Get In Touch With Your Native Heritage Today

As a Native American, it can be hard to live in a nation where we are ignored for the most part. Our people are the true Native American people, but as we look upon our nation, we find that we have little presence and recognition in the nation's community.

Many of our people are found to suffer from loss of identity. Our men are cutting their hair and many are forgetting the Great Spirit gave birth to us all.

Native American people are spread all over the US and Canada, Central and South America. As a whole, we are referred to as First Nations. In Canada, First Nations is a term referred to the aboriginal peoples and their descendants that are Métis or Inuit. Collectively, Métis and Inuit peoples are also known as Aboriginal peoples. Our First Nations brothers and sisters in Canada are represented by the Assembly of First Nations.

Under the Indian Act of Canada, First Nations people are officially recognized and registered as Indians. We are not referred to as Indians or Native American in Canada, but instead as Native Canadians or Amerindians.

It is very frustrating when so many white people collectively refer to us all as the same people. There are actually many different nations within the Native American and Native Canadian communities, with more than 500 recognized nations within the North American continent alone. It seems that the white man is always trying to group us into one cultural box.

First Nations people speak a variety of languages, and we are grouped into several language families. The Cree language speakers, for example, lived on the prairies and in the forests, while other language speakers lived elsewhere and did not share the same material culture as their counterparts.

Even though there are still a number of First Nation languages in Canada, it is sad to realize that so many of our languages are endangered. There are many organizations currently working to preserve the First Nations' cultures and languages.

As a collective whole, the First Nations' many tribes and tribal leaders are looking for means to sustain a connection to their ancestry, for those who have yet to be born. In the white man's schools, our tribal culture is not permissible as a curriculum. This is especially the case when it comes to our tribal religions.

History has taught the white man that the victor in a conflict will write the history of a nation. So, when the white man's nation set up schools for our Native American children, the white man's government set up to teach our children his history from his viewpoint and prohibited discussion of our native culture and history. His people are not interested in listening and learning from Great Spirit, as we have learned to do since we were children.

With the advancing of technology, we have been able to connect to our aboriginal brothers and sisters around the world. Sometimes it is hard to get in touch with our tribal roots and as aboriginal people; many of us are living in remote locations and cannot travel to meet at pow wows and other gatherings.

With the development of the Internet, we have been able to create a Native American Tribal Community, which is the equivalent to a Native Myspace. It's just like myspace except that's strictly for our native peoples! There's even a chance to meet and date within our own tribes. It's really a great place, and it is always exploring new ways to get in touch with our native heritage. When you want to get back to what's inside your heart, go to http://www.myrezspace.com and sign up. You get to share your history, culture, spirit, and learn from others. As a Native American, you don't have to feel isolated and alone, anymore. Your friends, family and tribal elders are only one click away.

Through the power of the new digital universe created by the global Internet, our Native American and Native Canadian peoples can finally connect with others in the Native communities, around the country and around the world. The beautiful thing about the MyRezSpace project is that it allows our people to share our heritage and culture with other Native Canadian and Native Americans too. This has brought us the capability of finally proving one sure method of carrying the story of our culture and heritage to our grandchildren and their grandchildren too.

Please check out the MyRezSpace community, and do your part to contribute to the whole of the community.


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About the Author:
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Written by: Eagle Vale of MyRezSpace.com The name is a merging of the Myspace concept, with "The Rez," from a television show of the same name that reflects life on the reservation in Northern Canada.

This article about native american culture was created for the express purpose of bringing awareness to our "Native American Cultural Preservation Project" at http://www.MyRezSpace.com You may also use the MyRezSpace Interactive Community at: http://www.MyRezSpace.org