Race vs Roots

I had a thought, dangerous I know. I was thinking about how I've heard some black people disparaging other black people for saying they have Indian in their family. The idea seems to be that unless you only claim african ancestry then you are seeking to distance yourself from your roots and be "not ALL black"  And in some cases that may well be the case. In other though not so much.

It occurred to me today though that in at least some case (if not the majority) it's not a desire to remove traces of Africa so much as it is to have a claim to a culture and history they can know. I will never know where in Africa my ancestors came from but I know my grandfather was Lumbee/Cherokee and my grandmother Blackfoot/West Indian. The Lumbee, Cherokee, and Blackfoot have rich histories and cultures that have not been completely eradicated that I can learn about/participate in and through that connection I am connected with a tribe that encompasses more than my immediate family.

Now I've actually known and spent time with the Native Americans in my family which many can't rightfully claim but people as a whole want to feel connected. The disruption caused by slavery can in some ways be overcome by laying claim to another people. Not to be disingenuous but because by laying those claims you are also now setting yourself a spot in history that is linked to those you know came before you. More often than not it's not about race, it's about roots.