Re: changing of Native names during residential school experience?
James BlueWolf (wolfbros@zapcom.net)
Sun, 12 Jan 1997 22:27:06 -0800
Haah. I thought I'd speak a little about this. It probably isn't
exactly what was being asked for but its a modern kind of problem. My
wife and I gave all our children Traditional names. For instance, for
my youngest daughter; on her birth certificate, under last name we
listed her full name, Akomachi Soyahzee. The place for middle and first
name we left blank. We had no trouble with their having only one name
until it was time for them to enter school. Since the school required a
last name, they automatically filled in my last name, BlueWolf, (even
though it was not on their birth certificates, and moved their given
names to first and middle on their paperwork. This did not seem to be a
problem at the time. A few years ago we needed to apply for Medi-Cal.
(Since we are not enrolled we did not qualify for Indian Health, even
though I'd worked for Sacto Indian Health previously, had my Indian
Center card and a Nevada Indian Hunting Certificate and other ID.)
Medi-Cal and Social Security used the names on their birth certificates.
(With no first and middle names.) When they began applying for drivers
liscenses, college grants, etc. it got very complicated. Finally due to
these pressures it became necessary to have their Social security cards
changed to also reflect our last name- BlueWolf. It didn't matter too
much that my wife and I objected to this standardized naming- but the
difficulties dealing with bureaucracy became too great and we gave in.
Its not the same kind of problem that our people experienced in the
past, but it does represent a forced kind of labeling. wolf