gloriousbodies:

crucifythenburn:

Her name is Joely Proudfit, a descendant of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians. 

As a reminder, talking about native people like they are dead and gone is just as damaging and reductionist as those caricatures. Joely Proudfit is not a descendant of the Pechanga. She is Pechanga, because the Pechanga are still here. Native America is not a thing of the past. If you’re saying it like this, you’re either doing it because you unconsciously think of it that way, because you are dramatizing and romanticizing native people and their struggles, or both. Neither are good, and you should examine your words.