An opening for all my Lakota kin:

An old Sioux couple go to the doctor. Lala had stomach pains since eating Unci's chicken. Unci and Lala are sitting in the office, waiting for the doctor to return with the news. The Indian doctor returns and says, "Unci, I'm sorry, Lala has som'nella."

Unci starts hitting Lala with her purse, "I told you to take a bath before we came!" 

Congratulations for those of you who got the joke.

This illustrates our collective attitude toward visiting the doctor. Either we're ashamed of what the doctor might say, or we're led to believe the very idea of asking for a doctor's help somehow goes against our sense of stoicism that was imbued upon us by white people.

Now would be a good time to take an active role in our health.

Today, March 21 is Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

Today, I get tested for HIV/AIDS (as I've done in the past).

Today, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony holds an Awareness Day event in Reno, Nev. As a son of a Community Health Representative, I gladly join in with my Paiute, Washoe and Shoshone cousins in learning about the disease that ravages this nation. As a Native, I proudly wear my red bracelet for all my cousins who succumbed to the disease. I am not ashamed and neither should you.

While medical science has given us greater treatment of HIV/AIDS, the war is far from over. We need to educate ourselves about this disease and learn as much as we can about it to defeat it. While my Catholic pastors may wince at about what I'm going to tell you, let it be.

If you're not sure, ask.

Ask your sex partner if he or she has been tested for HIV/AIDS. And ask how long ago. The point is, ask, ask, ask. No greater knowledge was achieved without asking. And, if that means waiting, so what?

As a people, we are used to waiting. We have waited for half a millennia, what's the harm in waiting a few days? Most Indian Health Services facilities offer HIV/AIDS testing free of charge and with complete confidentiality. For my cousins living off the rez, go to http://www.hivtest.org to find a site near you.

Some tests are Ora-Sure where they just swab your gums for saliva to test. Other places require a blood test. I was a rezkid afraid of any and all needles puncturing my skin. If I can deal with that, so can you. Get tested. 

Protect your nation, take the test.