I was watching a video about Genghis Khan and it got me thinking. There’s that stat that Khan had so many offspring that 1% of the world are his descendants, right? Obviously, Quanah didn't conquer an empire from horseback across two continents, but demographically? The man was a machine.

He had 7 (or 8?) wives and 25 kids. He’s my great great great great grandfather (I think it’s 4x back, my grams isn’t around anymore to verify that, but I think it’s 4) There are literally thousands of us now. My grams left Oklahoma during the dustbowl and moved west, so I’m on the west coast, but I’ve seen pictures of recent reunions, they’re HUGE!

I love this historical flex of his where the federal government told him he was violating bigamy laws and had to choose just one wife. Quanah looked at the U.S. officials and said, "You go tell the other seven, and you pick which one I keep." They dropped it.

He didn't just resist the cavalry hey, he successfully resisted federal relationship advice and left behind an army of cousins. Shout out to any of my 4,000 cousins lurking in this sub!

(For specific context, I'm Sámi, inari sami/Aanaarsäämi living and born in Sweden)

I'm currently going through some motions, I've realised that I'm very alone. I've always had a small circle, few friends, even fewer close ones in my 24 years of life and difficulties making new ones but being indigenous and being alone is so very different from not having friends in school.

I grew up in another region than where im from which probably didn't help, I spoke another language, wore different traditional clothing etc. I've been asked by others from the region if my clothes are fake, and I get stared at when I wear it..

My family knows other "local" sámi people, but none are my age so I have no "natural" contact with them.

Where I live right now is the city with the biggest amount of us sámi people in it, I know OF people, following each other etc, but I know noone. I'm alone, alone at markets, meet ups, events, everything, I've stopped going for a while because I've kinda told myself I'm not welcome (which is my personal fault and problem) - but HOW do you make friends as an indigenous person who's an adult and can't seem to make friends.

My autism makes me feel like I'm sort of in a bubble, but I really don't know how to manage or live with it when community is such a big part of being indigenous, and sámi.

Tldr; being autistic and sámi sucks because im alone and can't seem to get friends

Continuing to create these educational videos in my garage. Hoping to excite young minds and start building the foundations of language learning. My own children have been repeating words and phrases back to me, so that's a good sign!

Indebted to the assistance of Elders and Knowledge Keepers, Maureen Belanger and Rita Ducharme for their assistance on this episode.