I'm sorry because when you talk about your family you don't mention the Choctaw side. It's good that she knows who she is and isn't told otherwise, but it's sad that she can't proudly display both of her heritages. Maybe it's because she's still young and not sure how to handle such situations (and I don't blame her), but I think she should take advice from Ms. Bea. Although both women are not accepted as Choctaw and judged only by their black skin, Ms. Bea wears Choctaw on her sleeve. Tuchina avoids these conversations because they make her look bad and it must be exhausting to keep explaining things that go in one ear and out the other. But I think it's sad because it's almost like he's suppressing half of his identity because it's easier to live that way in American society. She shouldn't have to explain anything in the first place, but she definitely shouldn't feel repressed. If you ask Ms. Bea about her family, she would explain both the black and Choctaw sides. It wouldn't matter if you didn't agree with the Choctaw part because to Ms. Bea your opinion of who she is didn't matter to her. Only his opinion of who he was mattered. However, you asked her a question and she