"You Don't Look Native"

First, if you know me, then you can most likely assume what this post will be about. If you don't, then let me explain. Hi, I'm JD and I have albinism. Some people reading this may not know what that is. Albinism is a recessive, genetic condition that can cause low pigmentation in the eyes, hair, and skin. Recessive, meaning that the gene itself must be present in both parents for the possibility of the physical traits to occur for an individual.
There are various types of this condition. Sometimes only the eyes are affected (known as ocular albinism) and sometimes the skin and eyes are affected, as well as cases where low pigment occurs throughout the body (eyes, hair, skin). The type I have is called Oculocutaneous. This has also caused several other conditions with my vision. I have something called Nystagmus which causes my pupils to move uncontrollably. (And yes there are also different types of nystagmus, mine is horizontal movement) I am also legally disabled having low vision.
Now that you know a decent amount of details related to albinism, let me get into the "real" topic. :)
[takes a drink of water]
If you visit my YouTube channel (click here) you will notice that I recently have been making my voice heard on topics related to the Indigenous community. I leave comments on other videos, make video responses. And every now and again I will get the reply "You can't be native! You're the whitest guy I've ever seen!" or something like, "Stop posing as a Native American"...
A fellow YouTuber commented on one of my videos asking me if I had received a lot of bullying as a kid. Growing up I did indeed recognize that I looked very different from a majority of my tribal members. But here is the thing, I grew up on my reservation being fully accepted by my family and village. Other children my age knew who I was and really did not question my condition that much. Sure there were blunt comments here and there (kids being kids) but for the most part I was not the subject of severe ridicule or harassment.
Although it is a rare occurrence, I do in fact have other family members that have the physical traits of albinism. There are other Hopis that also have albinism. I have several friends from the Navajo Reservation that also have this condition. I find it interesting how more frequent the condition appears in Navajo families. (more than one child or a parent and child show physical traits) Of course it being a gene, all family members are carriers. Just remember that because it is RECESSIVE both a mother and father must be carriers for it to potentially affect their child.
Albinism occurs worldwide. You can be from any tribe, any country, I guarantee that you will find various people from all cultures with this condition. This is where the saying, "Don't judge a book by it's cover" HEAVILY applies. Just because I look white and have blonde hair, does not make my indigenous identity any less valid. I happen to be part of few people who can call themselves full-blooded Hopi. If my appearance is what makes you uncomfortable, then you are a person that is truly without sight.