I stare intently at myself in the mirror. My small, squinty and brown pupils look back at me; dark features overshadow the mirror, wavey yet course hair take pride of my head and face. My long, chicken beak of a nose, large, dark full lips and white teeth smile back at me in the mirror. I can see my Uncle, we call him Red Eagle, because of the dark red skin that is common in Indian features, I see my Dad, high cheek bones and small eyes, reflect my African heritage.
In total amazement, you know, like the way you realize you had an idea or the cartoon effect of the "light bulb" over your head, I saw deeper into myself. The mirror now reflects a small cotton field in the south or a large sugar plantation in Latin America, where indigenous and African slaves meet. The mirror reflects the different mixes of foods, of oral traditions and storytelling of indigenous and African mythology and Christianity. It reflects love and solidarity.
The Mirror reflects my culture(s), the mirror reflects my many different ancestors, their beliefs and ideas. I see much more than a handsome face reflecting back at me, I see past the idea of slavery and the wrong doings of others against my ancestors; I see what is truly important, that I am a child of God, I am apart of His multiethnic family. I see what mattered to my genetic historical background, the mirror reflects the fact that my diverse culture is what will matter later in life, That I Am the World, I am dual identities, and that these identities will live on in my children and their children, WE ARE LIFE!
The Reflection of My Essence by Morales, gives us great imagery of the many cultures. I like how Morales describes the many different cultures he embodies as homes that are not able to be returned to, revisited or traveled to again!
I’m glad that you end your post with the note about how Morales approaches her past as important but also distant. I think about how my family has lost the ability to speak German; we can’t go back to being like our ancestors. While I think it’s important to know our heritage and to appreciate it, and to keep traditions alive, I don’t think we should be weighed down by it. Embrace it, appreciate it, and acknowledge our debt to it, but also recognize that we are still in the process of shaping ourselves and who we want to be while honoring our past.
ReplyDeleteI assumed DB was referring to Morales' poem, in which she mentions "I am African, but I cannot return," so my comment was DB was referencing by talking about "homes that are not able to be returned to, revisited or traveled to again."
DeleteThanks for the clarification, Tillie, and for citing the quotes from Morales' poem, "Child of the Americas." I see that DB is referring to Morales's poem at the end of his post. "The Reflection of My Essence" is by Rafael Falcon. Just wanted to make sure that the proper authors got credit for their works here.
DeleteI agree with Tillie as well. I think it is very important to know about our heritage and appreciate it. Sometimes, I wish my grandparents weren't so closed when talking about the past. I also agree that we can't go back to being like our ancestors. And for that, I am thankful because recently, I learned about some of my Italian ancestors and I don't know if I could live like they did.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, I wonder about the language aspect. Languages are being lost every day because later generations don't learn to speak them. How important is it to learn the language of our ancestors? Yes, many of us would say that languages like German, Italian, Spanish, or even English won't be lost. Maybe that is true. But what about the languages of the indigenous people that is getting lost? Should we be striving more to learn languages of our ancestors?
DB, I appreciate the imagery you include in this piece, when you include details like your uncle being nicknamed “Red Eagle,” and the way in which that tells us more about your heritage than simply saying “I have indian heritage” would. I also appreciate the way you honestly and clearly approach the difficult parts of your heritage, the parts most people would want to forget or not talk about. But you address them, and then turn them into catalysts for healing, as you end so powerfully with the fact that these our your heritages, and that they make you a part of God’s kingdom.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the thought and intention you have clearly put into this. Thank you for sharing it with us.
I really like the writing style in this piece; I can hear you saying this. I like that you are able to express yourself easily in the style of your writing. I like your point about being a part of God’s multiethnic family. Sometimes it seems like we get caught up in our differences and forget that we all belong to the same really big family that spans across all divisions.
ReplyDeleteI also liked your image of the light bulb. It is nice to have a cultural reference I get, sometimes we read these books about other cultures and I feel lost when they refer to things that I clearly don’t understand because I am not of that culture.
DB, I like the details and the images in this personal reflection. It's great the way you start out with the specifics of your features, your Dad, your Uncle and then move on to see the cotton and sugar plantations connecting the Americas, finally bringing us to the broad embrace of your vision of the Creator of life. Your enthusiasm and humanity come through loud and clear.
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