– Michelle Chubb, a model, activist, and public speaker, uses her social media platform to highlight the beauty and challenges of Indigenous communities. As a member of the Swampy Cree and Bunibonibee Cree Nation, she offers insight into the Indigenous perspective on Thanksgiving, stating that many do not celebrate due to the history of violence and massacres that followed the initial cooperation between European colonists and Indigenous tribes.
– Chubb shares her experiences growing up Indigenous, noting the stark differences between city life and life on the reservation. She highlights the lack of resources, high food prices, and reliance on hunting and fishing for survival in Indigenous communities. She uses her platform to expose these issues and the exploitation of Indigenous communities by big companies.
– Chubb criticizes the media and education system for their portrayal of Indigenous history and culture, stating that they often only tell the white perspective. She emphasizes the importance of educating oneself about Indigenous culture and respecting boundaries, highlighting her personal experiences with cultural insensitivity, such as people touching her hair without asking or being asked to dress as Pocahontas for Halloween.
Full Story
Meet Michelle Chubb. She’s a model, activist, and public speaker. You might know her as Indigenous Baddie on social media. She’s all about bringing the spotlight to the beauty and challenges of Indigenous communities.
She’s a Swampy Cree member of the Bunibonibee Cree Nation. As Thanksgiving approached, she gave us a glimpse into how many Indigenous communities view the holiday. “A lot of us don’t respect it as an event to celebrate because of the history,” she said. She’s talking about the 1621 Thanksgiving feast narrative. It’s a story that’s been told by white voices for far too long.
It’s a story that leaves out some crucial details. Like how the cooperation between European colonists and Indigenous communities was short-lived. Or how it gave way to violence and massacres of Indigenous tribes in the years that followed.
Chubb also shared what it was like to grow up Indigenous. She talked about how we can all be more respectful of Indigenous communities. And she had a lot more to say.
“I grew up in the city, and I’d visit the reservation in the summer and winter,” she said. She noticed differences between city life and “res life.” There was a stark contrast in the care of the people. More resources were available in the city than on the reservation. Healthcare, for instance.
Food prices on the reservation or in remote areas were sky-high. So high that many people depended on hunting and fishing to survive. “I’ve seen that difference,” she said.
Growing up, she felt the media got it all wrong. After visiting the reservation, she’d return to the city feeling bad. She’d seen people on the reservation struggling to survive. She wanted to make a difference. But as a young girl, she didn’t know how to express that.
Then came TikTok. She saw an opportunity to use her platform to amplify the problems of her people. She spoke about big companies exploiting resources from Indigenous communities. She talked about the struggles Indigenous people face in the city.
She grew up in Winnipeg. News about missing Indigenous women was all too common. “What, again? This happened last week,” she’d think. As an Indigenous girl, she was scared. She didn’t want to be one of those missing people. So she amplified that issue too.
She believes the media and history books have misrepresented Indigenous people. They’ve told the white part of the story, not the whole history. She was never taught about residential schools or the buffalo massacre. She had to take a separate course in high school to learn about that.
She also shared personal experiences. Every Halloween, she’d be asked to dress up as Pocahontas. People would touch her hair without asking. She found that culturally different, especially during powwows.
She believes it’s all about educating ourselves. Especially about Indigenous culture. Because the media often portrays Indigenous people in ways that suit their narrative. In reality, Indigenous people are diverse and unique in their tribes and cultures.