I Read Them All And I'm Just-

🎉 happy birthday to them and them only! 🎉

Official art by: Hidekaz Himaruya

I just want to remind everyone how affordable buying food from indigenous tribes is. I live in a major city and I was able to purchase and ship (15) pounds of fish from back home to myself for cheaper than I could buy it from a grocery store here in the city. Yeah, shipping has its own environmental factors but I was able to support an indigenous owned business while also getting my groceries at a lesser cost. (Buying in bulk is always a good idea if you’re planning on having something shipped to you)

Some tribal owned grocers that ship:

Bow and Arrow (Ute Mountain)

Native Harvest (White Earth)

Red Lake Fishery (Red Lake)

Wozupi (Mdewakanton Dakota)

Ramona Farms (Gila River)

Tanka Bars (Oglala)

Indian Pueblo Store (Pueblos)

Twisted Cedar Wine (Cedar Paiutes)

Ute Bison (Ute)

Seka Hills Olive Oil and Vinegars (Yocha Dehe Wintun)

She Nah Nam Seafood (Nisqually)

Sakari Botanicals (Inupiaq)

Honor the Earth (? Anishinaabe)

Nett Lake Wild Rice (Boise Forte Anishinaabe)

Passamaquoddy maple (Passamaquoddy)

BONUS: coffee :)

Yeego Coffee (Navajo)

Spirit Mountain Roasting (Yuma Quechan)

Birchbark Coffee (Anishinaabe)

Thunder Island Coffee (Shinnecock)

- Sol De MesoAmerica

Did a slight retouch on Tonatiuh! I’ll try to do more content with him!

Background ☀️

2p rusame human au in the 1980s where dmitri is a trucker from montana who just migrated from russia and allen is an Indian cowboy from gallup who bucks at state rodeos. they meet when dmitri’s truck shuts down outside the convenience store in the reservation and allen lets him borrow his house phone (cause the public phone was knocked down months ago). it’s there that they get acquainted and allen notices dmitri has a hard time with english.

they get to talking and knowing more of each other and then allen lets him crash on his couch. allen gets an uncle to help him fix the issue with the truck the next morning and dmitri is all set to leave- but not before they exchange info. after becoming friends, allen teaches dmitri english and helps him with his citizenship test, and in exchange, dmitri teaches him how to stay on a horse better (because he worked at a horse riding school in khabarovsk).

Hi,

I'm not indigenous so you can dismiss this as being overstepping if you want and you'd have every right to as a native person. I was thinking of maybe sending this on anon but anon messages are far easier to be construed as bad faith (I want to stress I'm not sending you this ask to dunk on you or ague with you or something) and also I think it's best to be honest so I'm doing this off anon.

I'll admit I was personally kind of uncomfortable at your Koryak Russia headcanon when I saw it, particularly because of the history regarding the Russian colonisation of Siberia, and especially because you chose the Koryaks in particular. However I am not indigenous so of course my opinion is definitely not one which should be amplified. I just want to give some context on Siberia/the Koryaks which might help explain further why the Koryak anon was upset.

Unlike the USA, Russia was an already established country when it undertook its colonisation of the far East. The indigenous Siberians were never originally "Russian" and had very little to no contact with Russians before the Russians invaded, and, again, Russia was an already established country at that point. The formation of Russia as a nation had nothing to do with engaging with Siberian indigenous, however Russia as we know it today with its huge landmass is a result of the later Russian colonisation of Siberia (Tsardom of Russia established 1547, Russia began its invasion of Siberia in 1580).

I didn't want to say anything because well I'm not a Koryak nor am I am indigenous Siberian nor am I indigenous at all however seeing as a Koryak spoke out, I just wanted to give a little more context of Russia's treatment of Siberian indigenous and Koryaks in particular. Again, I'm not sending this ask to shout at you, I just wanted to give further context.

Russia, as the previous Koryak anon pointed out, has been disproportionately mobilising indigenous Siberians, hence why the "Free Buryatia Foundation" was founded in an attempt to combat this, I've made some posts on this myself, including the recent Russian crack down on Siberian activists in which they've sentenced the leader of Free Buryatia to 7 years in prison.

Indigenous Siberian soldiers in Ukraine have also been frequently scapegoated for Russian war crimes committed in Ukraine, including by the Pope himself,

"The cruelest are perhaps those who are of Russia but are not of the Russian tradition, such as the Chechens, the Buryats and so on,” he said."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/11/29/europe/pope-francis-chechens-buryats-intl/index.html

Not only do indigenous Siberians face Russification, grapple with the Kremlins mistreatment of them and suffer from disproportionate mobilisation, but they are also being scapegoated for the brunt of Russian war crimes in Ukraine

https://www.media-diversity.org/the-savage-warriors-of-siberia-how-an-ethnic-minority-in-russia-came-to-be-unfairly-blamed-for-the-worst-war-crimes-in-ukraine/

To give some further context on Russia's treatment of the Koryaks in particular, not the full history but:

In the 1930s Koryak children were sent to boarding schools, where they were expected to adopt new ideas, including anti-religious views and criticisms towards their own traditions. This led to the loss of their natural way of life and traditions, with many Koryak settlements forcibly disbanded. In 1954, the teaching of the Koryak language was banned - this lasted for 2 decades. Affluent herders and shamans were executed during Stalins reign.

I can only find one source which says this so take it with a grain of salt , but nuclear testing. Apparently nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s caused severe problems for the Koryaks. Radioactive contamination harmed their immune system. Reindeer-herders' bones contain significantly more lead and caesium, resulting in a surge in diseases. Again, I could only find 1 source for this which is why I said "apparently" however regardless of if this factoid in particular is true or false doesn't necessarily take away from Russia's overall mistreatment of them.

On the Koryak infant mortality rate: "Infant mortality is also very high..The highest rates recorded in official statistics are among the Koryak, at 52.6 per 1000" (Peoples of the Arctic: Characteristics of Human Populations Relevant to Pollution Issues)

The average Koryak lifespan at one point was less than 50 years and iirc it's still quite low.

When it comes to their fishing:

"In September 2014, the parliamentary assembly of Kamchatka Krai introduced a bill aimed at reconsidering the management of those territories that have been traditionally used by indigenous peoples. The bill set out a proposal to considerably reduce their area and to prevent indigenous peoples from cultivating the land in the south of the Kamchatka Krai region – a move that deprives many of the ability to maintain traditional livelihoods such as fishing."

https://minorityrights.org/minorities/koryaks/

I'm not trying to point a finger at you because I'm sure you did not have any bad intentions with your post especially because you yourself are native and I'm not so I would be seriously overstepping, and of course it's always amazing to see more indigenous rep and I myself have my own Siberian ocs, but I just wanted to try and give some further context as to why perhaps the Koryak anon was upset at your depiction, however again I'm not indigenous so my opinion on the matter holds a hell of a lot of less weight. You don't have to feel obligated to post this, I know it's a heavy subject, and again I'm not indigenous/native so you could just dismiss this all if you wish. I hope this didn't come across as me overstepping

I truly appreciate your taking the time to message me. I do not mind, as anyone who recognizes something is wrong should say something. Being native does not excuse my choices, so please don't feel bad for correcting me or adding context.

I mentioned my intentions in the anon's ask because I wanted them to know my making Russia Koryaki was not to erase these humanitarian injustices, but to see a character I adore as indigenous. No matter my intentions, I should have known better than to connect an oppressed native culture that I have no connection to, to the literal embodiment of its invader.

Your message is important to me and because you used multiple sources, I do want to share it as it is a great way for more people outside of Russia to know about the plight of Koryak people. To the anon, I altruistically apologize for my depictions.

sup hom's. just letting yall know that I may be gone for a bit due to my momma being sick. I've been with her since Sunday and she's doing better but she's still on bedrest. I'll for sure be hovering and loving yall's content tho xo

🇺🇸 what's the straightest thing you've ever done?

🇷🇺 killed a guy

I wanna thank the homie Astro for allowing me to ramble on about the language headcanon! <3 here's my attempt at a small breakdown of why he knows these languages fluently:

OSAGE

He first learned the language after working with "the five civilized tribes" to come to a treaty for land exchange with the Cherokee nation. While he was very adamant about letting tribal nations handle their own disputes, he was essentially a US mediator (who was to find the best outcome for the government - which he despised). He was stationed in Pawhuska for months at a time while the treaty was ratified and practiced the language with native community translators. He would not become fluent until the early 1920s when the Osage Nation became the richest community in the world after discovering an enormous oil reserve under their territory.

DINÉ BIZAAD

Like his introduction to the Osage nation, he was sent out to what is now New Mexico to become acquainted with Southwestern tribes (and learn about them to benefit his overseers). It was a terrible idea (on their part) because this only solidified his feeling of uncertainty over land expansion (AKA manifest destiny) and helped him connect to a native community in a way he never had before. The Diné/Navajo communities he encountered were kind but reserved; they had already been attacked by the Spanish, and now they had to prepare to go against another entity - it was a struggle that young immortal Alfred knew well at this point. It was here where he first felt any opposition to his government. It was here where he also began to speak with elders and attempt to document their writings, their practices, and their language. He kept record of all rituals and languages he came across, but Diné Bizaad stuck with him because of how widely spoken it was in the Southwest.

HOPI

Alfred would encounter the Hopi Nation during his first trek to the Southwest. Hopi people are close to the Diné people and often intersect socially and culturally, but are vastly different linguistically and in tradition. He learned the language via young tribal leaders to exchange information about land annexation, but he did have a closer connection than expected... (In my theorized origin story for him) Alfred was born from the Hopi origin story. The story goes that the Creator, Maasaw, asked the people to rise from within the earth and explore its four corners until they reached the center place. Within the Hopi Nation, the center place is known as Chaco Canyon. In the canyon, indigenous peoples all over the Southwest would congregate to trade and rest. Alfred was born on that canyon, and with his walking feet, and a lot of help from other native peoples, reached as far as Virginia - and the rest is history. He would not find out about this until the 1970s (during the height of the American Indian Movement-- I hc he had a really bad mental breakdown at the end of the 1960s that led to this discovery but that's another thing).

MVSKOKE

Mvskoke/Muskogee was one of the first indigenous languages he would learn. He picked up the language before he even became a nation. Muskogee leaders would often meet with his overseers to maintain relations and several leaders (Mary Musgrove definitely taught him) would teach him personally. He was very keen on keeping notes of the language as well. The Creek/Muskogee Nation was considered one of the five "civilized" tribes and was one of the first communities Alfred ingrained himself into.

MASSACHUSETT

Massachusett/Wampanoag and Ojibwa/Ojibwe are mentioned together as they are both languages in the Algic language family. However, they are different in their own right. Wampanoag was the first indigenous language Alfred would learn. He first encountered it when he formally established himself in Jamestown. Many of the settlers in the community already spoke some of the language, but he would pick up the linguistics directly from Algonquian people who would come into town to trade.

OJIBWA

He would learn Ojibwa/Ojibwe during the Revolutionary War (begrudgingly) because Ojibwe natives and Algonquian Ojibwe speakers sided with the British in hopes of not losing their homelands (this is a plight he would upsettingly not understand until much after). He taught it to himself by picking up verbiage among Algonquian allies and would serve as a translator between the Ojibwe people and the "rebels" during negotiations.

our favorite golden retriever boy's bday is soon AND powwow season is just around the corner so here's some indigenous headcanons I've got for alfred f. jones!

he is actively attempting to learn every single native language within his region, but fluently speaks osage, dine bizaad, hopi, mvskoke, and algonquian massachusett and ojibwa

he is the embodiment of sunshine. he can make everyone laugh, and that includes babies. that being said, he has been the reason for at least 100+ babies' first laughs and has proudly thrown parties for each of their families as per the navajo tradition

him (and matt) fully volunteer to drum and sing at powwows, especially at small town ones. they will roadtrip across canada and the us during the summer and absolutely bring the party to the 49. they also do it to overindulge in piccadilly and indian tacos

he is not a religious person but he does acquiesce in spiritual traditions he has picked up from native elders. the major one he uses is smudging. alike the kid from 'sixth sense', he sees dead people-- or ghosts to be exact lol. and he hates them! which is why he will often smudge and pray early in the morning, once a week, to cleanse any spirits from his house

smokes are always in his possession. while he does smoke on occasion, he mostly carries them with him for exchanges. for example, if he encounters a cool mineral on the roadside, instead of just taking it, he will leave tobacco behind as a show of appreciation

he feeds the rez dogs exponentially (even when everyone at every rez keeps telling him not to fuckin do that, you shitass)

put him on your rob list because he owns so many beaded jewelry and turquoise, it may just pay off your student loans and then some

his mutton sandwiches and navajo burgers will make you fall in love with him, no joke