Afro Native Narratives: Jihan Gearon on Blood Quantum in Indian Country (HD Video Black Indians)
Afro Native Narratives is a body of work by
Macha Rose and
Michael Santiago in partnership with
I Love Ancestry that explore and assist in the preservation of Afro Native
Identity through the mediums of portrait photography and video documentary.
Want to participate
http://iloveancestry.com/documentary
This interview is about Jihan Gearon of
Diné (
Navajo) and
African American heritage, and the
Executive Director of the
Black Mesa Water Coalition and an aggressive advocate of
Indigenous Peoples rights and environmental justice as well as an active organizer, speaker, and writer on these issues.
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Social Media:
https://www.youtube.com/user/AfroNativeTV
https://www.facebook.com/AfroNative
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https://twitter.com/AfroNativeTV
http://afronative.tumblr.com/
http://blacknativeproject.tumblr.com
Macha Rose -
Director/
Producer
http://macharose.com
http://twitter.com/bayareavenus
http://Instagram.com/macharose
Michael Santiago -
Photographer/Producer
2015 Student Alexia foundation Grant winner
http://msantiagophotos.com
http://twitter.com/msantiagophotos
http://Instagram.com/msantiagophotos
Adrian Heckstall - Producer
I Love Ancestry
http://iloveancestry.com
For email inquiries: documentary@iloveancestry.com
The Questions revolves around contemporary issues like how culture differs from
DNA and how that affects the blood quantum, and what the future of mixed raced identity is in rapidly changing
America. We aim to bring back and continue the discussion of Afro Native Identity to the forefront and bring forward the faces of
Black Natives who continue to embrace their traditions.
Since the time that
Christopher Columbus began the slave trade in the
Caribbean, enslaved Africans looked towards the indigenous Native tribes of the America’s for refuge.
From these unions a singular identity was formed that was distinct from its parents, being both African and Native. These groups were marginalized at higher rates than their parents and have been virtually wiped from historical records and were forced to choose a side or have one chosen for them.
Once the slave trade made it’s way to the
Americas, that refuge became a necessity for both Native and enslaved Africans. Both races intermingled and married into and adopted each other’s culture.
After time, due to racist lawmaking policies,
Afro Natives came to be less acknowledged and accepted and some neglected one side or the other to avoid being singled out. Black Natives who have persevered are proud of their heritage and their traditions. Most continue to embrace their culture and continue to carry on their traditions, and passing them on through generations.
Our
Partner: I Love Ancestry is a national issue advocacy campaign that explore identity, diversity, heritage and culture in
North America and the Caribbean created in
October 2012, reaching over half a million people every week. It provides an online platform using its website and social media networks to educate and engage anyone interested in the little-known, untold stories of "
African Native Americans", Native Americans and people of
African descent. Two groups united by enslavement, genocide and a legacy of being uprooted from the land of their ancestors.
African Native Americans or
Black Indians?
People who call themselves "Black Indians" are people living in America of African-American descent, with significant heritage of
Native American Indian ancestry, and with strong connections to
Indian Country and its Native American Indian culture, social, and historical traditions. Black Indians are also called African Native Americans,
Black American Indians,
Black Native Americans and Afro
Native American