Suburb'n ndn

What comes to mind when you hear the words “Native American”, “Indian”, or “American Indian?” 

You might be thinking of the Plains Indians in Headdresses from old western movies. Perhaps the dancing and singing of “What made the red man red” in the Peter Pan cartoon. Perhaps images from Standing Rock of people on horses facing down military style police. 

You might  not imagine someone just like you. A person with a commute, a mortgage, attending PTA meetings alongside you. 

This collection of poems is written to describe that experience. What it feels like to live in a city cut off from the homelands of my people, cut off from my tribe. The loss of connection to my heritage and how I found ways to reconnect even from afar. It’s the story of my people’s history and how that history impacted my life and my identity as I struggle to understand who I am. 

What it means to be a suburb’n ndn.