Since reading Kings passage in "The Truth About Stories" about the "Pretendians" I keep reading that portion over and over. Every time I hear myself say things like "well as a Native person" or "I'm indigenous myself", part of me feels odd about it. Because I have all the credentials I would technically need (I guess) and yet still, somehow feel as though I'm not supposed to be saying these things because I didn't have to suffer the way my anscestors and/or peers have suffered, I wonder if this sense that I'm "not indian enough" comes from "authentic" indigenous people, or from the outsiders that have an image of what a native person is like King suggests. What I mean is that I obviously don't connect with the glamorized "indian" made in hollywood that King criticizes, but I also don't feel like I connect (at least on a surface level) with my cousins who grew up on reserves. I feel as though being mixed race somehow is still a big political issue in this day and age which is not something that I anticipated, at least not for myself. I've always been proud of my families traditions, but now I think a lot of people feel like they are afraid to have an opinion or speak their mind or anything from fear that they will misrepresent themselves in some way.... I was curious to see if anyone in class has any experienced this or something similar or could add to my thoughts in some way. Thanks in advance!