Yellow Bird: On being Black or Indian 'enough'

"Being 'black enough' or 'Indian enough' usually refers to your experience in Indian country or black America. In Indian country, if you are light-skinned with shades of blond hair, you can be discriminated against by your own people because you are ;different.' The irony is staggering, when you consider it is some of those same differences that cause discrimination by non-Indians.

On the other hand, if an Indian is accepted by mainstream society as white, that can prove dicey, too. An example is an aunt of mine who was light-skinned. She was a professional in the local hospital. Her co-workers didn't know she was Indian, and she told me that she'd heard some pretty negative comments about Indian people that hurt her. She felt disloyal not defending Indian people and her family.

So, in turn, she would try to make us (her nieces) fit non-Native ways. I did tell my 'auntie' that I was OK, because people didn't make negative racial remarks to my brown face. That could prove risky for the non-Native.

There are similarities between my aunt's comments and those of comedian Bill Cosby. He was the first African American to star in a major television series 'I Spy.' I met Cosby when he entertained at the Dakota Magic casino a few years ago. He had lived many years under the protection of his wealth and success as an actor. Like my aunt, he probably heard comments about black people, because as a pioneer black entertainer, he must have been the only black person in the room at many times in his early career."