Being Indian is...

Being Indian is missing work at least 2 days a month because so many of your friends and relatives are dying.
Being Indian is feeding anyone and everyone who comes to your door hungry, with whatever you have. 
Being Indian is having every third person you meet tell you about his great grandmother who was a real Cherokee princess. 
Being Indian is being broke all summer long because you try to make every pow wow (potlatch).
Being Indian is loving frybread and dry meat (salmon strips, half-dry).
Being Indian is respecting your elders who have earned it.
Being Indian is  trading your surplus commodities for something you are in more need of.
Being Indian is  owning land and not being able to rent, lease, sell or even farm it yourself without BIA approval.
Being Indian is  feeling Red Eagle, Medicine Cloud, and Pretty Bear are more beautiful names than Smith, Johnson, or Jones. 
Being Indian is  having your all-Indian school team playing against 7 men on the basketball court.
Being Indian is  playing basketball at the outdoor courts on the rez til 3:00 am.
Being Indian is  recognizing where other "Skins" are from by the type of slang they use.
Being Indian is  cutting off your cast after two weeks because it is in the way and isn't needed anyway.
Being Indian is  either borrowing or lending money to your skin brothers and sisters at least once a week.
Being Indian is having people ask if they can touch your hair or take your picture.
Being Indian is worrying about diabetes.
Being Indian is  having more cousins than trees have leaves.  (isn't that true?)
Being Indian is  having to explain *again* why you don't like the mascot.  (So don't explain more than once, more than likely, they will abuse your words anyway)
Being Indian is cursing F.A.S.
Being Indian is  eating salmon for the 6th meal in a row. (or moose soup)
Being Indian is having your mom send you food stamps when your in college.
Being Indian is  knowing to many people that have died of cirrhosis, exposure, or "accident" 
Being Indian is  knowing history started before 1492.
Being Indian is singing 49 songs using a garbage can for a drum. (did this at Stanford)
Being Indian is road trips cross country . . just because . . (Fairbanks to Anchorage every other weekend!)
Being Indian isreading about your ancestors and relations in an anthropologist paper.
Being Indian is losing your job after the grant ends.
Being Indian ishaving a song come to you at the oddest times. Aho!

Being Indian iscounting the number of brown people photographed in magazine advertisements.

Being Indian is celebrating the whale hunt. 

Being Indian is full of acronyms that affect your world (BIA, IHS, CSBG, ANA, FEMA, CCDBG, JTPA, WIA, SYEP, JOM, NIEA, UNITY....... 

Being Indian is PRIDE.

Being Indian is BEAUTIFUL.

Being Indian is FOREVER.