Growing up, I was raised to be proud of my Native American roots and Comanche runs deep on my mother’s side of the family. In 1977, I had the opportunity to meet my great-grandmother who spoke mainly her native language with a little Spanish; she was 104 at that time. With the help of my grandfather, he was able to translate the fascinating stories of her childhood and how she lived. It was like stepping back in time and being educated without the history books. This is a memory I will always treasure.
A few years ago, through modern technology, I found out that I was to be equally proud of my Canadian First Nation, Inuit, as well as Mexican Indigenous roots. Like my mother, I have instilled the importance of our heritage to my children with the hope that they continue telling the stories that my great-grandmother shared with me, with their children.