Indigenous Influencer Michelle Chubb on Thanksgiving

Michelle Chubb, also referred to as Indigenous Baddie on social media, is a mannequin, activist, and public speaker who brings mainstream media’s consideration to the great thing about and challenges dealing with Indigenous communities. Chubb is a Swampy Cree member of Bunibonibee Cree Nation, and forward of Thanksgiving, she shared what number of Indigenous communities method the vacation.

“A lot of us don’t respect it as an event to celebrate because of the history,” she stated, referencing the truth that the narrative of the 1621 Thanksgiving feast has lengthy been dominated by white voices and leaves out the truth that cooperation between European colonists and Indigenous communities was short-lived, giving technique to violence and massacres of Indigenous tribes within the years that adopted.

Chubb additionally shared what it was prefer to develop up Indigenous, how we are able to all be extra respectful of Indigenous communities, and extra. Read all of it, in her personal phrases, beneath.

I grew up within the metropolis, and I’d go to the reservation in the summertime and winter. And once I had the chance, I’d see variations between town life and the res life. There was a giant distinction between the care of the folks. There have been extra assets within the metropolis versus what folks have obtainable on the res — healthcare, as an example. Or the excessive meals costs on the res or in distant areas — it is actually, actually costly, so loads of the folks rely on searching and fishing to outlive. I’ve seen that distinction.

I feel all the pieces portrayed within the media rising up was unsuitable.

When I’d come again to town after visiting, I might really feel dangerous, having seen the folks on the res wrestle to outlive, to really stay. Seeing that, I needed to make a distinction, however I did not know the way I needed to specific that once I was youthful. When I had the chance with TikTok, I needed to make use of my platform to amplify the issues that we’ve. And that obtained me talking about large corporations taking assets from Indigenous communities once they’re at their lowest already, or amplifying the issues we’ve within the metropolis as properly, as a result of dwelling within the metropolis is not essentially higher for Indigenous folks. I keep in mind rising up in Winnipeg, and there can be loads of information reporters speaking a few lacking Indigenous girl, and I might be like, “What, again? This happened last week.” Being an Indigenous woman rising up, I used to be scared. I did not wish to be a kind of lacking folks. So I began amplifying that additionally, as a result of it is a wrestle for Indigenous folks.

I feel all the pieces portrayed within the media rising up was unsuitable. How historical past books portrayed us — they informed the white a part of the story, not the entire historical past. I used to be by no means taught about residential faculties or the buffalo bloodbath. I needed to take a separate course in highschool to study all about that stuff. Meanwhile, in social research class, you solely get a paragraph or two about Indigenous peoples.

And on a extra private degree, each Halloween, I’d be requested to be Pocahontas. Growing up, I revered her as a lady, as a result of she was principally certainly one of our first lacking and murdered Indigenous ladies. But additionally in class, there can be folks touching my hair with out asking and saying, “Oh my god, your hair is so long.” I feel that is totally different culturally, as a result of even throughout powwows, when I’d put on my regalia, folks would ask earlier than touching my regalia or taking footage. I feel so many individuals do not respect boundaries.

I feel it is all about educating ourselves to change into extra knowledgeable, particularly with Indigenous tradition, as a result of once more, media can painting us in methods they wish to paint us. In actuality, there are a selection of Indigenous folks around the globe, and all of us have similarities — however all of us are totally different in ways in which make us distinctive in our personal tribes and cultures.