Translation and cultural assistance, for those that don’t know…
ndn = Indian
OIT = Old Indian Trick, sometimes used jokingly in the U.S.
TAK = Traditional Aboriginal Knowledge, sometimes used jokingly among members of Canadian First Nations.
CDIB = Certified Degree of Indian Blood. Once used as a Federal ID proving Indian identity. Now effectively replaced by a Tribal ID card. Because of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 and the fact it was a Federal ID, it used to be valid in U.S. Customs to enter the country. However, I’d often get delayed using it. Post 9/11 they stopped that entirely. However, regular Tribal ID’s can supposedly be used at TSA checkpoints even now with “Real ID” in effect. I have not personally tried this … I’d be interested to know if anyone else has. Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETC) are effectively “Real ID.” They meet the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requirements and are thus valid for entry into the U.S. from many locations including Canada. Just don’t get me started on the Jay Treaty. ETC are not valid for entry into other countries, they are not passports! Again, it would be nice to know if people have been hassled. Tribes with ETC include: the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Chickasaw Nation, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, and the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. A bunch more including the Kootenai in Idaho, Seneca in New York, Tohono O’odham in Arizona and a few more may be on their way or have special Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agreements to use them. I’m not sure if they’re actually WHTI compliant, but if the CBP lets you, I guess it doesn’t matter. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma ID is supposed to be ETC, but I haven’t personally used it. Always check with your tribe… and it might not be a bad idea to call CBP.
Taxes… Indian taxation isn’t much more complicated than everyone else. Federal taxes apply to everyone earning money within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States, or who are subject to personal jurisdiction as citizens. By law, both of these include tribal citizens even on trust land. However, trust land and in some cases restricted land are NOT considered within state jurisdiction, so that is where it can get more complicated. But, even if you live on trust land, if the money is earned outside of trust land it is still taxable by the state where it was earned. So, the only tribal citizens who can avoid state taxation must both live and work on trust land. Of course, I’m not an attorney, nor a tax professional.
Lip pointing… Lots of traditional people consider using a finger to point rude. They purse their lips and often nod their heads upwards a bit in the direction of the person/thing being pointed to. The more the lips are pursed, and the head nodded generally the more it means “are you blind?”
Thus endeth the lesson
This is an oldie but a goodie. Folks interested in ndn stuff will love it.
A recent discussion brought to mind one of the most ironic? Poetic Justice? Ndn coincidence? OIT? TAK? thing that ever happened to me. It was so hysterical? that I used it as the main part of my speech when the Chief asked me to speak at the State Capitol in a rally for Indian Gaming.
This is one of my best stories, but it wouldn’t be possible if I wasn’t light skinned enough… you’ll see why.
It’s too good not to tell it as a story…. so sit back!
During the year or more leading up to the eventual vote that brought gaming to Oklahoma, I was having lunch with a non-Indian friend of mine. We were talking about gaming and how the vote would go. I was arguing that racism, stereotypes and so on were a real issue. His view was that Oklahoma had gone beyond that. Sure, he admitted there are still racists. But he thought that with the number of people in Oklahoma with Indian ancestry, that the state has mostly moved past those old prejudices. We wrangled over that point for some time, but I couldn’t convince him.
When we exited the restaurant, a man walked up to us waving some papers. He called out, “Would you like to sign this petition to keep those Indians from having casinos?” At the phrase, “THOSE Indians”, I knew this was going to be real good.
I looked at my friend smiling, he looked a bit disoriented. I turned back to the man with the petition, shrugged and replied, “Seems like they could probably use the money.”
The man looked at me incredulously, “You know, they all get those government checks!”
Now, in Indian Country that is a source of a LOT of humor. “I’m getting that new car when my government check gets in,” is the standard phrase for “never.” It gets a snort or chuckle every time, despite overuse.
I looked at my friend, grinning this time. His brow was furrowed. I dangled the next worm in front of the petitioner, “I’ve seen a lot of Indians that didn’t look like they had much…” I let it trail off as an invitation to the next outburst.
He was hooked, “Don’t you believe it,” he said. “I used to work at a furniture store… and you KNOW how expensive furniture is!” His eyes gleamed, and his eyebrows rose to new heights, “Those Indians would come in and buy WITH CASH!”
Yeah, I thought to myself. They can’t get a credit card and the store wasn’t going to give them credit. Why would they bother coming in without cash? I took the time for another glance at my friend before continuing. At this point he was looking pretty grim.
I was reeling in the big one! He was still thrusting his petition at us. What else could I say? I squinted and made a face I hoped was disbelief.
He spurted, “You know, they don’t even pay taxes!!!”
I could barely keep from laughing. Everyone pays Federal taxes. A tiny number of Indian people under very specific circumstances wouldn’t have to pay state taxes… if they made enough money to begin with.
This was fun, but how to disengage? “Well, I dunno.”
Petition man brought out the big guns. His final war winning argument: “They’d just spend it all on booze anyway.”
Game over.
I wasn’t going to embarrass the guy and show him my CDIB, so all that was left to do was tell him no and leave. I didn’t even bother telling my friend, “I told you so.”
True story.
A full-blood elder I hung out with for many years would often sense the suspicion when we’d walk up to a group of old time Indians together. He’d point his lips at me and say, “He’s Choctaw” pause for a moment… “just undercover”. Then there’d be the tiniest upturn at the ends of his mouth. That smile would be like a loud laugh for anyone else. Those were great times. He went on quite a few years ago, like most of the other elders that took me under their wing. But it was kinda cool to be the undercover Choctaw.
Lee (Thurman Lee Hester, Jr.) is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. He has taught at universities in the U.S. and Canada, including 20 years at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO), most of that time serving as the Director of American Indian Studies. Partly due to his Native American ancestry, he has always been interested in the environment and has written several articles in that area. However, his deepest interest is in Federal Indian Law as laid out in his book, Political Principles and Indian Sovereignty. Lee served as Chairman of the Board for several years and was also President of the OK Choctaw Tribal Alliance, which was central Oklahoma’s largest “grass-roots” American Indian organization for many years. Perhaps his happiest time there were his years teaching the Choctaw Language to children and his decade as the Cultural Committee Chair. Lee is semi-retired from USAO, where they made him Professor Sapientiae et Doctrinae before showing him the door. That title is not Choctaw, so he can only guess it means he knew some stuff and they let him talk about it.
Other odd facts:
Was in his Army JROTC Drill team and can still twirl a rifle.
Was briefly in the USN reserves, but went into NROTC, majoring in Nuclear Engineering. Realized he didn’t want to live underwater looking at gauges about the same time he realized he loved learning. Changed over to a Computer Science Major and nearly got a degree in that, but accidently got a bachelor’s in history, emphasizing in military history.
Never took the GRE or applied to grad school. Was invited by the Philosophy Dept at the University of Oklahoma to enter their grad program and work as a GA. Accidentally got a Ph.D. in the field after experiencing weird bouts of existential angst.
Married: Dated wife for 8 years before marrying. Will be married 38 years in August. One offspring, but they would be embarrassed for us to mention them.
Aside from when he taught in Canada, has always lived within 30 miles of where he was born. A true “indigenous person”!