The Native principle of reciprocity is where the white colonizers and settlers got the concept of “Indian giver.” Natives expressed that any gift was given within the expectation of an ongoing relationship, the idea that I give you this because I know you would (and will, at some point) do the same for me. Mutual dependence is necessary for social well-being. We are symbiotic. All of our flourishing is mutual. The white people got all holier-than-thou about it, how a gift isn’t actually a gift unless there’s no expectation of return. But the cyclical nature of reciprocity is actually the truth
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