Me and Indigeneity

I was born in a country that was home to more refugees than it was to its own nationally registered citizens, in a country that welcomed refugees as it did its own people, and in a country that reaffirmed my identity as I was growing up, as a third generation Palestinian refugee in Jordan. When people ask me where I’m from, especially people in Muwekma and within the greater Native American community, I find myself saying “I’m from Jordan, originally Palestinian.” It’s interesting that I say this because my answer to where I’m from always ends with a place I’ve never set foot on, a place I’m indigenous to but have been denied of. You don’t expect an Arab American who was born and grew up in the United States to say: “Oh, I’m from Sa Francisco, but I’m originally Egyptian.” Asking an Arab American who is a son of immigrants where they are originally from is offensive. Why is not to me? It’s because of my indigenous relation to the land of Palestine.

My relationship to indigeneity has always been positive. It is only after coming to the United States where that relationship started to be faltered, because what I consider my indigenous land, others consider a terrorist claim. Zionism and pro-Zionist, pro-Israeli rhetoric has taken hold of most of the US’ public rhetoric, on both ends of the political spectrum. Now not only am I seen as terrorist because of my religion, but I am also seen as so because of my Palestinian identity.

In coming to Muwekma, I’ve had the pleasure of understanding the concept of being native in terms of people that still are on the land that has been stolen from them, yet still suffer within it. This is a narrative many of my Palestinian relatives who did not seek refuge in 1948 feel, but I do not. It’s, to say the least, eye-opening to see that perspective, because I would have never gotten it any other way as I am blacklisted from going back to Palestine. It also made me think of my own definitions of indigeneity that I hope to share with this class. My definition is one rooted in theft of indigeneity, and the struggle to even claim that identity.