Between Hooves & Heritage | A Look into Self-Identity and Cultural Identity

Hello !! I posted this on a few other platforms so I figured I'd post it here as well. 

I've been thinking about this for a while and wanted to share some of my thoughts about identity, especially from the standpoint of my therianism and being Métis / First Nations Cree. It's a large part of how I experience the world around me, and maybe someone else can relate.

As a deer, I find it important to give a clear explanation of being a Therian. I will never mean a spiritual connection with deer or see other deer as symbols or as spirit guides. It means that I am and identify as a deer. It is not a belief, a phase, or something I choose. It's simply just how I've always been. My instincts, my sense of body, and how I respond to the world, it's shaped by being prey, being alert.

At the same time, I'm Cree and Métis. This part of me is cultural, ancestral, and tied to a whole other community and history. It's the stories I was raised with, the values I will always carry, and the connection I have to the land and to my people. It's something that I'm proud and protective of, especially because Indigenous identity is constantly being questioned, challenged, or taken out of context by others.

So, here's where it gets a bit complicated; people assume that my therianthropy comes from being indigenous. As if I'd picked deer because its my 'spirit animal', or that it's a part of some shapes hitter belief from Cree stories. But that's not, and will never be it. I don't see my identity as a deer as part of my cultural beliefs. It's separate, it does not come from teachings or traditions. It's not spiritual for me, it's all of me.

And honestly, that distinction between the two matters a lot. I've seen far too many folk outside our communities blend their made-up 'tribal' ideas with therianthropy or other identities in a way that disrespects indigenous cultures, so I've always tried to be careful not to do that myself. I never want to be mistaken for misrepresenting our beliefs or to make it look like my therianthopy is 'inspired by' my culture.

Still, these parts of me do touch each other in unexpected ways. Being a deer has made me more aware of the land. I notice things --movements, sounds, energy-- in ways that feel deeply tied to how I was always taught to respect the world and the Creator. My deerness makes me gentler, more aware, and more present, and these traits feel aligned with the values I was raised with: humility, respect, and care.

I've had my moments of doubt, where I fear I cannot claim one of these parts of me, and that it somehow makes me 'less authentic'. But what I've come to realise is that I don't need to split myself in two. I don't have to explain or justify why or how I'm both. These are truths that I carry. I am a deer. I am Cree and Métis. I hold space for both without needing to blend them, or without needing to keep them entirely apart. They exist in parallel, and they both shape who I am.

Identity is complex, and we were never meant to fit into boxes. If you've ever felt pulled between different parts of yourself, or if you're still figuring out how to exist in spaces that don't always make room for all of you, I see you.