November 12, 2007
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Quichè Is Not A Unmanly Egg Breakfast
"Mi Papá said to me that we, los Indios, the Indians, were like the weeds. That roses you had to water and give fertilizer or they'd die. But weeds, indigenous plants, you gave them nada-nothing; hell, you even poisoned them and put concrete over them, and those weeds would still break the concrete, reaching for the sunlight of God. That's the power of our people...we're the weeds, LAS YERBAS DE TODO EL MUNDO!" ~Victor Villaseñor
I bought this book a few days ago and read it yesterday. I highly recommend it. I normally don't read a book from start to finish without stopping, but the writer held my attention from start to finish. It got me thinking about some of the things that I've forgotten. In his memoir, he mentions the teachings from his Indian grandparents. The things that seem silly or ridiculous to adults of this day and age.
Quichè (kee-ch-eh) Indians were my early guardians. They were my grandparents. Both my grandmother and grandfather taught me their culture and beliefs. I don't ever talk about the things they taught me. Maybe it's because I'm afraid of hearing someone giggle or ridicule their beliefs. I hold those things sacred. And even I have trouble understanding now. It goes against science and proven knowledge. Somewhere deep down though, I believe that they were right. What they said and how they explained things just felt true....right. Who knows? Perhaps someday I'll come to realize that their knowledge was greater than ours. Either way, I feel that one should never be ashamed of their roots, or culture. It should be respected if not held sacred.
What Do You Think?
Comments (28)
First!
Now, let me go read the post...lol.
I agree...no one should ever be ashamed of their roots...they just need to get some hair dye and fix those old roots right up! Ha!
No, really...I agree. I am proud of my heritage, even though I am a mutt. I think everyone should be proud of what and who they are.
I'm interested to hear some of the things you were taught, if you ever feel like talking about it.
I have several recipes that use flowers in the recipes.
Quiche is an awesome food and fairly easy to prepare.
I may have to check out this book.
If we look for evil and foolishness in our ancestors, we will find it. Because we are all related to humans, and as humans we are capable of total foolishness and great evil. But if we look for their good works and wisdom, we will also find that, because all our ancestors were creations of God. In the end, no one's ancestry is anything to be ashamed of, and all of it can be learned from.
Good morning, Miguel!
I definetly agree! One should respect and hold sacred their roots! I am interested in the things your grandparents taught you that go against proven knowledge and science!???
Honestly, I do not know my roots. I feel that is a huge part of myself that is missing. I was adopted, so I don't know my heritage beyond that my natural grandmother came from Ireland (Callaghy).....and natural Grandfather was English (Randall). That's all I know. I wish I had a past to look more back into....ancestors and such.
Thank you for all your kind thoughts about my dog.
I miss him terribly.
If you're uneasy talking about it, why not write it down; leave your children a legacy, a history of your family that's also theirs.
I love listening to my mom, aunt and uncle reminisc about their childhood . . . I plan on recording their conversations next time I get them together.
You just cannot make that stuff up.
There's no shame in heritage; even the black sheep in the family adds color to the mem'ries.
Log your mem'ries before you forget them . . . one day, your kids will find it all so interesting. Just like you do now.
Absolutely but sometimes that takes time. Not everyone is proud of or can accept their roots from the get-go, especially when it challenges what we are taught in school or hear from our friends.
That "That's the power of our people...we're the weeds," has to be the funniest thing I've read all day.
My Mum is a Welshkin. As a child I was filled with all the superstitutions and home remedies that you could possibly imagine. I used to think bunk! But as I grow older - I find that I am embracing her believes more and more.
Every person has a core of base values or beliefs that they can't stand to be ridiculed. They go apeshit-nuts and take so much offense. It's really pretty crazy when you think about it, but I know that if people start questioning or ridiculing my core. I would kill them.
I think...waffles are all the breakfast I've ever needed. Or Pop-Tarts!
i agree with you. many ridicule what they don't know or understand.
Thanks for the book recommendation.
I'm trying to read 50 books this year and still have about 5 more... 
ryc: I was going through the Xanga starred entries and saw it there.
daniel mentioned poptarts, and now i'm hungry.
I think that the wisdom that was once taught by our elders has passed on with them. This is a sad thing. I do believe that some of their wisdoms are far beyond ours, almost rooted in spirituality and faith... more so than 'proven' fact. Absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. I am proud of my heritage, on my mothers side I am Scottish/Irish. The myths, the lores, the legends of that culture fascinates me. Not only that, but the pride in life those people had were amazing. My great grandmother was an amazing woman, meaner than a rattle snake without the warning of a rattle, but nonetheless amazing. The wisdom and advice she had was something of an angelic sort, mysterious yet logical. Her wisdoms were passed to my grandmother, after that my mother and then to I. Some might say that some of the morals that we follow are a little "kooky," but I say they are just practical. However silly or simple something might be, it still doesn't dismiss it's legitimacy. I am very intrigued by what your elders taught you, I would love to hear about it sometime. I think that you can gain a lot from other peoples wisdoms, that is if you chose to listen. I would love to listen to you sometime tell of your grandparents and their culture and beliefs. Believe me, your words would not fall on deaf ears.
/ long enough to publish ain't it? LOL
Although old traditions don't always stand up to the test of science 100%, that doesn't mean the concept isn't good. There's a lot of good wisdom that doesn't stand up to imperical testing. I would love to hear about your grandparents' culture. As a plain ol' whitey, I'm kind of in a world devoid of culture. I can barely get my family to tell me where my ancestors came from at all.
Mmmm food!
Mmm weed!
Ugh, what sort of pictures did you have in mind?
Hey, I learned something new today..... usted es mi sol
I have a Quichè Indian skirt that I bought in Guatemala when I was there.I loved the Quichè Indians and their stories ,I would live there if I did not have this life here. What a rich heritage you are a part of !
What is your poison of choice?
Thank you, my friend. I will try. (((Hugs)))
Yes.
But what if your roots/culture is northern European?
Our roots define who we are. You should never be ashamed of who you are or where you came from.
I wanted to tell you that it is the weeds that have saved lives during hard times,they have vitamins and nourishment,people around here eat young dandelion and when we were in honduras we were helping to re introduce a weed that use to be eaten that was rich in vitamin a and prevented eye problems .
It took me many years to come to terms with where I come from. I used to fight to forget who my family was. Now that I have children, I am ashamed of myself for having so thoroughly embraced American culture to the point that I cut out my proud Pueblan heritage. I am relearning all the things that my mom and my great aunts tried to teach me so many years ago so that I may pass them on to my children and later to their children. It's funny how it took two little boys to change my mind...
That is a very good book. I remember reading it in one sitting, in a bookstore, and having it bring back so many memories of the way I grew up latina.
I think you should give your readers an example...
don't be ashamed!
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