What if you don't "have indian in your family" . . . .

[Glib Gurl]

Sorry if the title of this thread offends some. I'm just trying to get to the point - a lot of people seem to think that it's impossible for black women to grow their hair to BSL or longer unless you are racially mixed, "have indian in your family" or whatever. (If you go back far enough, we are ALL racially mixed anyways, so that's neither here nor there.) But I'm wondering about ladies who have BSL type 4 hair . . . were you able to grow your hair long without necessarily having a genetic predisposition to do so? I guess the better question is, do your parents or grandparents also have long hair? My family members seem to have shorter hair, so I am wondering if my hair quest is all in vain . . . .

Again, I hope this does not offend or turn into a race thread. I'm not able to express myself very well because I'm running out the door for work and don't have time to heavily edit.

Thanks for your answers and understanding.

 

[Nefertiti0906]

It is possible. I am pure African (Nigerian) and I have been able to grow my 4a hair to bsl. The problem is keeping it there, I have "scissors happy fingers"

 

[Energee]

I get what you are trying to say. I know that a lot of women in both my husbands and my side of the family have long hair. We are black people....lol. Even if we have 'something else in us'..we don't really acknowledge that but it's evident because we have so many different skin tones and hair textures in our family even in my immediate family...just like most AA families (My husband is from the Caribbean originally and his family is racially diverse as well). My hair and the women and even men in my family grow hair fast but I don't know if I want to attribute our hair growth to our racial makeup however.

I think everyones hair grows the same. Usually the problem IS NOT growth but breakage for many.

A lot of 4a/b people have not been taught how to properly care for their hair and that results in breakage and slower growth perhaps but imagine if we just left our hair alone..just washed and conditioned it well...never got a relaxer (and I'm NOT against relaxers in any way because I have one and am 100% happy with my choice to have one)...never got it burned with hot combs, heat damage..etc. Most of our hair would grow just fine. It's so fragile and most times many of us handle it in a rough way or have stylist that handle it in a rough way or mamas and aunts who handled it roughly when we were young because they didn't know any better. This is my opinion just through observation over the years.

 

[sunshinebeautiful]

Usually the problem IS NOT growth but breakage for many.

A lot of 4a/b people have not been taught how to properly care for their hair and that results in breakage and slower growth perhaps but imagine if we just left our hair alone..just washed and conditioned it well...never got a relaxer (and I'm NOT against relaxers in any way because I have one and am 100% happy with my choice to have one)...never got it burned with hot combs, heat damage..etc. Most of our hair would grow just fine. It's so fragile and most times many of us handle it in a rough way or have stylist that handle it in a rough way or mamas and aunts who handled it roughly when we were young because they didn't know any better. This is my opinion just through observation over the years.

I think this is true. I don't have indian in my family, but I have had BSL hair before. This was when I got my second virgin relaxer (my hair broke off and I had to BC after the first one. I was about 8). I had hair all down my back and maintained it for quite a while. What killed my hair was not knowing how to take care of it (my mama didn't either). It slowly broke off to shoulder length and I haven't seen that much hair since. I also haven't known how to take care of my hair since. Now that I'm practicing healthy hair care and keeping stylists - some of whom seem to know even less than I do - away from my hair, it is definitely flourishing.

 

[gone_fishing]

Sorry if the title of this thread offends some. I'm just trying to get to the point - a lot of people seem to think that it's impossible for black women to grow their hair to BSL or longer unless you are racially mixed, "have indian in your family" or whatever. (If you go back far enough, we are ALL racially mixed anyways, so that's neither here nor there.) But I'm wondering about ladies who have BSL type 4 hair . . . were you able to grow your hair long without necessarily having a genetic predisposition to do so? I guess the better question is, do your parents or grandparents also have long hair? My family members seem to have shorter hair, so I am wondering if my hair quest is all in vain . . . .

Again, I hope this does not offend or turn into a race thread. I'm not able to express myself very well because I'm running out the door for work and don't have time to heavily edit.

Thanks for your answers and understanding.

Hi!

I just want to say I know a girl who lives close to me now. She's from Kenya - I mean directly from Kenya. She doesn't appear to be mixed. She "seems" like pure african stock to me. When she moved here she had very big beautiful unprocessed hair. I'd say about a year later I noticed it was all straightened out.

Her hair is a little longer than mid-back. It kind of through me for a loop because her hair was always just below her neckline when I'd see it out in her big purty fro so when I saw it all straightened out I was totally in awwe at how much length was in that "shrinkage".

So I'd venture to say it can and does happen.

I always wonder if it was the length of our hair in Africa's culture that was most important. In some cultures it's the length...but it seems like to them it was the artistry that goes along with our hair...the type of braids...the style of it...the thickness...the fullness. Sometimes I wonder when we all became so obsessed with length (including me).

 

[cocoberry10]

I get what you are trying to say. I know that a lot of women in both my husbands and my side of the family have long hair. We are black people....lol. Even if we have 'something else in us'..we don't really acknowledge that but it's evident because we have so many different skin tones and hair textures in our family even in my immediate family...just like most AA families (My husband is from the Caribbean originally and his family is racially diverse as well). My hair and the women and even men in my family grow hair fast but I don't know if I want to attribute hair racial makeup however.

I think everyones hair grows the same. Usually the problem IS NOT growth but breakage for many.

A lot of 4a/b people have not been taught how to properly care for their hair and that results in breakage and slower growth perhaps but imagine if we just left our hair alone..just washed and conditioned it well...never got a relaxer (and I'm NOT against relaxers in any way because I have one and am 100% happy with my choice to have one)...never got it burned with hot combs, heat damage..etc. Most of our hair would grow just fine. It's so fragile and most times many of us handle it in a rough way or have stylist that handle it in a rough way or mamas and aunts who handled it roughly when we were young because they didn't know any better. This is my opinion just through observation over the years.

I also think that there is some genetic predisposition to hair length. I've seen people with 3b hair that doesn't grow past their shoulders, and others with 4a/4b hair that grows to their butts.

Check out:
http://public.fotki.com/redhotlala/ (My all time favorite fotki album)
http://public.fotki.com/jen2262/ (Another all time favorite)
http://public.fotki.com/clenish/ (A new favorite, she's a member here)!

 

[chellero]

All of the women that I know with long hair had long hair as children. I'm not saying that it's not possible to grow your hair out if you didn't have long hair as a child, I'm just saying that I haven't personally seen it IRL. I don't know whether or not I can have BSL hair as an adult, but I do know that I can have healthy thick hair that isn't getting pulled out, over processed and burned within an inch of it's life by a crazed stylist.

 

[AwesomelyNappy]

I've seen beautiful RBG (regular black girls) with long 4a/b hair... when natural it looks short, and people think they have short "nappy" hair... but when straightened... it'll be brastrap or a little longer...

some people use race as an excuse as to why they can or cant grow hair long... i've known some girls that just give up or dont even try, and say stuff like "girl, i dont know about you, but i'm a black girl.... my hair aint eva gonna be that long" they just dont even try.... (maybe they dont know how to)

I think that with proper care, that anybody can have long hair (at least arm pit length... which i think is consider long IRL) regardless of race.

eta... in fact, my once step sister is mixed 75% white and 25% black... her hair is, and always was about neck/shoulder length.... she tried growing it out... but shoulder (maybe a little past) is all its ever gotten to... and i think her texture is maybe 3a/b...

 

[mscocoface]

I have what was termed "Can'tcha Don'tcha Knot" Hair!

I use to be told that my hair was so thick and unmanageable you had to literally FIGHT it. No one wanted to work in my hair, NO ONE. I would go to salons and the look I would get was Oh my God, please don't let her ask for me.

The older Beauticians would always say, Lawd Have Mercy look at this chile's head. Then they would start screaming about how much water it would hold, so they had to blow dry it for long periods of time. It would hold heat, so I was always hearing, OUCH! and see them blowing at their fingers, because it holds heat for a period of time.

Now mind you this was when I had a relaxer in my head. My hair could be short or at least shoulder length and this is what I would have to brace myself for every time I went to the salon.

I may have some of everything in my family, so I don't know about the predisposition, because I have no clue as to what the generation past my grand parents were made of.

This I know, that because of the education we are getting about haircare and then teaching others thiese same tried and true methods of healthy haircare we are seeing and will continue to see more and more women of color no matter the hue with long healthy hair, or just healthy hair because not everyone wants long hair.

I have made it my business to teach anyone who wants to listen, including family members and friends what it takes to maintain healthy hair on a woman of color.

I truly believe that we are blowing that myth to bits one by one. Some will never change their mindset about this, they taught us that myth, now we have to change the minds of the young ones or even the ones are age and older that this is a myth.

I have some of the kinkiest, nappiest, thickest hair on the planet and I am PROUD and accepting of it now. Thanks to boards like this and others wanting to share their information on black hair care the task of educating ourselves and others is possible.

We may not convince everyone, but we will make a difference in quite a few lives not only with our information but as walking billboards for healthy haircare.

Mscocoface is stepping off the soapbox now. NEXT!

 

[dillard]

I understand exactly where you're coming from. Even though I've seen members on here that have BSL hair who never had longer than SL before (even as children), I still doubt it's possible for myself. AJamericanDiva has a really inspirational thread (Discouraged 4a/4bs... this thread's for you!!!
) that kinda convinced me that it's possible but deep down I'm not fully convinced. It's like I don't want to expect too much and then be disappointed if it doesn't happen. I do think there is a maximum amount of years each person's hair will grow before it sheds and is replaced (equalling terminal hair length) and I think that is genetic. So we'll see, only time will tell, but I'm definitely enjoying the process anyway no matter what length my hair is!!

 

[DeepBluSea]

If you think about it you learn how to take care of your hair from the women in your family. If all of yall have bad hair practices, then everyone is going to have short hair. That's nurture not nature.

 

[Energee]

If you think about it you learn how to take care of your hair from the women in your family. If all of yall have bad hair practices, then everyone is going to have short hair. That's nurture not nature.

Wonderful post!

 

[chica_canella]

Sorry if the title of this thread offends some. I'm just trying to get to the point - a lot of people seem to think that it's impossible for black women to grow their hair to BSL or longer unless you are racially mixed, "have indian in your family" or whatever. (If you go back far enough, we are ALL racially mixed anyways, so that's neither here nor there.) But I'm wondering about ladies who have BSL type 4 hair . . . were you able to grow your hair long without necessarily having a genetic predisposition to do so? I guess the better question is, do your parents or grandparents also have long hair? My family members seem to have shorter hair, so I am wondering if my hair quest is all in vain . . . .

Again, I hope this does not offend or turn into a race thread. I'm not able to express myself very well because I'm running out the door for work and don't have time to heavily edit.

Thanks for your answers and understanding.

Ok, think about it this way. My grandmother had waist length 3a/b hair and most of my aunts and cousins do too. I have mostly 3c with 4a and have never had hair longer than bsl. So, in a way I know I can grow hair that long but my mom didn't know how to care for my texture and in a way I think that maybe I just don't have the gene. I will try anyway though but between my mom's genes and my dad's I'm pretty sure I can grow waist length.

But it kinda makes me wonder why I didn't come out with 3a hair.

 

[cocoberry10]

Thank you for posting this! I really needed to read it at this very moment

I have what was termed "Can'tcha Don'tcha
Knot" Hair!

I use to be told that my hair was so thick and unmanageable you had to literally FIGHT it. No one wanted to work in my hair, NO ONE. I would go to salons and the look I would get was Oh my God, please don't let her ask for me.

The older Beauticians would always say, Lawd Have Mercy look at this chile's head. Then they would start screaming about how much water it would hold, so they had to blow dry it for long periods of time. It would hold heat, so I was always hearing, OUCH! and see them blowing at their fingers, because it holds heat for a period of time.

Now mind you this was when I had a relaxer in my head. My hair could be short or at least shoulder length and this is what I would have to brace myself for every time I went to the salon.

I may have some of everything in my family, so I don't know about the predisposition, because I have no clue as to what the generation past my grand parents were made of.

This I know, that because of the education we are getting about haircare and then teaching others thiese same tried and true methods of healthy haircare we are seeing and will continue to see more and more women of color no matter the hue with long healthy hair, or just healthy hair because not everyone wants long hair.

I have made it my business to teach anyone who wants to listen, including family members and friends what it takes to maintain healthy hair on a woman of color.

I truly believe that we are blowing that myth to bits one by one. Some will never change their mindset about this, they taught us that myth, now we have to change the minds of the young ones or even the ones are age and older that this is a myth.

I have some of the kinkiest, nappiest, thickest hair on the planet and I am PROUD and accepting of it now. Thanks to boards like this and others wanting to share their information on black hair care the task of educating ourselves and others is possible.

We may not convince everyone, but we will make a difference in quite a few lives not only with our information but as walking billboards for healthy haircare.

Mscocoface is stepping off the soapbox now. NEXT!

 

[mscocoface]

Thank you for posting this! I really needed to read it at this very moment

You are so very welcome. Big hugs sis! :heart2:This sounds like a valley moment for you keep moving through it. There is light at the end of this tunnel.

 

[bLackButtaFly]

I think it's all about how you work what you got. Maybe everybody can't grow waist length hair, but there's no reason every black woman can't have healthy full hair no matter the length.

When I was young I had very long hair, b/c my mother was diligent in taking care of it. Always moisturizing and never over processing perms, and protective styling, and only when I started to do bad things to it, like having very blod hilights done by a white person, did my bsl length hair begin to break off, and forced me to cut. I don't think it had much to do w/ texture and everythign to do w/ care and maintenance of the hair. Learning products that work best, and doing what good for your hair really makes a big difference.

 

[DDTexlaxed]

It's possible. You can do it!

 

[sunnydaze]

Its also worth mentioning again that for many of us, our natural textured hair in all its glory was not designed to grow down but out.

 

[HoneyA]

My great grandmother had thick natural WL hair (3b/3c). My grandmother has natural 3b/3c past BSL hair. My mum's hair has always been processed and cut so I don't know how long her hair really was. My hair never went past between APL and BSL as a child though. So I don't think I got the "gene". I think I nor my mum knew how to care for thick natural 4a/4b hair so eventually I got it relaxed and that was the beginning of the end. In sum, it all boils down to good hair practices for most of us even if we have "Indian" in our family.

 

[Glib Gurl]

Its also worth mentioning again that for many of us, our natural textured hair in all its glory was not designed to grow down but out.

THAT is a great point . . .

Thanks for the feedback ladies

 

[the_UnPrettiest_pretty]

This is just my .02. I get so sick of girls/women nowadays always claiming to have Indian in their family or blood or whatever they want to call it. The only time they seem to find that appealing is when someone makes a comment about their hair. I very well do happen to have Indian in my blood, Cherokee at that. My father is full blooded Indian and my mother is well, black. But, as a child, I never ran around openly telling people "hey, I have Indian in my family". I never did it as I grew older either. It was unnecessary and pointless. While I do respect and appreciate my heritage, a lot of people take the whole "Indian bloodline" thing for granted and some people take it as a joke. Having so called "Indian in your family" is not about long and pretty hair. There is so much more than that. I get so sick of women claiming to have Indian in their blood when they know nothing about the heritage. Our natives suffered and went through a lot in their day, and I think it's downright disrespectful for women to make a mockery of our heritage just because they think it sounds good to say that they have "Indian" in their family because of hair. I have been in a number of debates about this very issue where I will point out the fact that before you go claiming to have a background of Indian descent, do some research and read up on the history of the Indian nation, and then tell me if you respect the heritage enough to claim to be a part of it. Sorry for the rant, this is a sensitive issue for me and I get frustrated by ignorance sometimes.

With all that being said, you don't need to have Indian bloodlines in your family to have what people refer to as "good hair". Nor do you need those bloodlines to grow long hair. Your hair flourishes and grows as a result of good, quality TLC. If you take care of your hair and nurture it, it will grow. Plain and simple. You get out what you put in. And your efforts will show. There are plenty of straight African American women (with no mixture of other races) that have beautiful, natural heads of long, healthy hair. And yours can get that way too, IF you take care of it and nurture it. It's like a child, the more you nurture it and take care of it, the better and stronger that child becomes. Love your hair, and it will love you back.

 

[chica_canella]

This is just my .02. I get so sick of girls/women nowadays always claiming to have Indian in their family or blood or whatever they want to call it. The only time they seem to find that appealing is when someone makes a comment about their hair. I very well do happen to have Indian in my blood, Cherokee at that. My father is full blooded Indian and my mother is well, black. But, as a child, I never ran around openly telling people "hey, I have Indian in my family". I never did it as I grew older either. It was unnecessary and pointless. While I do respect and appreciate my heritage, a lot of people take the whole "Indian bloodline" thing for granted and some people take it as a joke. Having so called "Indian in your family" is not about long and pretty hair. There is so much more than that. I get so sick of women claiming to have Indian in their blood when they know nothing about the heritage. Our natives suffered and went through a lot in their day, and I think it's downright disrespectful for women to make a mockery of our heritage just because they think it sounds good to say that they have "Indian" in their family because of hair. I have been in a number of debates about this very issue where I will point out the fact that before you go claiming to have a background of Indian descent, do some research and read up on the history of the Indian nation, and then tell me if you respect the heritage enough to claim to be a part of it. Sorry for the rant, this is a sensitive issue for me and I get frustrated by ignorance sometimes.

With all that being said, you don't need to have Indian bloodlines in your family to have what people refer to as "good hair". Nor do you need those bloodlines to grow long hair. Your hair flourishes and grows as a result of good, quality TLC. If you take care of your hair and nurture it, it will grow. Plain and simple. You get out what you put in. And your efforts will show. There are plenty of straight African American women (with no mixture of other races) that have beautiful, natural heads of long, healthy hair. And yours can get that way too, IF you take care of it and nurture it. It's like a child, the more you nurture it and take care of it, the better and stronger that child becomes. Love your hair, and it will love you back.

tell it like it is girlfriend!

 

[cabellera]

Sorry if the title of this thread offends some. I'm just trying to get to the point - a lot of people seem to think that it's impossible for black women to grow their hair to BSL or longer unless you are racially mixed, "have indian in your family" or whatever. (If you go back far enough, we are ALL racially mixed anyways, so that's neither here nor there.) But I'm wondering about ladies who have BSL type 4 hair . . . were you able to grow your hair long without necessarily having a genetic predisposition to do so? I guess the better question is, do your parents or grandparents also have long hair? My family members seem to have shorter hair, so I am wondering if my hair quest is all in vain . . . .

Again, I hope this does not offend or turn into a race thread. I'm not able to express myself very well because I'm running out the door for work and don't have time to heavily edit.

Thanks for your answers and understanding.

IMO, most families will have the same hair practices and will achieve the same results. I think that this is the first century that Black women or women with afro-textured hair are relieving themselves of the myth of earlobe terminating lengths when it comes to their hair.

We dutifully clogged our scalps with a blue, yellow or white petroleum product as if our scalps ran out of excreting the stuff. We blow dried to no end, ripped our tangles from root to end all because Vidal, Breck and VO5 said we could! Not only did our locks blow in the wind, but sadly for some they blew away with it.

NOW, we are re-educating ourselves in regards to our natural hair or chemically treated hair. For the first time there are a great number of women exploring past what is readily presented to them in advertisement and/or at the salon. Yes we are stubborn lot. The blue grease is still around, we lye down with the burnin stuff, we still coil, twist and press...but we're learning to CARE FOR OUR HAIR during all these processes. One good thing is, we now know the problem is breakage and NOT that our hair won't grow. So, don't be sad cause Momma and Auntie don't have long hair....Momma and Auntie didn't have the internet or LHCF!

Here's to my Sistahz in the class called Afro-textured Hair Re-Education 101!

 

[cabellera]

This is just my .02. I get so sick of girls/women nowadays always claiming to have Indian in their family or blood or whatever they want to call it. The only time they seem to find that appealing is when someone makes a comment about their hair. I very well do happen to have Indian in my blood, Cherokee at that. My father is full blooded Indian and my mother is well, black. But, as a child, I never ran around openly telling people "hey, I have Indian in my family". I never did it as I grew older either. It was unnecessary and pointless. While I do respect and appreciate my heritage, a lot of people take the whole "Indian bloodline" thing for granted and some people take it as a joke. Having so called "Indian in your family" is not about long and pretty hair. There is so much more than that. I get so sick of women claiming to have Indian in their blood when they know nothing about the heritage. Our natives suffered and went through a lot in their day, and I think it's downright disrespectful for women to make a mockery of our heritage just because they think it sounds good to say that they have "Indian" in their family because of hair. I have been in a number of debates about this very issue where I will point out the fact that before you go claiming to have a background of Indian descent, do some research and read up on the history of the Indian nation, and then tell me if you respect the heritage enough to claim to be a part of it. Sorry for the rant, this is a sensitive issue for me and I get frustrated by ignorance sometimes.

With all that being said, you don't need to have Indian bloodlines in your family to have what people refer to as "good hair". Nor do you need those bloodlines to grow long hair. Your hair flourishes and grows as a result of good, quality TLC. If you take care of your hair and nurture it, it will grow. Plain and simple. You get out what you put in. And your efforts will show. There are plenty of straight African American women (with no mixture of other races) that have beautiful, natural heads of long, healthy hair. And yours can get that way too, IF you take care of it and nurture it. It's like a child, the more you nurture it and take care of it, the better and stronger that child becomes. Love your hair, and it will love you back.

LOL! In Oklahoma they will ask you "What Tribe" and if you can't answer that question and then proudly show your "Indian Card" then you need to shut the heck up fast! There are coily haired, weave wearin, blue-black Negroes that have their tribe, card and Pow-Wow attendance in check 'round them Okie parts. So when I'm there, I don't play that "I've got a little Indian in me...." I let others make the statement and all I gotsta say about it, is they must've been passin for "colored" back in them dayz!

 

[Evazhair]

This is just my .02. I get so sick of girls/women nowadays always claiming to have Indian in their family or blood or whatever they want to call it. The only time they seem to find that appealing is when someone makes a comment about their hair. I very well do happen to have Indian in my blood, Cherokee at that. My father is full blooded Indian and my mother is well, black. But, as a child, I never ran around openly telling people "hey, I have Indian in my family". I never did it as I grew older either. It was unnecessary and pointless. While I do respect and appreciate my heritage, a lot of people take the whole "Indian bloodline" thing for granted and some people take it as a joke. Having so called "Indian in your family" is not about long and pretty hair. There is so much more than that. I get so sick of women claiming to have Indian in their blood when they know nothing about the heritage. Our natives suffered and went through a lot in their day, and I think it's downright disrespectful for women to make a mockery of our heritage just because they think it sounds good to say that they have "Indian" in their family because of hair. I have been in a number of debates about this very issue where I will point out the fact that before you go claiming to have a background of Indian descent, do some research and read up on the history of the Indian nation, and then tell me if you respect the heritage enough to claim to be a part of it. Sorry for the rant, this is a sensitive issue for me and I get frustrated by ignorance sometimes.

With all that being said, you don't need to have Indian bloodlines in your family to have what people refer to as "good hair". Nor do you need those bloodlines to grow long hair. Your hair flourishes and grows as a result of good, quality TLC. If you take care of your hair and nurture it, it will grow. Plain and simple. You get out what you put in. And your efforts will show. There are plenty of straight African American women (with no mixture of other races) that have beautiful, natural heads of long, healthy hair. And yours can get that way too, IF you take care of it and nurture it. It's like a child, the more you nurture it and take care of it, the better and stronger that child becomes. Love your hair, and it will love you back.

I second this post.Very well said. The Cherokee branch of my family tree got separated in the trail of tears. It is so painful, that it is not even talked about, my father happened to tell me about it. It is sooo much deeper than hair!

 

[Evolving78]

I feel this in one of the reasons why I went natural. I feel like I have something to prove to the people. I was one of those girls that hair was not long while I was a child. I decided to to grow my hair out a few years ago and it grew out very long. I got made fun of for going on sites like this one and buying and trying different products. Family and others kept telling me that my hair wouldn't grow that long so I had to prove them wrong. My mother was even amazed at my hair growth. But my mother and other family members would go into that,"I like your hair when it was short crap". Now that I'm natural I guess I will be starting this process all over again.

 

[Artemis]

I do have Indian (my Cherokee folx were separated in TOT as well) in my family, and my hair has never been past my shoulders except when I was 3... I agree with the poster that said it's nurture over nature in this instance.

ETA: It's so horrible that my family doesn't even acknowledge that portion of our heritage (I had to find out on my own)..."I got Indian in my family" is never said in my family...They focus more on the injustice of the civil rights movement and my father's tours in Vietnam, than to even include our native american struggles in our constant battle to be considered "Americans" in this country...Totally a tangent, but just wanted to share

 

[Energee]

I do have Indian (my Cherokee folx were separated in TOT as well) in my family, and my hair has never been past my shoulders except when I was 3... I agree with the poster that said it's nurture over nature in this instance.

ETA: It's so horrible that my family doesn't even acknowledge that portion of our heritage (I had to find out on my own)..."I got Indian in my family" is never said in my family...They focus more on the injustice of the civil rights movement and my father's tours in Vietnam, than to even include our native american struggles in our constant battle to be considered "Americans" in this country...Totally a tangent, but just wanted to share

My family is the same. I knew about the Indian in my family-we have a few pictures of my great grandfather around and it's obvious--so we all used to ask when we were little--- but no one ever really spoke about it unless you asked and even when you asked they would just give you as short answer. I just wish black people would be more involved when it came to recording their histories and be proud of all that they are and realize that acknowledging all the different parts doesn't take anything away from their blackness. There is nothing to be ashamed of because it's something none of us had control over.

However, I do not like saying anything about the Indian in my family either because so many people do just say it and it isn't even true when it comes to their family. It's like I have roots in La also (where my family is from) and there so many people claim to be Creole when they are not. Everyone is trying to claim something other than black. So if you say it...people are likely not to believe you anyway unless they see that you have 'good hair' (I shudder to even type that!) or something. Ignorance is bliss..... **SMH

 

[Artemis]

My family is the same. I knew about the Indian in my family-we have a few pictures of my great grandfather around and it's obvious--so we all used to ask when we were little--- but no one ever really spoke about it unless you asked and even when you asked they would just give you as short answer. I just wish black people would be more involved when it came to recording their histories and be proud of all that they are and realize that acknowledging all the different parts doesn't take anything away from their blackness. There is nothing to be ashamed of because it's something none of us had control over.

However, I do not like saying anything about the Indian in my family either because so many people do just say it and it isn't even true when it comes to their family. It's like I have roots in La also (where my family is from) and there so many people claim to be Creole when they are not. Everyone is trying to claim something other than black. So if you say it...people are likely not to believe you anyway unless they see that you have 'good hair' (I shudder to even type that!) or something. Ignorance is bliss..... **SMH

ITA at the bolded.

 

[motherx2esq]

OP- Very good topic. My paternal grandfather is have Native American (his father was full blooded) and half white. My paternal grandmother is African American. He has very fine, short, silky hair. She has long, fine not so soft hair. My father has a thicker grade of hair than both his parents but very soft. Mine is thicky thicky thick and nappy (I like nappy!) I am in a struggle to get to BSL (currently about 3 inches from APL) so having "Indian in your family" is not an automatic growth solution. I think it is more the care of your hair and body. I was WL when I was younger but I'd also NEVER had my hair cut until I was like 10.