From 1993 to 1996, Zowie Banteah, from Zuni Pueblo and a member of the class of 1996, published a column in the Mount Holyoke News called my native voice or Hom Bena:we (my words). Sometimes publishing under the name “Denise Banteah”, she wrote about issues facing Indigenous communities, and informed readers about Indigenous culture, especially Zuni culture. The column here is from the November 3, 1994 issue. To learn more about the experiences of Indigenous students at MHC, visit the Archives in Dwight Hall. Don’t forget to follow @mhcarchives on Instagram!
my native voice
Denise Banteah
I am a woman, a woman of color at that, a Zuni woman that is! All these things make the unique individual I am, and have become. There are other things that are part of who I am such as my sexuality. Hmm... my sexuality has always been a complicated issue for some but for me it's something I keep within myself, part of the reason is it isn't any one's business; another is I don't fit in a category or actually I refuse to be put in a category.
Everyone, I believe, has a file system in their head for every little thing to be put in a category. For example some people have a category for sexuality. A file may be "sexual activity", and file may be "heterosexual", another a "homosexual file." Under each file is a subfile, I'm sure.
I wonder sometimes, what does it matter who I am sexually involved with? Meaning male or female? People assume mostly that other people are heterosexual but one it is discovered that a person is involved with someone of the same sex it is a big deal. I know some women find out their friends or acquaintances are gay. It's it's someone who identifies as a lesbian they think of times where they might have dressed in their presence. Thoughts such as "oh my gosh, she saw me naked" may cross their mind. Funny how that can be. Please, I say, don't flatter yourself.
I guess an alternative lifestyle isn't favored in this society. It is even harder in a tight, close community. That is culturally rich following traditions and passing on values from generation to generation.
A woman of color having partners form both sexes is choosing a rough path in life, but if one is happy within and outside than [sic] that is all that matters. If one is comfortable, then that, too, is all that matters. People will react, get over it, dwell on it, disapprove - but who cares? I am happy I am me, the unique individual I've become.
Mount Holyoke News, November 3, 1994
