Dear Tábąąh mąʼii, My "Half Anglo" side needs no apology

Christine Ami

Thoughts on racially charged random facebook messages.

I received a Facebook message from a "friend," let's call her Tábąąh mąʼii 🦝: "Just a question, are you Navajo? Been wondering so had to ask."

I honestly didn't think much about it, other than maybe this was someone I knew?  Or maybe they were looking for someone who they thought I was? Or maybe the were thrown off by Ami as my last name? I know - stupid, right? But I responded: "Yes, ma’am. Tachinii from Lukachukai. Nisha’?"

And within seconds the apology (?), racist critique (?), honest conversation starter (?) came back from 🦝: "Diné nishli, Tabaha from Western area.. I just thought you were were half Anglo, sorry about that."

I went to Tábąąh mąʼii's Facebook profile... who is this? Well, she is Christian (not judging just describing her page based on her devotion posts), we have two friends in common both of whom are more public figures than "friends," and now from her Facebook message, she says that she is Tábąąhá from the Western Agency.  I go to "search friendship"- Nothing. I go to "message history" - Nothing. I realize that I have no idea who this "friend" is.

I did know that 🦝  has had one direct interaction with me with a question that she just "had to ask," immediately jumped to race, and then apologized(?). For what?  For her correct assumption that I do have white ancestry, for her attempted trolling based on race?  Honestly, that I don't know. But I did wonder if she messages others with:

"I just thought you were were half African American, sorry about that."
"I just thought you were were half Hispanic, sorry about that."
"I just thought you were were half Anglo, sorry about that."
or what I wanted to ask her...
"I just thought you were were half Ma'ii, sorry about that." (Joke-splaining Ahead: she is Tábąąhá, ma'ii's are coyote and are overgeneralized as tricksters...and Tábąąh mąʼii means raccoon in Navajo... I know bad joke...but there it is.)

To top it off, 🦝 didn't even like my post. The audacity (jk)! 😛

And then, I remembered - there are unfriend and block buttons because I don't need this energy. ❌👎 Really, I don't think anyone needs this energy.  And I really love raccoons 🦝 and I have some wonder Tábąąhá friends and students in my life, she doesn't have to be one.

I guess my lasting thoughts for the day are - If you have a problem with my clans, if you have a problem with anyone's "anglo-ness" based on their clans, if "passing white" is that big of a problem for you - you can un-friend me. I'm not afraid to talk family histories, or race for that fact. I am not scared to talk about how racist anyone can be, regardless of color or creed. But if your leading commentary is to clarify your understanding of a random person's race  for the sake of random knowledge so that you can troll or you "just had to ask," you can do that somewhere else besides my DM.

And... I happen to really love my Anglo side... which isn't a side at all. It's all part of me... my Diné-ness, my Anglo-ness. I'm not two people, I don't come from two worlds. I am just Christine, a Táchinii, who loves to bake, and run, and garden, and raise my boys on the rez. I have Jersey Italian relatives and they taught me how to speak fast and go down the shore. I have Kiyáa'aanii relatives that taught me how to weave and throw dirt. And my Bit'ahnii siblings taught me how to ride and love. It's all one world, it's all me, and I certainly don't need anyone to apologize for any part of me.

In other news - while you can excuse yourself from my "friendship," do check out my up and coming work about Navajo and Sheep race. Like I said... sheep have taught me tons :)