native 101: how to write a native muse
this guide is for non-native roleplayers who want to write native characters respectfully and responsibly. if youâre not indigenous, youâre stepping into representation thatâs not yours. this post isnât comprehensive, but itâs a place to start.
i'm not the sole native voice in the rpc. if you'd like more clarification, please ask others in the community! if another native has a different idea than what i've listed below, that's fine! this is just to help those that don't know where to start try to understand things better.
naming your native muse
do not make up a "native-sounding" name for your character. names like "red thunder," "greyeyes," "whitefeather," etc. are often used by non-natives trying to signal indigeneity in the rpc, but they come from a very specific historical context.
these werenât just aesthetic choices. many native people were forced to continue these names during colonization, often by government officials or missionaries, when forced to register for census, land allotments, boarding schools, etc. these names were often translations, misunderstandings, or simplifications of actual indigenous names or meanings. they were not chosen in the way settlers chose surnames. they became permanent family names through colonization, not by cultural tradition.
so when non-natives try to replicate that style, without knowing what the names mean, why they were given, or what community they come from, itâs shallow at best and disrespectful at worst.
what you should do instead: most often, native people today have common surnames just like anyone else (smith, johnson, etc.), or inherited names from the colonization period. best rule of thumb: pick a european name. of course, some natives have traditional names used within the community. if you're not native, don't try to replicate traditional names. it's not your place. for example, i have a kiowa gordon named joseph anderson. doesn't make him any less native to have a "european" name.
*also, try to stay away from "native sounding" words for names. i know non-natives can be named these things, but i always give a little side-eye to natives who are: sage, willow, river, storm, wolf, bear, echo, etc.
how much background should you include?
itâs important to say where your muse is from, what tribe or nation they belong to, what area they live in or grew up in, but you need to know your limits. don't info-dump cultural details unless you fully understand them, which, if youâre non-native, you probably donât.
saying someone is dinĂ© (navajo), from arizona, and maybe was raised around certain customs or ceremonies? thatâs fine. pretending you can describe those ceremonies or the "spiritual meaning" behind them? not fine. mentioning things to understand your character more is welcomed! we just don't want non-natives to write about the ceremony of a powwow in depth.
your native muse is more than trauma
one of the most harmful patterns non-native writers could fall into is making their indigenous character's entire identity revolve around suffering, pain, trauma, hurt, etc.
yes, native communities live with ongoing impacts of colonization; boarding schools, land loss, mmiw, racism, addiction, environmental harm, the foster system, and more. these are real, lived traumas. but reducing your muse to only these things strips them of their full humanity.
your muse should be more than whatâs been done to them. they should laugh. they should have hobbies, bad habits, complicated family dynamics, love interests, favorite foods, weird dreams, inside jokes, petty opinions, and goals for the future. joy, humor, and resilience are central to indigenous life.
donât write a tragedy with a face. write a person who exists, who happens to be native, whose life is shaped by history, but not defined only by it. again, having these things in a muses backstory / mentioning them does not necessarily mean it's a "bad" thing (i, for one, love fucked up tragic pasts) but give them more substance outside of that, too.
"native american" is not a culture
this should be obvious, but itâs often overlooked: there is no single native culture. there are 500+ federally recognized tribes in the americas alone, each with their own language, traditions, government, and worldview. if you're writing a native muse and just labeling them as "native american" without choosing a specific nation, youâre already off track.
"native american" is a broad political term. itâs not cultural shorthand. it doesnât tell you where someoneâs from, how they were raised, what language their family spoke, or what their values are. saying someone is "native" and stopping there is like saying someone is "european" and expecting people to know if they're french or romanian or english.
what to do instead: pick a specific tribe or nation, and do real research. if youâre not sure where to start, choose a region and look up federally recognized tribes in that area. donât blend cultures. donât invent one. specificity shows respect.
your muse is not a magical being
please donât write your native muse as if they have innate spiritual powers, a mysterious connection to the earth, visions, or vague "ancestral wisdom" just because theyâre indigenous. this is a colonial trope, built out of the "noble savage" stereotype, and itâs incredibly dehumanizing.
you might not think youâre doing it. but if your muse is always the one to deliver cryptic advice, commune with animals, feel the spirits in the air, or silently guide others with intuition, take a step back. are you writing a person, or are you writing an aesthetic?
native people have spiritual practices, yes. but those are specific, tribal, and usually not open to outsiders. spirituality isnât a personality trait. itâs not something you can generalize or sprinkle in to make a character seem deep. if you wouldnât do it with a character of another background, donât do it here.
donât box your muse into stereotypes
not every native muse has to be quiet, wise, brooding, or angry. let them be awkward. let them be funny. let them be annoying, overly ambitious, soft-hearted, selfish, bubbly, arrogant, flirtatious, whatever fits.
when all your ideas of indigeneity are rooted in solemnity or pain, you miss the huge spectrum of native personalities. native people are just people. some are loud. some are shy. some are deeply cultural, some are disconnected and trying to reconnect. some are traditional. some are queer. some are both.
donât flatten your character into a type. donât let their "nativeness" be their only character trait. and definitely donât limit how they act because youâre afraid of getting it wrong. get curious. do the work. and write a full human being.
if youâre non-native, youâre writing from the outside. that doesnât mean itâs impossible to do with care, but it does mean you have to move slower, be willing to be corrected, and know when to back off.
respect begins with humility. youâre borrowing from someone elseâs reality. treat it with the weight it deserves.














