Just now seeing this post. I am half native. Blue eyes. Niitsitapi. I was raised traditionally by my Mother but the rest of my family unfortunately eventually assimilated into the white culture. What I am learning is that it is a cultural bias more than a color bias. I've lived all over the US and have never had issue with discrimination until I moved to the Southwest. Here, every color has issue with one another. Whites hate blacks. Blacks hate Latinos. Natives hate Blacks and Latinos and visa versa and ...get this...Natives are prejudiced against Natives. What? Yes, it's true. Down here Natives are very dark skinned. However, we are Plains Indians. Plains Indians had a tendency to mix more than those in the SW. So, here we have to explain this to the Natives we meet. They ask questions white people ask, well, you don't LOOK Native, are you sure? They think everyone who looks white and says they are Indian has Cherokee Princess Syndrome. Well, yes, absolutely sure of who and what I am. We are very traditional and really love our heritage. It's been very difficult for me because I've never had to explain myself to anyone before. I have lighter skin (lighter reddish tan and blue eyes. I am the only blue eyed person in my family. Can you imagine growing up surrounded by a family full of very Indigenous looking people and having blue eyes? For years I thought I was adopted. However, I know WHO I am and it doesn't matter what anyone else says or believes. The key is, whatever you do, don't go around wearing a headdress, regalia, chokers, a ton of turquoise and eagle t-shirts thinking people will be like, oooohhh, they must be Native like us! Because, that won't work. Just be who you are. I know a LOT of apples (red on the outside and white on the inside) who have assimilated into the white man's culture (look up information about the Wounded Knee, the BIA and corrupt tribal leaders and you will see). The problem is, many of our people are losing their culture through assimilation (isn't that what the whites intended??). If you read the novel Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee you will totally understand it was more about who they could assimilate into their belief system. So many of our people have bought into slavery without even realizing it. Because in the long run, the government doesn't give a crap about any of us, mixed or not. I think the saddest thing is buying into the white culture no matter what race you are and leaving your own culture behind. We need to go back to our traditional ways (red, yellow, black or white, doesn't matter the color of your skin, it's finding and following your heritage and traditions) and then come together and start helping one another instead of fighting over the color of our skin. People will ALWAYS question your sincerity because they have also bought into the white culture. Think about certificate of blood, that was the government's way of separating us so they could shove us onto a reservation (concentration camp) and watch us all die from alcoholism, starvation, suicide, murder, etc. And think about the term "reservation". It means TO RESERVE not to PRESERVE. They set aside this land for their own use later once our people were to the point of waiving the white flag and surrendering. Hell, many reservations (Navajo for one) can't even use the water on their reservation, they have to travel many miles and pump it into tanks because that water is reserved for the white folks and their corporations). So, yes, PLEASE go help our people. Go do this. But, please know that Indian Health Services is run by the government as well (if you are questioning why I suggest this is bad, you have some homework to do). Do some good research on the genocide of our people and you will see why I say this. Racism is alive and well on both sides of the fence. People will always say, well you don't LOOK white. Read Russell Means book "Where White Men Fear To Tread". Read up on our history and on the history of your specific people. You weren't able to get that from your elders, I assume? Forgive me if I assume incorrectly, though. Don't believe what they tell you in school and college. And PLEASE don't go into the health care field to help our people out of pity. Do it because you are INDIGENOUS and PROUD. We all need one another.