story talked about being questioned by his professor about his native identity, since he was not the stereotypical native looking person wearing modern clothes and in an urban area. Which caused him to second guess his identity, feeling like he was no longer considered Navajo for just being in an urban setting. She then went on to add how a student named Cecilia had thought about herself and fellow Navajo students as Warriors from a Navajo story to help her keep balance with her life to continue on with her education. 

On Saturday February 25th, I organized a small family dinner with my auntie’s family.  It was me, my 2 cousins, my little brother and aunt and uncle. My auntie found a new recipe she wanted to try. So me and my little cousin Paul watched and help her make the food. My little brother and other cousin were helping my uncle outside. I chose to do this action plan to strengthen the bond with family to show that engagement and participation of new knowledge will be more memorable. I wanted to focus on a part of my family who likes to include me in their family activities and special doings.