Have any of you felt like me?

[Unveiled Artist]

My altar sits in front of me with family pictures from all ages. With all skin tones and backgrounds, we all consider ourselves black. That is our culture. But half of us "black people" are not from Africa. We are Americans. Thats are culture. Thats our birthplace. What others put down as western culture, we see independence, freedom, and the like.

But there is a catch.

In "my experience" a lot of us black folk admit that even though most of us (not all) are christian thats not our original tradition. We string on to whats popular and, well, more demoninate but when I go south and mingle with family, there is much more there than meets the eye. Who are we?

My grandmother is full blooded blackfoot. She was raised african american (as so the term given her later on in her life), and I dont even know if she knew what that word stood for.

My mothers mother is part Cherokee, Id say Turkish or Iran, ans African American. This is the thing. My fathers family says their traditions are black (aka christian) but my mothers side is all over the place. Are we asian? No, thats my uncles wife. Are we white? I can see the downward gaze at the light skin folks coming to my grandma funeral as if thry didnt belong. They did. They are family too.

Almost every part native american I know when did their geneo say they have some percentage of indian blood. It inferiates the cheifs I met so much that I dont even try.

He says "why do white people want to be like us? Steal pur traditions which we have little of now. Our young folk are going off to the main land. We live in poor home because we refuse to say yes to the us government." This he tells us. You cant learn about culture by knowing your blood.

Your culture is how you are raized, where, and family relations and traditions and beliefs as such. How do you learn your roots in the miss of all this mess?

Have you guys felt like I feel?

My mother says our fam practice vodun down in south. If you look online there is so much mess about it just by my saying so will make readers role their eyes. "We dont talk about stuff like that" my great aunt said with the king james bible on her lab and before she passed away.

No one can answer my question for me of course. What I do is make my own traditions (I live alone) and just go back and forth with what my ma knows since she isnt christian and doesnt "hide behind her bible." Humans thrive by community. Take RF. This is a community. Religion is no different.

I dont consider myself syncretic because I dont known enough about native american culture to say i mixed the two. Im not christian so that takea me out. Im just a cast away. Seriously, thats how many "blacks" in the south feel, isolated from their roots.



Do you practice a combination of traditions based on cultural influences?

Are cultural influences "preventing you" from finding your roots?

How have you found your roots?

Spirituality to me is all about ancestors. We learn about our ancestors by communing with the spirits. How do you do so with the living?

 

[Aupmanyav]

How have you found your roots?

Yes, Aryan, Kamboja, somewhere North of Kabul, migrated to India Saraswati region, mixed with indigenous Hindus, no conflict, syncretic, worshiping (the family, me being an atheist Hindu) Aryan as well as Indigenous Gods and Goddesses. That was perhaps more than 4,000 years ago (before the River Saraswati dried up).

They say they have found it again. The area has extensive underground water reservoir. Yamuna and Sutlej (Shatadru), important rivers in the Delhi region and north of it, could have been tributaries of River Saraswati. The former drains in Ganges now, the latter in Indus. See the clusters of archaeological sites in the supposed Saraswati region (south of Siswal and west of it, thicker than in Harappa/Mohenjodaro region). Presently the region is like a desert.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Yes, Aryan, Kamboja, somewhere North of Kabul, migrated to India Saraswati region, mixed with indigenous Hindus, no conflict, syncretic, worshiping (the family, me being an atheist Hindu) Aryan as well as Indigenous Gods and Goddesses. That was perhaps more than 4,000 years ago (before the River Saraswti dried up).

They say they have found it again.

Im in military family. So i have family all over us, Iran, parts of Asia, Afganastan, africa most likely, and probably elsewhere.

Im on a island floating around the world.

 

[Brickjectivity]

I think you don't have to find your own roots so long as you find something really inspiring. There are ways to hook in to a past that is not your own. It just has to be very satisfying and give you perspective. I'm not so sure that my ancestors would be all that interested in me anyway. I recently had the opportunity to find out some of my genealogy going a distance back. It wasn't terribly exciting and didn't really reveal anything about me. Additionally family tends to hide things, like anything embarrassing. Suppose somewhere up the line I am the descendant of two 1st cousins? Are they going to tell me that? Maybe maybe not.

Spirituality to me is all about ancestors. We learn about our ancestors by communing with the spirits. How do you do so with the living?

Ok, but not everybody has nice ancestors. What do you do when most of your ancestors are tyrants, monsters, freeloaders, convicts, fops, and con men? How would you hook into that lot? Also the nicer people don't always have the most descendants. A lot of people have some bad eggs in their past, people that they probably don't want to meet.

I dont consider myself syncretic because I dont known enough about native american culture to say i mixed the two. Im not christian so that takea me out. Im just a cast away. Seriously, thats how many "blacks" in the south feel, isolated from their roots.

I don't know what it feels like to be black in the South (or black at all) but I have been around for a while and talked with people. I don't see this as a one-size-fits-all solution, but reading biographies is one way that people find roots. People get someone that they admire and read biographies about them or go to book clubs, and its like a cultural connection. It doesn't even have to be someone that they identify with but just someone that is inspiring, like a heroine or something like that. Just the act of reading something inspiring hooks them into the story, and its part of them. I'm not saying its a perfectly satisfying thing that fixes the trouble, but it could be comforting.

 

[wizanda]

Do you practice a combination of traditions based on cultural influences?

Yes, all roots stem back to one mother; so study them all, and see how humanity has grown, what each culture believes based on its own interpretations of things....One beautiful rainbow of many colours.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I think you don't have to find your own roots so long as you find something really inspiring.

I like that. I just feel like Id be crossing boundries. If I havent met the Indian Cheif before, I completely agree. Since I have, reading is one thing but practice? Wheres that balance? I always feel Id be in what he defines as the "white people". But they dont see african americans as such just like themselves miorities.

What do you do when most of your ancestors are tyrants, monsters, freeloaders, convicts, fops, and con men?

Good point. I guess its an adventure? I dont know if this is true, but nother sure said abiut the salt around sacred space. Block negative spirits with horse shoes (no stereotype. We did this when I was youngyin) but I wouldnt want to meet then foe the same of meeting them. Good point there.

People get someone that they admire and read biographies about them or go to book clubs, and its like a cultural connection.

NOW THAT is a good idea. I will do that. Sounds more "real" than reading books about people.

 

[Sundance]

Carlita, you're situation resonates with me on a very deep level. As many “Black” people, I have a mixed ancestry (West African, Native American, and English, possibly others), though no type of personal connections with any of it. Like you, I as well value my ancestors' ways and desire to explore them. I just have no idea from which tribe(s) or nation(s) my African ancestors were brought. As a result of this, it's impossible for me to get more in touch with their ways directly. So, until then, I will explore various religions of the African Diaspora, like Hoodoo, Santería, and Espiritismo.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Carlita, you're situation resonates with me on a very deep level. As many “Black” people, I have a mixed ancestry (West African, Native American, and English, possibly others), though no type of personal connections with any of it. Like you, I as well value my ancestors' ways and desire to explore them. I just have no idea from which tribe(s) or nation(s) my African ancestors were brought. As a result of this, it's impossible for me to get more in touch with their ways directly. So, until then, I will explore various religions of the African Diaspora, like Hoodoo, Santería, and Espiritismo.

Thats interesting, Im explpring all of those too. I just bought african ritual statues that are used for various means of protecti g house holds. Im wondering where I can find resources of what stories are behind them.

We have a store down the street whose owner is a ifa with his wife, santera. I would have gone into it but they do bekieve in a Creator. They do not know amything about christianity, so I couldnt figure a common language foundation to ask how thry define God.

Thank you. I didnt get your alert just happen to pass by. Hope we can exchange ideas

 

[Sundance]

Thats interesting, Im explpring all of those too. I just bought african ritual statues that are used for various means of protecti g house holds. Im wondering where I can find resources of what stories are behind them.

We have a store down the street whose owner is a ifa with his wife, santera. I would have gone into it but they do bekieve in a Creator. They do not know amything about christianity, so I couldnt figure a common language foundation to ask how thry define God.

Thank you. I didnt get your alert just happen to pass by. Hope we can exchange ideas

I would absolutely love to exchange ideas with you, Carlita!

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I would absolutely love to exchange ideas with you, Carlita!

Gee. Where to start!

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I would absolutely love to exchange ideas with you, Carlita!

Im pretty open about some of my practices. Let me know if you wanna talk private.

The statue I bought represents my ancestors. Maybe find a thrief store or such that sales them as symbols of your ancestors. Of course talking with fam ans visiting fam resting places are a plus

 

[Unveiled Artist]

@DJ_sXe Did you get the picture of my altar or did the mods delete it?

 

[Sundance]

No, I've not yet gotten it, @Carlita

 

[Unveiled Artist]

No, I've not yet gotten it, @Carlita

Where you the one that asked me about it?

 

[Unveiled Artist]

No, I've not yet gotten it, @Carlita

Where have you started? I know I found out a bit more about my mother's side of the family. We have so many last names but no one wants to talk about the history behind them all. Keeping do-it-yourself photo albums is good. ALso, there is a book I got called The Book of Myself (Don't know if we can link it). I mean, if your ancestors arent talking to you, maybe complete a book in ritual and prayer and tell them about yourself.

 

[Sundance]

Where you the one that asked me about it?

Yes, I was.

 

[Sundance]

Where have you started? I know I found out a bit more about my mother's side of the family. We have so many last names but no one wants to talk about the history behind them all. Keeping do-it-yourself photo albums is good. ALso, there is a book I got called The Book of Myself (Don't know if we can link it). I mean, if your ancestors arent talking to you, maybe complete a book in ritual and prayer and tell them about yourself.

First things first, I have to start with discovering who my ancestors were on both sides of my family. I need to do so in order to have a framework for my practice. Typically, in African and African-Diasporic religions, ancestors and ethnic culture play a pivotal role in practice. Also, I am a very partial when it comes to keeping a book of rituals, prayers, and the like. I humbly thank you for reacquainting me with the idea, Carlita. With The Book of Myself, I'd very much like to know more about that!

 

[Unveiled Artist]

First things first, I have to start with discovering who my ancestors were on both sides of my family. I need to do so in order to have a framework for my practice. Typically, in African and African-Diasporic religions, ancestors and ethnic culture play a pivotal role in practice. Also, I am a very partial when it comes to keeping a book of rituals, prayers, and the like. I humbly thank you for reacquainting me with the idea, Carlita. With The Book of Myself, I'd very much like to know more about that!

You're welcome. From my experience, when you start to get to know both sides of your family living, you know more about the spirits that many African traditions call our ancestors. In my modern indegenous practice, it just make sense to find what we can from who is living... but not just that, if you don't have a bond with your family, make a bond. That would help you in how you practice your faith. I am a ritual oriented person and love tradition; so, prayers, etc are just my thing just as most cultures.

However, you can still follow the will of your ancestors by learning about your family today and doing things in honor to them by how you relate to your living family. Everything you do with your family can be a symbolic (if you like) expression of how you communicate with the spirits/ancestors.

Anyway, enough from me.