top | item 29992886

(no title)

cat199 | 4 years ago

I get the problem with claiming it to sound 'exotic' or whatever - exactly as you mention - this is 'entitlement' to sound special - but -

Thinking differently -

5 generations is also (assuming childbirth at 25 and not carefully auditing for off-by-ones):

1 generation of 1:1 mix, 4 generations ago (b. 1897)

1 generation of 1:2 mix, 3 generations ago (b. 1922)

1 generation of 1:3 mix, 2 generations ago (b. 1947)

1 generation of 1:4 mix, 1 generations ago (b. 1972)

1 generation of 1:5 mix, now. (b. 1997)

In other words - 50% of your parenting influence descends from 4 generations of mixed marriages, and the entire mixed lineage begins approx ~100 years ago where it certainly would be a huge factor in daily life. It's quite possible that you may have even met the original couple or their immediate children, and very likely that you met or had extended contact with the 25% generation who in turn almost certainly was extremely impacted by the preceding 2 generations.

Pretty sure there is some cultural trace either overtly or in the form of inherited scars.

The reason many mixed don't know much about their fraction is because their ancestors were put in indian schools and married off to anglo settlers or any number of other far worse 'ethnic cleansing' atrocities. Whatever in-depth discussion remained was likely suppressed or downplayed to facilitate assimilation, leaving only hints and impressions behind in the people. At this point there is no way for them to know anything more about their past even if they wanted to.

pretending it's nothing only makes it worse and grows the divide to the past - which itself is a shift away from native views of history and connectedness to ancestors

discuss

order

No comments yet.