The aff becoming the “identity police” divides Native communities, producing internalized oppression and producing colonialism.

Although I stated earlier that there is no “correct” terminology for indigenous people, semantics is certainly an issue that evokes strong feelings. Many people express clear preferences for certain terms (e.g., Native American rather than American Indian or First Nations people rather than more commonly used terms). Indigenous people who attempt to dictate to other indigenous people what they should call themselves replicate the oppression that has been imposed on them. In recent years many Native nations have begun to return to their traditional names rather than use those imposed by external forces. While many people, myself included, view this as a positive step toward cultural revitalization and pride, it would be inappropriate to impose this requirement on others. As a child I was raised referring to myself as Sioux. As I grew older and the political climate changed, I took pride in calling myself Lakota. It is not unusual, however, for some to continue using the term Sioux. This is their right and reflects aspects of their identity. Although the names that indigenous groups were given by others often have a derogatory origin, we only make this worse when indigenous people who consider themselves decolonized mock others who continue to use such terms. While we as indigenous people were busy guarding against cultural appropriation, we may have missed a much bigger threat to indigenous continuity. Indeed, there are some nonnatives who pose as Natives and some Natives who sell traditions and spirituality for a profit, but the self-appointed “identity police,” those who divide communities and accuse others of not being “Indian” enough because they practice the wrong religion, have the wrong politics, use the wrong label for themselves, or do not have the right skin color, should also be an issue of concern. Some indigenous people ask, “Are you Indian, or are you Christian?” as if these are mutually exclusive categories. I have seen caring indigenous people driven to tears at their jobs at a Native community center when they were berated for having some white ancestry. People have been publicly humiliated because someone decided that their tribal affiliations were inappropriate. This harassment and badgering is conducted by indigenous people, against indigenous people. The roots for this type of behavior probably lie deep in the accusers’ own insecurities about identity and racism learned as part of the colonization process.