Indigenous Is (a poem by an Anishinaabekwe feminist)

The Anishinaabekwe feminist poet above sometimes goes by the name Empress Lady C 

and her blog (with this and many other poems) can be found here.

Poem: 

Indigenous Is

11-09-09

Indigenous is not a skin color,
Indigenous is not my nose,
Indigenous is not my eye color,
Indigenous is not my lips,
Indigenous is not romanticizing ancient teachings,
To appropriate,
To disseminate,
To cut to pieces,
And abbreviate in a research document,
Indigenous is removing layers of shame from your ancestors trail,
Indigenous is stepping up to the plate,
Healing and creating a new way for future generations,
Indigenous is standing tall,
Indigenous is standing beautifully,
Indigenous is an honor.