We grew up hearing phrases we never stopped to question… and “Indian giver” was one of them. It rolled off our tongues like a joke, but the truth behind it was never funny. That term was built off a li… one that twisted the kindness of Indigenous people into something ugly.
Our ancestors gave with open hands and open hearts. They shared food, medicine, shelter, knowledge — even land. Not to give away, but to share. To live side by side in peace and balance.
That’s what reciprocity meant to them.
But when the settlers came, they didn’t understand balance. They took that generosity and claimed it as ownership.
Then they flipped the story and made us look untrustworthy for wanting fairness.
They said we were “Indian givers” for refusing to accept theft. They said we gave away the land and tried to take it back. But we never gave it away — we shared it, and it was taken.
This message isn’t just about correcting a phrase. It’s about reclaiming truth. It’s about remembering who we are, where we come from, and how our people always led with love and balance… even when that love was betrayed.
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