When I was in college and working at another college part-time as an evening receptionist, a student whom I hadn’t seen before came up to the counter and asked, “Are you a native?”
His hair was split down the middle with two braids, one down each shoulder. He was wearing plain jeans and a burgundy colored t-shirt. I recall him standing by, waiting for me to be done with whomever I was helping before he made his way to the counter.
He had spoken quietly because he may have felt nervous. At first, I hesitated. I grew up in the U.S., but I wasn’t born here. I was four years old when we flew from a refugee camp in Thailand to San Francisco, then on to our final destination: Denver. That made me a native, right? I mean, the U.S. is the only country I know. I was too young to remember Laos, where I was born, or Thailand, where we waited a couple of years before we were sponsored to the U.S.
I answered, “Yes.”
He then said, “What tribe?”
It hit me then. He meant what Native tribe. Boy, did I feel like a fool. But…why would he think I was Native?
“Oh…no. I’m not Native. I’m sorry,” I said. Suddenly, there was an air of unease.
I don’t remember what he said after that. He left quickly, probably feeling like a fool himself for assuming I was Native.
Later, when I had time to digest it all, I found what he asked kind of sweet. However, I wished we could have talked more. I would have loved to know what tribe he was and why he thought I was a Native.
NOTE: I’ve also been mistaken for Polynesian and, lately, Mayan. However, I will forever wonder about this student.
From My Corner of the Universe 
I had an experience that mirrors yours. I’m biracial of Thai-Chinese descent and born and raised in the US. I lived in Thailand for a few years in my twenties and for part of it, I lived and taught English in a refugee camp (Karenni, on the Thai-Burma border). Prior to that, I’d been living in Wisconsin, where I was mistaken for Native American from time to time. When one of my co-workers in the refugee camp first saw me and heard me introduce myself as being from the US, he was quite excited (he later told me) because he thought I was Native American. He said because his ethnic group (Kayan) was also indigenous/ First Nations, he really wanted to meet Indigenous North American people. I was sorry to have disappointed him and hope that he has since had opportunities to connect with other indigenous people on other continents. (The icing on the cake would be if my friend was able to connect with the person who mistook you for Native American.)
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It’s great to hear you had a similar experience. I’ve seen images of the Kayan people and they are interesting, and I’ve watched a National Geographic episode featuring Mark Wiens where he spent time with the Karen people. I remember thinking the Karens looked very Mayan after learning (through the Mayan tour guide on a tour through the Mayan ruins) where the Mayans came from. That would be so cool if your friend met the student. 🙂
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