My family stems from a history of being Native Americans. I have connections to the Choctaw tribe that go back to where I am 1% native. However, even though parts of the family are about 5%, nobody has any form of registration. From what they say about it, being Native American was not something people were openly proud of back in time.
My family is from Whitesboro, Oklahoma. Where the population sits at just under 250. Basically, there were as many people in my high school band as there are in this entire town. My family farmed and raised cattle as well. They told me about how nobody from their lineage registered to the Choctaw tribe because of ridicule people gave in the community. Back then, not many were proud of their history and because of that, they did not become affiliated with any Native organization.
Sadly, this decision has drastically changed the financial course of things for my family. School is harder to pay for and I would have access to certain benefits that could be of use to me and some of my situations. I wonder what the direction of my life would look like had I been a member of the Choctaw tribe. Would I still be at OU, would I be a computer science major, or would I even still be doing music?
I wish I knew more about why people did not register in older time. It was many generations ago, so I know things were different. If my family settled in a different town, would I be a member of the Choctaw tribe? I am unsure. Gladly, things are different today. Tribes do performances across high schools and colleges through the state. People today are more proud of heritage than before and I am glad for them.Hopefully the trend continues throughout the course of my life.