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Cultural pride

I am an aboriginal person, and I am so proud of that. Every single morning I get up and I see this indigenous flag painted on my body, its not just the tattoo, its all it represents. It represents such a rich and interesting history full of stories and things that we are still to learn about it, it is one I am glad to be a part of. I am learning something new every single day. 

 

The feeling is something I struggle to describe. The words that come to mind when I think about my background are connection, pride, powerful.

 

My family are from town 110 km south of Alice Springs called Titjikala. There is about 300 people living there, who mostly speak English and Arrernte. There isn't much there, but there is a football club and arts centre.

I dream of visiting my family there one day, standing in the red soil under a hot sun among people who make me feel like I belong. 

 

culture.gif

 

I have listed three things, out of many, that make me proud of being indigenous:

 

- not many people can say they are a part of one of the oldest cultures in the entire world, that feels more than special, something I can't put into words 

- the connection I have with other indigenous people, even if I barely know them, its like I feel so comfortable and welcome in their presence

- our ability to stand for what we believe in and prove that we are unbreakable people despite going through some horrible things

 

 

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I now invite you to post 3 things you feel proud about or you love about your culture. This is a safe space where everybody is welcome. I can't wait to hear what everybody has to say!

j95
j95Posted 22-05-2017 11:01 PM

Comments

 
Amy9
Amy9Posted 29-05-2017 10:18 PM

 @j95 This post is just so beautiful! I love this Smiley Very Happy

I was born here, but my dad is from Bangladesh and my mum is Anglo-Indian, which means she is of both Indian and European ancestry. It's nice being from such a diverse background because it means I get to constantly learn and experience a lot of different things

3 things I love:

1. The food! Especially the street food and snacks. I have mega cravings for them all the time and constantly contemplate just getting on a plane to Bangladesh for it hahah
2. The outfits. I just adore the colours and sparkle and the amount of work that goes into making all the patterns and fabrics. I love getting all dressed up for events and putting on jewellery and feeling closer to my culture that way. It makes me feel super proud. 

3. The history and stories. One of my favourite things is learning about where I've come from and listening to the stories of my parents and grandparents and how their lives were. Currently, my mum's side is in the process of tracing back their ancestry and its just so fascinating learning all about it with them.

 
safari93
safari93Posted 28-05-2017 09:10 PM

Thanks for this thread @j95, it's so great!

 

I'm Sri Lankan, and I descend from two ethnic groups in Sri Lanka - Sinhalese and Tamil. I'm much more familiar with my Sinhala side than my Tamil side (I only found out I had Tamil relatives about 10 years ago), but I'm planning to learn Tamil (the language) as well as relearn Sinhalese till I'm fluent in both.

 

My mother was born in the capital, Colombo, although her family is from the Ratnapura district, located in the south central province of Sri Lanka:

 

ratnapura

 

While my dad and his family are from Anuradhapura, a north central province:

 

anuradhapura

 

Our country does have its share of political and social issues (it came out of a civil war about 5 years ago) but I still feel 'at home' there in a way I've never quite felt here.

 

As for three things I'm proud of:

 

  1. The food: South Asia is already pretty well known for its amazing cuisine, and Sri Lanka is no exception! One way in which it varies from other South Asian countries is the diversity of cooking styles and cuisines - because Sri Lanka was historically a trading port as well as a longstanding centre for Buddhist studies and practice, people from many different kingdoms in East Asia, the Middle East, and even Africa and Europe would come to trade resources and knowledge, and that had a pretty strong effect on the cuisine.
  2. The history: Sri Lanka actually has quite a few monuments which withstood time and the effects of colonisation, including a reservoir built in the 1100's (which still works!) and a lot of religious and cultural monuments. Sinhalese history is much better preserved than Tamil history though, due to the fact that Sinhalese people have much more political power than Tamils
  3. Our cricket team isn't too bad either (although it's been over two decades since we last won a World Cup Smiley Mad )

 

 
 
lokifish
lokifishPosted 30-05-2017 12:34 PM

I'm so enjoying reading all of these posts! 😄 Go diversity! Heart

 

@safari93 one of my best friends is Sinhalese too. I'm a wuss when it comes to spicy foods but having dinner at her place is always such a treat - so I'm totally with you on the awesome Sri Lankan cuisine 😛

 
 
 
lokifish
lokifishPosted 03-06-2020 05:48 PM

This is an older thread, but I reckon it'd benefit from some new love. Would anyone like to share their culture with us? 🙂

 
 
 
 
JazzInMay
JazzInMayPosted 03-06-2020 06:55 PM

@lokifishI just found this thread and I have really enjoyed reading these responses! Thank you @j95 for beginning this thread. I found your words when describing your culture really powerful, thank you for sharing them.

I am of Irish descent, a couple of generations back (my family came over during the potato famine) but when I went over to study in Ireland I felt such a wonderful connection and feeling of 'home' that was unexpected and wonderful to experience.

Things that I love:

-The history of Ireland is long and rich, trailing all the way back to the Celtic tribes living in ringforts. Visiting the Hill of Tara was a very enriching and powerful experience.

-The ruins of castles, monasteries, parishes and churches on the side of the road and in the fields. Make a wrong turn and you could discover something much greater than where you were originally headed!

-The rich folklore. Some of it is darker and yes often reflects cultural fears of older times, but some stories are so beautifully woven, it's impossible not to be intrigued.

 
T4ils
T4ilsPosted 28-05-2017 04:06 PM
I am from a country called Macedonia. My dad was still born in Australia and I was born here. To me, this doesn't define how I feel about my family's history, it is still important to me. I truly realised how I felt when I was able to visit there. Even though I was born in Australia, being in my country felt so amazing, it felt like home. If you had asked me years ago if I had ever dreamed of visiting my family's country, the answer would have been never in a million years. I cannot believe I was able to have such an opportunity.

1. I love the strength of my people to stand up for their cultural indentity that is constantly being denied.
2. I love the courage of my people to protect their country against political agendas and war, having survived poor treatment by occupying countries.
3. Most of all, I am proud to have this culture that I can resonate with. My last name is unique and I love being unoriginal. To me, even though my association is limited, it means I belong somewhere and it is apart of my identity.
 
letitgo
letitgoPosted 25-05-2017 08:36 AM

That was such a beautiful post @j95 and I am so inspired by your cultural pride.

 

I come from an Italian background but because both my parents and one set of grandparents were born in Australia, I sometimes feel a bit disconnected from the culture.

However, things I do enjoy/ experience are:

- Speaking/learning Italian with my grandma, and knowing that it is a skill/conversational ability I'd share with only certain people in the world

- learning about Italian foods and watching my family members cook them. One day maybe I'll be able to make them too.    

 
 
j95
j95Posted 25-05-2017 09:42 AM
That's great @letitgo what is your favourite Italian dish?
 
 
 
Chessca_H
Chessca_HPosted 28-05-2017 04:06 PM

I love this thread! 😄

 

My cultural background is European Jewish, and even though I'm not religious there are a lot of things I love about it as a culture:

 

  1. The food - if you've never had the chance to try any kosher-style food, I would seriously recommend it. A lot of it is basically just super good for the soul type of food (man I hope that makes sense) like my favourite example of chicken soup with kneidel.
  2. The community - even though I'm not religious, whenever I go back to the UK to visit family who are (especially for big events like weddings) I'm always struck by how tight knit and (mostly) supportive the community is. 
  3. The history - although we've had a very, very bad run of it throughout most of history, I love learning bits and pieces about it, especially prominent historical figures. It's something I'd love to do more of in future, plus I feel it highlights how much resilience we've shown over time.
 
lokifish
lokifishPosted 23-05-2017 11:02 AM

Oh and for the three things I love about my culture:

 

  • The humour. We're not afraid to make fun of ourselves and British comedy never gets old. Some of my all-time favourites are Fawlty Towers, On The Buses, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Keeping Up Appearances, and of course Mr Bean 😄

 

  • The history. Everywhere you walk there's history in every corner. We did a lot of really shitty things to build our empire but it makes for interesting history textbooks. And the architecture! 

 

  • The diversity. Someone from Yorkshire can sound almost unintelligible to a person who lives in Greater London. The land may all technically belong to one country but you encounter so many cultural and linguistic differences as you traverse across England. It comes back to each area having such a rich and unique history over multiple centuries. And with all the globalisation happening in the 21st century I think Britain's becoming more multicultural than ever which is awesome!

 

 
 
j95
j95Posted 23-05-2017 06:52 PM
@lokifish excellent!! Thanks so much for sharing.
Hopefully you get to go over there sometime 🙂
 
lokifish
lokifishPosted 23-05-2017 10:43 AM

 

LOVE this thread! 😄

 

I'm actually a dual Australian/UK citizen as my dad was born overseas. While I do NOT condone the atrocities the British have caused over the years, I still think there's a lot to be proud of about our culture. I've grown up watching Basil Brush and The Sooty Show, and often call vacuum cleaners "hoovers" and rubbish bins "dustbins" 😛 I also have a bit of Irish ancestry, and although my real name is a relatively common 'white' name, it's spelt the Irish way, which means people always misspell it (thanks mum and dad!). But anyway...

 

My grandmother was born in Cheshire:

 

original.jpeg

 

And my grandfather in Northampton:

 

Northampton_Montage.png

 

 

After they married they settled in a small seaside town in Devon, where my dad was born:

 

devon

 

and then my grandparents moved to Coventry when he was a toddler:

 

coventry

 

Most of my extended family on dad's side are still in the UK, and it's my dream to one day go and visit them all. I'd love to settle there permanently but I'm not sure if I could cope with the cold weather 😛

 

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