I have been feeling so blessed these days to be the person I am and to have been given the life I have. A part of my life that I've been especially thankful for is my Native American heritage. I've never appreciated it before like I am now. There's a certain type of pride that comes with being Native American, and I've been feeling that pride more and more every single day, so I decided to express it in a new way with this week's article.

Sense of belonging can be hard to come by sometimes...

...but I've never felt out of place when I'm around other Natives, there's an understanding there that you can't find with peoples from other cultural backgrounds/races. We don't necessarily have to be from the same tribe or reservation to feel it, either, though it does help. There's a definite feeling of "community", for lack of a better word. It's like nothing I've ever known before.

Some days you just need a good laugh...

...and there's not a sense of humor around like the sense of humor Natives have. Whether it's a small remark followed by an "ayeee" and a smile, or a joke about being cousins, it's guaranteed to turn your frown upside-down. Natives know how to joke with each other in a way that others just wouldn't understand, and it makes us all the more special in the sense of humor department.

You can be someone's "auntie", "uncle", or "cousin" and not even be related; So you've always got a family.

Oh, so you just started dating my second cousin (who's twenty years older than me) two weeks ago? Welcome to the family, Auntie. You understand how this works if you're Indian, no further explanation needed. We're all family here, and it keeps us connected in a big, wonderful way.

We needed some serious respect in this world...

...and contrary to the popular belief, we natives have the highest bar of respect. We're raised with a few basic rules:

1) Respect your elders; They eat first, they speak first, and they are always listened to.

2) Never talk over the adults. You listen or you go outside and play.

3) You give up your seat for anyone older than you, and sit on the floor. Even if it's just by a few years.

4) You will eat all of your bannock/rice soup/frybread/dry meat/commodity cheese; we don't waste the sacred foods only we know how to prepare/consume correctly.

The World needed some form of entertainment...

...and so Creator taught Native Americans how to dance and sing and drum. He gave us the knowledge of stick game, the love of basketball, the skill and bravery for Indian Relay. He taught us how to honor our traditions and our people and all the we are, and we turned it into something that other peoples from all over watch in awe.

This world needed a little something "more", and so Creator made the Native Peoples.