the-mtn:

In the gym today, I was watching a documentary on Rwandan genocide survivors, post-traumatic stress disorder and how even their children exhibit PTSD. Basically, there’s a lot of new research and case studies proving that trauma can permanently alter neuropathways in the brain, which can be passed along genetically.

Now, think of this in terms of Native Americans: our genocide began 500 years ago, and today many native people live in abject poverty, without access to mental health facilities. This is why the suicide rate for young Native Americans is higher than any other demographic. We’ve inherited our ancestors’ trauma, but if we can inherit trauma, I posit that we can also inherit the will to survive. After all, we are only here because our ancestors fought for us to be here. Resistance is in our blood, survival is in our DNA