Project S.T.O.P.

Over the years through separatist/racist laws that have been implemented to erase or reclassify a person self -identifying Native descent in official documents, as other than.  Years of submission to rules such as .01% of Negro blood has alienated parts of our tribal families from their heritage and culture. Not everyone of Native blood identifies with the Native culture, but the ones that do have been left out by systemic brainwashing to choose race on how they looked and not how they identified themselves. This has generationally left many tribal members with a form of borderline personality disorder (BPD) struggling with identity issues, self-doubting and an unstable sense of self. We propose a database that gives a digital historical footprint representation of ourselves and by committing to mending our culture, one tribal family at a time we are supporting a future that is reflective of our past.

Being a part of the African American race and being seen only as such, has hindered our growth as human beings to development and fully participate also in our indigenous culture and to understanding ourselves.  Our solution is creating a digital footprint for anyone desiring to also embrace this part of their culture. But, having to fight against 400 years of brainwashing will take generations to undo, in allowing ourselves to be identified as Indigenous people of Rhode Island. We will create a database that allows us to even stop ourselves from the ingrained indoctrination that we can only identify as African American: because of 1% Negro blood, because our mothers were chattel, because we don’t look Native, because, because, because. Not everyone feels this way, this is for the ones that have always felt disenfranchised and have so much to offer and contribute to their birthright. The state statistics in Rhode Island due to these criterias have a 1% Native Population equaling 6,000 people and a 12% African American and 2 or more race population equaling 98,000. Even half, that is over 48,000 Indigenous voice's that have not been heard since the illegal Detribalization of the Tribe in 1881.

A Data based website of Indigenous footprints from the past, fingerprints of present and hopes from future.  To collect and organize information on each tribal family member from percentage of Native blood from DNA results, a paper trail to include birth, death, marriage certificates, census, petitions that show indigenous descent, and a collection of oral traditions. We are obliged to create, monitor, store and maintain a basic API database tool for collecting and organizing accessible electronic information for Indigenous family members. Given the propensity to systematically erase indigeneity in Federal and local data collections in less than a decade we would cease to exist and be pigeon holed into another demographic as what has been done in the past. Having such a ready made base will allow better communication towards making tribal members more aware of their Indigenous culture, language, and identity as a source of knowledge and empowerment. This will allow the next generation to be born without self doubts and into a world where their birthrights were not taken away from them in a genocidal paper trail of tears.

My target population to start is the 12% , possibly 48,000 people in the state of RI alone, not including surrounding states considering themselves as Native, but not in some cases allowed to identify as such. I have several social media pages that connect local and distance family members with each other while sharing our Native heritage, lineages and culture. When I realized that so many were hungry, no matter what circumstance brought them to the decision to trace their heritage and pursue their DNA background found that they always identified with being Native, but felt that the way they looked and the fear of rejection in a world that has already rejected their skin hindered their acceptance of themselves.  I then realized that a database, more than a page on Facebook with proof of Native descent would be more easily accessed to find lineages, heritage and ways to revive all the traditions that for some over the years have been a life changing and saving epiphany .

In 1881 the Nahagansett Tribe of Rhode Island was illegally Detribalized and a list from a commission report based on that if your mother was an enslaved person and your father Native, you were not Native, because of the chattel slavery laws - Partus sequitur ventrem(Latinfor"that which is brought forth follows the belly (womb)''). Ironically, this same list is used by the tribe today for membership. Disenrollment is a disease in Native country, but a proof based family website of direct Native lineal descent can heal the identity crisis reviving our cultural heritage denied by others.

 

If I was to have competitors it would be Ancestry.com / 23 & Me / Daughters of the Revolution (DAR). But, technically they are not competitors, because their information is based on inconsistencies that are written in Federal and State census or on other documents. My own mother's birth certificate in 1946

has Indian crossed out and Colored put in afterwards, because that is the way she was perceived. Not someone with a long proud Native heritage, but by her skin tone was a part of her heritage eradicated. Our database will have factual information inputted, with science, technology, oral traditions and a paper trail to back it up, not biased perceptions. The innovation would be using the same legal documents that were set up to take away our heritage will be used to reclaim it.

My use of the technology will be an Application Programming Interface online genealogical database. It would just be what is, but inputting the correct information into the database would be my part of the solution.

It is used in all Online Genealogical databases, such as Ancestry.com and 23 and Me to name a few. 

Using Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Research to Extend Your Pedigree - Marilyn Thomsen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

The immediate impact would be a Native community filled with all family members feeling a part of their long lost culture and a revival of traditions and the long term impact will be no more generations born without a cultural heritage and a sense of belonging.

I noticed in family members before they joined my family Facebook genealogical page that they would speak of Native peoples and themselves as separate, until I showed them a paper trail of a petition that one of the ancestors signed to stop the selling of tribal lands and they began to see themselves as an extension of that person and heritage. Some have joined conservatory groups and feel their natural inclination to be caretakers of the earth, as our ancestors before us.

Currently - 370

In one year - 6,000

In 5 years - over 40,000

We plan to utilize technology as a source of continuous connection to revitalizing and reviving our Native communities, by education and employment resources. Our goal is to impact the denied voices of the Indigenous people of the First Light (Wampanoag) to once again be the caretakers of our respective states and start farming whether on land or sea, to be self sustained and capable of living as our ancestors once did. Lovely story. But, to accomplish this we need first to re-educated our people on who they are, not who they were told they could only be.

The only barrier would be financial. Needing to upkeep with fees from database resources, partnership fees with state and government agencies and DNA testing.

I will offer subscription membership to the tribal leaders for the tribe family members or for individuals to be able to access the online database. Use minimal fees to post event calendars and social gatherings and just Native awareness for all members to reconnect with their stolen and denied heritage. 

1 full time

1 part time

I am my tribe's genealogist and over the years I have found through research tribal family members looking for a paper trail of their lineage.

None

The database will be a resource as well as a lineal genealogical database. It will keep everyone up on Native events and business will pay for the service to advertise and through membership subscribers monthly fees.

Financial. By having a venue where anyone who would like to see and contribute who could assist in the reviving  and being a part of a future thriving Native community denied their heritage by racism and separatist ideals.

Financially helping with the burden of expenses of the upkeep of the ongoing constant flow of information and DNA results and the companies used to get these results.

Organizations like Ancestry.com / 23 and Me / DAR, MIT and Federal and State organizations with access to legal documents and technology implementations.