Red Flags Are Warning Signs

For me, Some Red flags I See Are

When I see First Nations make these arguments:

-imagine someone decolonizing and they don't even speak the language.

-imagine someone decolonizing and they have short hair.

-imagine someone decolonizing and they are light skinned.

-imagine someone decolonizing and they don't practice every single tradition the way I do.

-imagine someone decolonizing and they share it only on social media.

Examples of things I've read by other First Nations about other First Nations people. Personally, these are red flags for me.

These are usually signs of lacking communication skills, lack of cultural awareness, toxicity, emotional immaturity, vindictive behaviors, ad hominem attacks.

I can already hear "but your being judgemental towards them!"

I am pointing out red flags in hopes of more healthier ways of being. These red flags are warning signs for me to not engage, to protect myself, explanation of why I have strict social media boundaries and rules.

When I see comments that are missing the point of original posts, I will try to step in, redirect to the main topic, push back, which is difficult when people don't want to hear it.

When all they really want to do is put you in your place, knock you down a peg, put you into boxes. Instead of really comprehending the topic and maybe learning something new.

So hopefully all of this helps someone out there, or resonates with someone, makes them really ponder situations and interactions.

Decolonizing is a process. People are at varying degrees of reclaiming their cultures, history, language.

There is no perfect First Nations person. There are traditionalist who walk the "red road", there are oskâpêwis, knowledge keepers, cultural, political, city ndn, rez ndn, assimilated, reconnecting, humble ones, non-humble ones...the plastics, business ones. Jk on last two lol.

But you get the picture..

And yes we are all judgemental to some degree, we all communicate differently, we are all contradictions, that is human nature. There is toxic expression and there is heart-felt expression.

I'm not here for the toxic ones who want to out-do one another in a bad way. The ones who get their emotional release by degrading other Natives. The ones who make assumptions and emotionally attack others based on those assumptions.

By writing all of this I know there will be ad-hominem attacks on myself, misinterpretations without asking for clarification, false narratives created.

No where in here have I claimed to be perfect. These are just my decolonizing thoughts. And a reminder that the page is named decolonize MYSELF because I do need it too.

I will never be the First Nations person who caters to everyone's needs, in well-crafted check every box responses. I will never self-proclaim humbleness or say I am the ceo of decolonization lol.

Of course I try but I cannot anticipate what one person will be offended by, triggered by, or what motivates them to act in bad faith. Even if I craft a well meaning reply some will take it as something completely different.

What I won't do, is tell you - the statements I posted above....

You are Native enough if you don't speak your language, you are Native enough if you have short hair, you are Native enough if you are light skinned, and on and on.

Like I've always said - you have the agency to follow or unfollow whomever you need to. Find what works best for you. We all have a right to be on social media. We also have a right to not follow a page or group.

I don't have definitive answers. I wish there was an easy answer for everyone. We are all just out here grappling with colonization in every way possible.

At the end of the day, we are all trying our best to move from our own toxic behaviors, yes even myself, into who our Ancestors prayed for.