I want to travel in the US and meet natives

[Mudfuzz]

Do you guys think a non-American would be received differently by Native Americans?

non-American?

[Chankgeez]

Yeah, like a foreigner. Someone from outside the United States. Maybe someone from the UK or Germany or somewhere.

[Mudfuzz]

Yeah, like a foreigner. Someone from outside the United States. Maybe someone from the UK or Germany or somewhere.

where did all the non native americans come from?

[Chankgeez]

Somewhere else?

[Mudfuzz]

Like the UK or Germany or somewhere?

[Chankgeez]

[snipelfritz]

They came from Religious Persecution.

[doommeow]

Speaking from my fairly limited experience - primarily a couple of trips to New Mexico - you can be welcomed on to the/some reservation(s) at two very specific times of the year - the summer/holy/harvest festivals (usually in August) and on/around the winter holidays.

You have to ask around and figure out which reservations are open on which days, but there are usually celebrations the coincide with the xmas and the like. Non natives are welcomed on to the res to watch the dancing and traditional rituals. Some of the tribes will go so far as to have a few dancers on the edge of the ceremony in Santa hats or the like, handing out bags of snacks and trinkets to visitors and the kids - popcorn, peanuts, silly toys, even traditional craft works. etc.

If you do go, be cool, and follow the rules - no pictures, recording, etc unless someone gives you permission. No wandering about, stay out of the way of the ceremony, show proper respect to the dancers, the elders, the land, etc. And if you’re a respectful guest that honors the community and the people - the people may honor you as well. Don’t be surprised if you get invited to join a family in their home for the holiday meal or even just a drink and conversation.

But that’s New Mexico. I didn’t spent as much time on the reservations in my travels to the Pacific NW, but they certainly have a very different feel - more casinos, less tradition, creating a greater sense of poverty and isolation.

[Ben79]

"Oh hey, displaced descendants of ethnic genocide, mind if I get a 'vibe' for a while?" is not really the most thoughtful thing you could be doing with your time.

This got me thinking....

I see where you're coming from. In my experience however, some people are keen to share their stories, culture and way of life with genuine, respectful, open-minded outsiders. Perhaps it's this kind of relation that builds mutual understanding and tolerance as well all the benefits of cultural cross pollination. I've experienced this many times and found it works when, as pointed out, you come with the intention to contribute something, to trade and exchange in whatever it is you can offer. Sometimes, this is just yourself, your own stories, ideas, passions, to just meet at a basic human level and enjoy the dynamic that being from very different backgrounds can afford. I realise all this might sound a little whimsical against a backdrop of ethnic genocide and the modern day issues that these people face, but I don't think it is if it's done with a genuine sensitivity - I think perhaps that's the key. I really know almost nothing about the reservations but I doubt 'displaced descendants of ethnic genocide', while true, is how these people like to define themselves, and if it is, then I'd like to hear it from them.

I'm a BMXer and I once made a piligrimage to one of the world's street riding landmarks, 'the 'wedge' in Phoenix, AZ and I met a Navajo rider there with his son. He told me he lived on the reservation and it was this encounter that originally piqued my interest. That and watching a lot of westerns.

I'd like to keep to the southern states because I like the heat.

Thanks a lot for all the info and points of view.

[Faldoe]

I have a BA in American Indian Studies and but that means nothing. I'm not an expert or anything like that, but I had sone prolonged experience, reading and perspectives from some Native folks.

Pretty much everything everyone has said in terms of discouraging such an endeavor is good call. Even if you're "non-American" that doesn't necessarily - or unlikely - change the skepticism and perhaps lack of interest Native people can have towards non-natives in terms of the former coming onto their reservations. In general but perhaps also for any kind of tourism - even if you're intentions are good.

My good friend is half Lakota and half white - her mom is full blooded Lakota - and her mom didn't want their kids going to the reservation because "half-breeds" are viewed with often equal distrust as non-natives and they'd be hassled.

Also worth looking into the romanticism behind indigenous cultures - the romanticism that has often been created by non-natives. As other people have said: A lot of reservations are in bad shape in terms of social cohesion and substance issues, and many try to hold on to their cultural practices but their whole experience as a people was and is impacted by colonialism. There isn't necessarily - if you're looking for it - a kind of untapped of preserved knowledge to be shared. Or if there is, they don't want to share it, necessarily. And if someone that is native does share more private spiritual and cultural knowledge, their doing so many not necessarily be condoned and permitted by their peers. Their spiritual cultural/religion isn't evangelical - there isn't any interest in spreading their traditions - which can vary from tribe to tribe. And given how much has been taken from them, they keep their traditions to themselves. Often if you see documentaries and film footage of tribes and particularly tribes in engaged in ceremonies, the camera crews aren't permitted to film the ceremonies.

[Chankgeez]

Even if you're "non-American" that doesn't necessarily - or unlikely - change the skepticism and perhaps lack of interest Native people can have towards non-natives in terms of the former coming onto their reservations. In general but perhaps also for any kind of tourism - even if you're intentions are good.

Do they like Germans though?

[Faldoe]

Maybe read this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Am ... in_Germany

Native American hobbyism in Germany, also called Indian Hobbyism, or Indianism, is the performance and attempt at historical reenactment of what some Germans believe is the American Indian culture of the early contact period, rather than the way contemporary Indigenous peoples of the Americas live.[1][2] The cultures imitated are usually a pan-Indian, homogenized, romantic stereotype of Plains Indian cultures, influenced by the stereotypes seen in Hollywood Westerns.[1][3]

This is done by non-Natives as a hobby and pastime, such as for a weekend retreat, hobbyist pow wow, or summer camp.[4] It exists in several European countries, but is prominent in Germany, where it has approximately 40,000 practitioners, known as hobbyists, participate.[5] Response to this by actual Native Americans has been overwhelmingly negative

[Ben79]

Thanks Faldoe. This is interesting, sad and enlightening information for me. I will forget about this idea I think. I now have my sights set on helping with an off grid home 2 hours from Tucson for a few weeks. I'm gonna look for more projects like that I think and maybe I'll happen to just run into a Native or 2 like I did in Phoenix that time.