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Celebrate the Future of Indigenous People


Jesse Lin 0:08
This week, we wanted to take a deep dive into the history of Indigenous Peoples Day, and where it originally came from. So we did a little bit of background research as it relates to Indigenous People’s Day or as it was more commonly known to us in the 90s Columbus Day. In a nutshell, basically, Columbus Day was supported by a bunch of Italian Americans who moved here because at the time when Italian Americans were moving here, they were heavily discriminated against by the local population of people who are already here. And so they were looking to create a holiday that would embody like these good things about being Italian American, and to celebrate that. And basically, it was picked up state by state, not all states have Columbus Day I think there are a few states where the holiday’s officially designated as Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day. So the idea that it wasn’t Indigenous Peoples Day until recently, I think it’s not correct. I feel like a lot of people think that because it’s been tied up with a lot of the recent conversation around like social justice, and which narratives we should be reverberating now. But there were already a few states where it was it has been Indigenous People’s Day for a few decades now. Yeah, people are really taking a reevaluation of what Columbus actually did, and how it was impactful for the local population in a negative way. And actually, some of the articles were really interesting. They said that, like, in some Caribbean nations, they actually don’t have this day at all, they have like a national holiday to celebrate local people. Because Columbus didn’t actually make it to America, I think he only made it to the Caribbean islands. So as a result of him making to the Caribbean islands, there’s like, obviously, a lot of bad things that happen like the disease spreading, which killed a lot of people. So I think locally, they don’t celebrate him at all. They just celebrate like the local people day. So that’s in a nutshell, I found it really interesting because the background of it is almost kind of like the same reason why people want to rename it Indigenous People’s Day now because Italian American for like we don’t want to be discriminate against them. We don’t want to be seen poorly by the population is already here. So that’s just the primer, and what we’re going to be talking about today, and to help us with that. I have a special friend from college Maggie who will be joining us. So Maggie, as usual, we’re gonna be asking you, but where are you really from?


Full Transcript (Note: Transcribed via AI, may contain errors)


Maggie 2:54
Um, so when I’m asked where I’m from, I always say Kansas, I’m from Shawnee, Kansas, but I was actually born in San Jose, California. So woohoo the Bay Area. And yeah, I lived there until I was like eight but most of my memories are from Shawnee, Kansas. And then I actually don’t rarely get but where you really from I get you look different. Like I am the variations Yes, I am the classic like very racially ambiguous person that people want to ask. And like can’t Yeah, just don’t really know how to phrase it. So yeah, I get you looking different. But I’m half Navajo and half German.

Angela Lin 3:40
Cool. Do people try to guess?

Maggie 3:42
No. I think people are like walking on eggshells all the time. Um, I get I get I also call myself a shapeshifter. Because I feel like whoever I’m with people will assume I’m them. So like, I have a really good friend who she is half Puerto Rican, half Mexican. And we would like go to the gym and her co workers would be like, oh, is your sister in town? Is that your sister and like, my dad put up a picture of us to like wish me happy birthday. It was like a cute picture with her and I in it. And people were commenting like wait, which one’s Maggie? And things like that. And I get that like I’ve been asked. I’ve gotten my nails done with my Vietnamese friend and I’ve been asked like, Oh, are you being tummies? And I’m like, what?

Angela Lin 4:28
Actually that’s really funny. Every story you’ve told now I’m like looking at you through our video chat right now. I can see that.

Unknown Speaker 4:35
I have high cheekbones so she I think the Vietnamese woman saw my cheekbones and was like I see it. I’ve been asked if I’m Nepali. Like everything I’ve people have like they’re like, oh, are you french? And I’m like, do I look French I it’s an identity crisis at the end of the day. Rarely has anybody ever like I actually don’t think anybody has ever guessed Native American, usually it’s Mexican, which makes sense because my the Navajo are from the southwest. So like, you know,

Jesse Lin 5:09
Have you ever been in an opportunity to be like, amongst a lot of Navajo people like, what do they think you are?

Maggie 5:17
Oh yeah, any. It’s really funny. So my mom is actually pretty distant from her culture. Obviously, we all know the stereotypes of like living on a reservation and alcohol abuse and all that things. And she has a lot of dark things in her family that, you know, as soon as she turned like 16 and graduated high school, she left she got out of there. And she really distanced herself from it and distance my brother and I from it. But we always have like family reunions, or something. And I think the last one I went to, but she didn’t, and people were running up to me and calling me my mom’s name. And you’re like, oh, Elaine, Elaine. And, and I’m like, people, there’s like, 33 years older than me, like, I’m either very offended or, like, they just haven’t seen her in that long. But, um, when I was younger, I felt like I didn’t look like either of my parents. I always had this thing that I was like, Oh, I’m adopted, I’m adopted. And I was like, either of them. But now that I’m older, I look so much like my mother. So whenever I’m like, around all of my mom’s family, they just assume I’m her.

Jesse Lin 6:23
Interesting. Cool.

Angela Lin 6:25
So I have a question for you. That’s like, somewhat ignorant because I, like openly admit, I’m ignorant on a lot of topics. But one of the ways that we reference like, Asian American identity is like what generation you are. So based on what you just said, of like, your mom grew up sounds like around everyone else who was also Navajo, and then she decided at age 16. Like goodbye. So from that, is that like, would you say your first gen because you’re like the first generation outside of that culture?

Maggie 6:59
Hmm, that’s interesting. I’ve never thought about it that way. It’s also like, it’s different for me too, because I mixed. So I think, like mixing has its own identity in and of itself. But yeah, I guess you could say first because my I mean, my mom doesn’t speak the language, though. She could a little bit when she was younger, because of course, she would be like, yelled at in Navajo. And, yeah, I mean, I think most of the time, I just say I’m half Navajo, and I think a lot of people assume that’s like first kind of like first generation because my mom is full. So we kind of go by blood. And yeah, just by saying, Oh, I’m half Navajo, it’s like, oh, we’re definitely half white to because we can tell.

Angela Lin 7:45
Since today is Indigenous People’s Day. As someone who is half Navajo, I know, you know, your, your mom kept you a little bit distant from that culture growing up. But I’m curious what this holiday means to you because it is in celebration of your people.

Maggie 8:03
Yay. So happy Indigenous Peoples Day. Nations, everything that everywhere around the world calls it because like Jesse said earlier, it is like an international thing. And places like in California have been celebrating since the 90s. So the rest of us are just kind of like catching up. I was thinking about this because honestly growing up like as a millennial in the 90s. I didn’t really think anything of it. It was like, oh, it’s Columbus Day, we don’t have school, probably, you know, I’m from Kansas, I pretty much guaranteed we celebrated Columbus Day. And by celebrated I mean, we just didn’t have school, right? Like, it’s one of those holidays that like we don’t actually know much about we just know, we don’t have school, we don’t have work. And, and then of course, going to NYU and you know, being exposed to things that are a little more politically correct. You know, I started realizing, like, oh, there’s so much more to this. And as somebody again, that’s mixed and has like, very confusing relationship with my identity, I guess you could say, you know, I kind of felt like an imposter, pushing any of those things like on social media or like with my friends and family and but I was thinking about it. And it’s one of those things that’s like, Native Americans, there’s so many stereotypes around them whether – and they’re all negative, too. You know, it’s like, oh, you’re alcoholics. Oh, you live on a reservation. That means you’re poor. That means, you know, it’s government subsidized. That means there’s, you know, domestic abuse, like Native American women are at like the highest rate of like sexual abuse, domestic abuse, going missing, abductions, just so many dark things. And I feel like with Indigenous People’s Day, there’s so many awesome things we can be celebrating. And there’s so many ways that other people who are not indigenous can celebrate too. So, like I have recently found the Navajo niche on Instagram. And there’s so many small businesses like Navajos, especially, but Native Americans in general, are amazing artists. So that’s something that it’s like we should be celebrating this so much more and talking about it, whether it’s pottery, silversmith jewelry, beading artwork, you know, there’s just like so many things – weaving my great grandma was a famous weaver, like, so many things that we can give money to and buy and celebrate this culture that is actually just really been whitewashed, like, you know, how many people are buying turquoise on Amazon because it’s cheap, like, no, that’s part of my culture, and you should go buy something handmade from somebody and support their business. So yeah, I think, you know, the more that I think about Indigenous People’s Day, the more that I’m like, we need to celebrate and uplift the positive things in our culture that so many people just don’t even realize exist.

Angela Lin 10:48
You’re gonna have to send us that Instagram that you found because

Maggie 10:51
Oh my gosh, I fallen into a hole and I absolutely love it. Because these women look like me. Like for the first time ever, I’m looking at people that I’m like, Oh my gosh, you have a round face. I you know, I’m curvier. We’re bigger women, like we’re bigger bones. And it’s just something that’s beautiful to look at. because growing up, you know, I would see on TV, really only Latinas that I could kind of relate to, or it’s like, oh, yeah, I look like them. Like when Jane The Virgin came out, Oh, my God.

Angela Lin 11:23
I love her.

Maggie 11:24
I’m like, she kind of looks like me, I see it. I love her. You know, like I was all about that show. And now I’m finding real women who look like they could be my sister on Instagram. And I absolutely love it. And of course, they’re always talking about small businesses, a lot of them still live in the southwest. So just things like that, that, you know, I feel like it’s such a small community that could be so much bigger and that it’s such a positive and like beautiful place with all of the artwork and everything that people just don’t learn about.

Angela Lin 11:53
That’s always been such a shame to me that I feel like we don’t talk about Native American culture much. Like I remember when we were growing up in California, we did learn, I feel like quite a bit of history around it, because we are closer to like, there are reservations in California and like, you know, so there’s a history there. Compared to like, when I talked to friends from different states, they had like a very different depth of knowledge around all of that. And I like personally have always been a huge fan of all things Native American because I feel like it’s, it’s a beautiful culture. And

Maggie 12:29
I feel like I got those vibes from you in previous episodes to when you went to like, do the ayuhuasca and stuff. I’m like, does Angela burn sage in her house like if so support small business.

Angela Lin 12:44
Um, but yeah, it’s never talked about and it’s such an underrepresented group. Because it’s almost like it’s like the silent group that is never left, like we’ve extinguished a huge portion of that population, but like, you guys have always been here. And it’s just something that isn’t celebrated. And I always find that such a shame.

Jesse Lin 13:08
Yeah, I definitely agree with that. I feel like what’s great about the idea of Columbus Day becoming Indigenous People’s Day in the popular mindset, like having people recognize it differently, is that personally, I feel like the way that we learned about Native Americans in school makes it seem like it’s something that’s relegated in history in the past, like they were here but in the past. And like these conditions, and the way that they live, don’t exist anymore, almost like you’re going to a museum and like looking at, like, archeological exhibit, when in reality, like a lot, a lot of people in the US still live on reservations, and a lot of people are Native Americans. So having this visibility, I think is really important, because it reminds people that you’re still here, like you haven’t gone anywhere.

Maggie 14:02
Yeah, exactly. And I think something that you brought up is this huge idea of the past in so many, I think a lot of our stereotypes are also like, some things of the past. So you know, I follow a few Navajo men who are vegan, and it’s like, people would never think like, Oh my gosh, a vegan Native American, it’s like, Hello, where people to it’s 2020. Like, you know, I’m here living in Japan, like, things like that. It’s like, we’re not just yeah, we’re not just people who live on reservations and can’t speak English and don’t have electricity. You know, people just, they think of these things in such like, archaic ways. But the modern Native American is really just like everybody else. But we have, you know, a culture behind us that we celebrate. And while those are more traditional, you know, I think especially in America, so many mixed Americans and first generation Americans celebrate other cultrues as well. So yeah, it’s one of those things that it is confusing that it’s like, why are we seeing in the past when like, we are just as modern today, like, I’m following Navajo influencers, you know, like, that is definitely very modern.

Angela Lin 15:15
One thing that I noticed, because we’re talking about in the United States, there’s this like strangeness where we’re seeing your people as something of the past when we think about broader indigenous peoples. So outside of the United States, like, very recently, I was watching a Netflix series about, like, the streetfood Netflix series in it like highlight and it was a Latin America one. And I don’t remember if it was Peru, or different South American country, but it’s one where like, a lot of the native people are still amongst the population. And they are still like, dressed in their traditional garb and like, do a lot of the same kind of like crafts that they’ve been doing for centuries, probably right. And they are mixed within the population. But people look down on them, like, almost like they’re a second class of citizen. And that’s always been really like, frustrating for me to see. Because it’s like these people to the point of the United States, like they haven’t gone away. It’s like, it makes me mad when I think of the other types of non native people looking at them as almost like, I could imagine them thinking like, Oh, well, we evolved past you.

Maggie 16:30
Yeah, I think that’s definitely the thought process, which is why kind of going back to what I said, it’s like, no, I mean, we’re here word mixed in with everybody else. You know, obviously, the people that are still living on the reservation are struggling a bit more because of the circumstances. But you know, percentage wise, not that many people are living on the reservation. Most of us live off of the reservation. I mean, it’s one of those things that’s like, I can be at home. And I can be you know, my cousins were like electrical engineers and doing my amazing job. And just, you know, again, shape shifting and living with everybody else. And then over the weekend, I can go back to the reservation and do a ceremony of some sort that I believe in spiritually. And then on Monday, I’m back at work like that is completely normal. You know, we’re not all just living on the reservation and living that life. Yeah. Have you seen Padma Lakshmi is Taste the Nation?

Angela Lin 17:26
I’ve seen it advertised, but I have not yet watched it.

Maggie 17:30
There’s a great, so again, as me being somebody mixed, they have a German episode, and they have a Native American episode. And I love that, like, both of them speak so much to me. And I’ve been to so many of the places, but in the Native American one, they have, you know, movement to decolonize Thanksgiving. And as I’m watching it, I’m like, oh, yes. decolonize Thanksgiving, I love this, you know, that’s really interesting to think about what is, you know, Native American food that isn’t colonized. And it’s hard to think about because so many people on the reservation, are, you know, government have government subsidized food. So it’s a lot of really unhealthy food. And they actually highlight that, like traditional before any sort of like government intervention, native foods, it’s a lot of like, pack rats, and like, you know, those kinds of animals. And so while I’m like, yes, decolonize Thanksgiving, like, oh, I don’t know if I’m, like ready to hop on that, like Peruvian tradition of like eating guinea pigs and whatnot. So it’s really interesting, though, that, you know, it’s while the other countries with, you know, Native people, I feel like they have more of their history that they can hold on to, and that they can keep practicing. Like in Peru, they do eat guinea pig. Obviously not like if you go to a restaurant, but if you’re going to a small village, like they will have a little guinea pig hut in this on the side. But for Native Americans, you know, we grew up on frybread. And that’s with flour. That’s not a native, you know, traditionally native food, you know, we use corn. So it’s these things that it’s like, I don’t even think a lot of Native Americans even know what going that far back like native food is.

Angela Lin 19:14
I think I deduced from what you’re saying what decolonizing Thanksgiving means but essentially, you’re saying, it’s like re finding the stuff that is actually traditional to your culture, food wise before white people came and took everything.

Maggie 19:32
Exactly. And again, I love the idea of it, but I don’t know that I’m ready to go eat, like, you know, rodents.

Angela Lin 19:43
Well, like fish, you know, like things weren’t weird.

Jesse Lin 19:49
I mean, I think the good part about like, re-engaging with your heritage and culture later on in life is that you can make a better assessment of like, the good and the bad things and you can pick kind of like the best of both of those things. So take the corn and leave a guinea pig behind, basically. So just gonna change gears for a little bit and go back to kind of something you were saying earlier about how you feel like you appear as a chameleon as a different person to different people. How did you feel growing up? Do you feel like people were able to integrate you into, into like, how they look like they’re like, okay, like, you look close enough to be like one of us. So you belong? Or people, we’re always kind of like, we’re not like super sure where you belong so we’re like, a little bit more cautious about it.

Maggie 20:45
Yeah. But no, I definitely feel like me, as somebody who is very white passing, I can fit in in pretty much any situation. I feel like if anything, it was more like the build my build and my like weight that made me feel a little like ostracized because again, like, I am native, like, we are just bigger people, like my brother is probably like six, two, I mean, he’s huge. He’s like, 200 pounds, like, that’s not uncommon, like all of my Navajo cousins look like that, you know, and so I felt like that always kind of, you could tell like, Oh, she’s a little bit different from that. But in terms of my skin color, definitely. I can really shape shift into any community, it feels like, like I mentioned, my brother is a lot darker than I am. And everything he has like black eyes, black hair, his skin colors a bit darker, he’s huge. He’s got a lot of tattoos. And he is definitely more discriminated against, especially in terms of the law. He’s somebody that in high school, like everybody called him the Mexican. And that was like his nickname. I mean, he embraced it. I don’t know if he wanted to, but he embraced it. And it was like, what, dude, you’re not Mexican. But he has been arrested for doing something that my dad who was white with, like blue eyes has done the exact same thing. And, you know, didn’t didn’t get arrested. So it’s something that is like, in my own immediate family, I’ve witnessed.

Angela Lin 22:13
Wow. Something that we talk about a lot is like, how we develop our identities throughout our lives and how that’s changed, and how we’ve like, changed how we see ourselves too, and how we judge our own culture, right. And like, I very much admit that when I was younger, I definitely like rejected, being Asian and like, didn’t want anything to do with that I wished I was white, you know, that’s kind of the way that you’re taught to think is the best way to fit in with society. Right? And so, I’m curious, since you were more white passing than your brother and your relatives, when you were growing up, did you ever have a sense of like, oh, I’m so glad that I don’t look like you. Because I feel like if I were like, 14, and I was not trying to understand my culture and like embrace it fully, like I am now as an adult, that’s how I would see is like, oh, I’m glad I got like dealt the good genes or whatever.

Maggie 23:16
So no, I had the exact opposite. Growing up, I so only recently have I really been more like vocal about being Native American because I felt like like imposter syndrome basically. So I think basically, I felt left out. And that like, I just really wanted to look like the rest of them. So it was something that I was teased by my own family for going like from my own brother, he we grew up and he would call me a mutt. And he knew that it would make me cry. And I hated it. Because you know, like the word mutt, it’s just like, you just picture I mean now obviously, you know, mixed dogs are embraced. But back in the 90s it was like a dirty street dog, you know, that, like, didn’t have a mom and was nasty. And so my brother would call me a mutt and I would cry. And then I know and then my cousins would call my brother and I city kids, even though we lived in Shawnee, Kansas, I was like, I don’t fit in anywhere I go in terms of my own family, like I’m, you know what I mean? It’s like, like, gatekeeping like, I’m not good enough for this, or this or this. And so that was really challenging. It was like, if I could just be darker if I could just look more like this, you know, I would, they would accept me more. So I think, at the end of the day, it was just easier to be accepted by like, the white side of me, you know, than it was the native side of me. And now that I look back on that, it’s like, that’s just kids being kids and joking. And you know, and I don’t truly don’t think they meant anything of it and didn’t mean to make me feel any less native, but it’s definitely that’s something that like, stuck with me until today, really.

Angela Lin 25:03
Wow, interesting. Because your mom kind of removed herself from all of that at an early age and then had a trickle down effect for how much you guys, you and your brother were exposed to that tradition, those traditions? Like how close do you really feel to your native culture? And how much of the customs and the traditions and those spiritual practices do you practice? And like to stick to, I guess, in your current adult life?

Maggie 25:33
Yeah, I think traditionally, and in like a formal setting, probably not many. Um, but I think one of the great things about being Native American and especially about like, being Navajo, and being from the southwest, is I have a connection with nature that I’m realizing more and more as I get older, that is, like, so important and so ingrained in who I am, I just feel so alive when I’m outside. And when I’m connecting with nature, and when I’m hiking, and when I get to go and see, like, beautiful things that Mother Nature has built. And that’s something that you know, not to be like, whoo, whoo, is that the technical term on this pod? Not to be like, woowoo about it, but it is something that like, I feel, and that like, my husband, who is white is kind of like, okay, Maggie, and you know, like jokes with me about but like, even anywhere, like we went and hiked in the Himalayas, in Nepal, and it like, my friends will tell you, I have an obsession with the Himalayas, like with Mount Everest, like, I just, I absolutely love it. And I feel alive and like, I am me when I’m, like, immersed in some of these places. And so I think that is something that like, you know, before, it was just like, oh, I like nature. Now. It’s like, Well, no, this is literally part of like, who I am. And that’s something that I think is important to recognize, and not just say, oh, I like nature. It’s like, no, this is like, literally in my blood. And another thing, I think would just be like the artistry. You know, while my great grandma was a famous weaver I am not and I don’t really do anything with my hands in terms of like physical art. I am a graphic designer as my day job. So I feel like I can kind of see some of these traditions and some of these things that are just like in our DNA being reflected in a more of a modern way. And same thing I definitely – I’m sure have you guys are have skinwalkers?

Angela Lin 27:29
No.

Jesse Lin 27:30
It’s the like werewolves that masquerade as people is that it?

Maggie 27:34
Yeah, they’re like, yeah, like this evil spirits kind of thing. They’re called chʼį́įdii in Navajo. I totally believe in the chʼį́įdii. My mom says she seen them. You know, there’s certain things like ghosts and whatnot that are really, really ingrained in my family. I, when I first moved to the house that I’m in right now, a lot of weird things were happening. I won’t get into it. But a lot of weird things were happening. My dog was acting very strange. And I kind of just mentioned this on the phone in passing with my mom of like, Oh, yeah, you know, something’s going on here. It’s not right. And literally, like, the next day, I have texts from all of my aunts on the reservation who are like, we’re mailing you this you got to, you know, you need to do a Navajo ceremony to get that rid of the spirits in your house. We’re mailing you, these charcoal buttons that you like, like they, when they like sent me they like sent voice messages of how to say the like ceremony saying in Navajo, and all of this stuff. And I was like, You know what, I believe in this, like, I’m going to do this. And I did it. And I have not experienced anything in the house since. At the end of the day, even though I’m, you know, not somebody that’s going and doing every ceremony on the face of the earth that I can be like, I you know, my aunts and my grandma’s and stuff are still embracing me. And if this is something that they’re like, do this, this will help like, why wouldn’t I? You know, do that. And if I believe in it, I can do it. You know, it’s part of my culture. So.

Angela Lin 29:07
Maggie you have so much to talk about. And I think you need to come back for a Halloween episode.

Maggie 29:16
Oh my gosh, no, literally everybody. I think everybody in my family knows about my house. Now. I’m like, Mom, I barely mentioned this. And now I’m getting mailed cedar and charcoal from like, Arizona.

Angela Lin 29:32
All right. So this has been great. Moving into our close or Fortune Cookie segment. We always like to end on something sweet. Um, and we thought it would be fun if we could learn what is your favorite like fun traditions or customs that like you’ve learned about your culture and that you’ve practiced before or that you like one or practice that maybe we haven’t talked about yet.

Maggie 30:01
Yeah, so this is maybe not fun. But I think this is one thing that like I hold on to like this is, to me is like one of the most important things. And so I’ll just start with basically like, I was not baptized. So you know, in like traditional Christianity baptism, you’re like giving, you’re surrendering yourself to like the Christian church to God, right? That is what essentially it symbolizes. So in Navajo culture, when you’re born, you bury your baby’s umbilical cord. And it’s basically you are like giving your body back to like Mother Nature and like the earth. And so it’s just one of those traditions that is kind of like, oh, you know, like, your earth has fed me and has like, helped me build this baby. And now I’m giving like, literal like, body back to you. And that’s just one thing that like I absolutely love. So I’m not baptized, but my umbilical cord is buried. So I always like to say that I’m like, baptized like a Navajo.

Jesse Lin 31:02
Oh, my God. That’s an interesting fun fact.

Maggie 31:05
Yeah, there’s a lot of things that are like, oh, if your baby – if you didn’t bury your baby’s umbilical cord, there’ll be like searching for it for their life. So they won’t like they won’t be at like, like, always be searching for something and like you won’t be you won’t have that sense of like, fulfillment. Yeah, exactly. Like, there’s like, it’s tied to a lot of like, really deeper things. And it is interesting, because my brother’s umbilical cord was not buried because my mom was lazy. And my mother, I have a lot of differences. So, um, so yeah, it’s interesting.

Jesse Lin 31:44
Is there like a special, like ceremony around it? Like, do you know where it’s buried?

Maggie 31:50
I knew at one point, I’m sure mine was probably just buried in California and like San Jose in our backyard. But there are different things like supposedly, I mean, really, you can do it anywhere. Again, like if it’s the modern Native American, like, obviously, you could go on to the reservation and do a more traditional, like ceremony around it. I think you can also like bury it somewhere that could maybe have like, significant meaning. So I think my brother wanted to bury his sons at like, Kauffman Stadium, which is like a baseball stadium in Kansas City, you know, something that can like manifest of like, oh, I want my son to be like an amazing athlete. Or, you know, like, I want this or that, you know, like places can symbolize different things. But I don’t really, you know, that’s not really as important as just like, the giving back to nature kind of thing, like surrendering yourself to nature.

Jesse Lin 32:44
That’s beautiful.

Maggie 32:45
Right? And I love that.

Angela Lin 32:46
What’s the psychedelic that’s from a cactus?

Maggie 32:50
Peyote

Angela Lin 32:50
You want to do peyote with me?

Maggie 32:54
My dad has done peyote.

Angela Lin 32:57
Love your dad.

Jesse Lin 32:59
All right. Well, thanks so much for joining us. This was such a fun conversation.

Maggie 33:04
Yeah. Thank you. And I’m sorry, we kind of got off of the like Columbus Day talk of, you know, changing it over to Indigenous Peoples Day. But I feel like that’s what it’s all about, you know, definitely about embracing indigenous people and all of our different stories. So thanks for having me on and letting me like, share my voice as not only a Navajo but also a mixed person.

Angela Lin 33:25
Yeah, we love learning about it.

Cool. Well, if you enjoyed this episode, or if you have something to share in terms of your knowledge of or connection to indigenous people or you want to learn more, or you have questions, whatever, email us telluswhereyourefrom@gmail.com, the “you’re” is Y-O-U-R-E and come back next week, because we’ll always have a fresh new episode for you at that time. Until next time, bye.