“You know, if you wear braids and a big hat, it makes you look even more Indigenous,” my aunt said, as if offering some kind of life advice. I felt a tiny part of myself shrink in that moment, but I quickly caught it, took a breath, and calmly asked, “What’s wrong with looking Indigenous?” She looked confused and almost annoyed that I’d challenge her, and after a pause, she replied awkwardly, “Because you don’t want people to think you are less than.” That’s when I realized that in a warped, self-hating, colonized mindset, my aunt was trying to save me from ridicule, hate, or anyone second-guessing my worth. But…