tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2842906968815125638.post663665759427751762..comments2023-09-27T07:40:50.535-07:00Comments on Mes Deux Cents: Who Do We Come From?Mes Deux Centshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10697034868111011343noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2842906968815125638.post-2999715685697585642007-12-11T09:54:00.000-08:002007-12-11T09:54:00.000-08:00In my community we used to have a saying about thi...In my community we used to have a saying about things like this. We called it "Ancestral Memory." What it meant to us was that there are things that a person does or pursues that in some cases are their past acting upon them. The idea is that every action we take on this earth has energy behind it. It is like saying our emotions and our actions leave behind energy, even after we have past away. <BR/><BR/>So the emotions and such of your ancestors leaves a certain energy in a place or in ones being. Have you ever been to a place and felt like you have already been there? Have you been to a family member's grave and become emotional? Have you ever experienced something that is unfamiliar, but it seems so familiar? Have you ever mastered something so fast that you wonder how you were able to? These kind of things for us fell into the realm of Ancestral Memory. Like a rabbi once told me. You can't return to a place that you didn't come from.<BR/><BR/>One example for me was when I woke up one morning and I had the feeling like I needed to go to Ethiopia. It took me two years and I didn't quite understand why I woke up one morning and felt like I needed to go. That was until I one day mentioned it to my grandmother, whose memory was fading. As soon as I mentioned I had been in Ethiopia, she remembered something about her father and Ethiopia and something about a book. After she said it she never returned to that memory again. I later found from family members that she had always wanted to go to Ethiopia because of something with her father. So maybe my going to Ethiopia was for some reason connected to the past. Not as much with ancestry, but with something casual. <BR/><BR/>We see this most with babies who have mannerisms similar to parents, yet there is no way that the baby ever saw the parent do it.Ehav Everhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04201312079270363001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2842906968815125638.post-74881022481712781752007-12-09T21:02:00.000-08:002007-12-09T21:02:00.000-08:00DJ Black Adam,Thanks; I'll be sure to stop by your...DJ Black Adam,<BR/><BR/>Thanks; I'll be sure to stop by your blog to read your post. <BR/><BR/>Also I really enjoy your comments on What About Out daughters? BlackWoman's Roundtable.<BR/><BR/>I wonder if we get more specific things from our ancestors though.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for stopping by.Mes Deux Centshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10697034868111011343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2842906968815125638.post-38006344036763648252007-12-09T20:12:00.000-08:002007-12-09T20:12:00.000-08:00Outstanding post MD. I have got to add you to my B...Outstanding post MD. I have got to add you to my Blog Roll (if you don't mind). I have taken a look around and you have very interesting articles.<BR/><BR/>As for our ancestry from the diaspora, I wrote something about that here: http://djblackadam.typepad.com/damnitq/2007/08/african-very-af.html<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I do believe we take more than just our skin tone from our ancestors, all of their strengths that we need to tap into.DJ Black Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15258897246879725176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2842906968815125638.post-74649000880405499442007-12-09T11:56:00.000-08:002007-12-09T11:56:00.000-08:00Hi XotiqueJaz,I bet that was a very interesting sh...Hi XotiqueJaz,<BR/><BR/>I bet that was a very interesting show. I wish there was a show about African Americans that traced our culture like that.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for stopping by!Mes Deux Centshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10697034868111011343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2842906968815125638.post-82327169001615688452007-12-09T11:22:00.000-08:002007-12-09T11:22:00.000-08:00MDC,I found your wonderings very fascinating. Ste...MDC,<BR/><BR/>I found your wonderings very fascinating. Stereotypes run deep in America but I do feel they have usefulness as long as they aren't used to pre-judge or limit someone. Recently I watched a show about a tribe in Africa that traces their roots back to Israel, both culturally and genetically. <BR/>I just came across your blog so I will have to read more of your articles I just wanted to comment on this. Have a great week!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2842906968815125638.post-36862290703243723712007-12-09T10:08:00.000-08:002007-12-09T10:08:00.000-08:00Tami,Thanks for the information. This is exactly w...Tami,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the information. This is exactly what I'm looking for.Mes Deux Centshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10697034868111011343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2842906968815125638.post-24369082726779637762007-12-09T09:42:00.000-08:002007-12-09T09:42:00.000-08:00Go here, MDC:https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/g...Go here, MDC:<BR/><BR/>https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/?fs=www3.nationalgeographic.com&fs=www5.nationalgeographic.com<BR/><BR/>If that doesn't work, look of National Geographic Genographic Project.<BR/><BR/>The test is about $90 and all they need is a cheek swab. Your results reflect DEEP ancestry--meaning where your matrilineal earliest ancestor came from (patrilineal for men), but they are useful for other comparisons and tests. Family Tree DNA is a company and they have a database. If you take the test, National Geographic will connect you. There are also other databases out there.Tamihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12940502776699227686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2842906968815125638.post-78317474299738852932007-12-09T09:37:00.000-08:002007-12-09T09:37:00.000-08:00Hi Tami,I think pan-Africanism had its place. It h...Hi Tami,<BR/><BR/>I think pan-Africanism had its place. It helped African Americans get over their stereotypical views of Africa. Thankfully many of us are moving beyond it now though.<BR/><BR/>What kind of info do you need to have to take the Nat'l Geographic test? I'd love to take that.<BR/><BR/>You have a family DNA database? What's that about?<BR/><BR/>Wow.Mes Deux Centshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10697034868111011343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2842906968815125638.post-38456128631851950072007-12-09T08:47:00.000-08:002007-12-09T08:47:00.000-08:00You make a good point, MDC. Another thing is, I th...You make a good point, MDC. Another thing is, I think black Americans also fall into the trap of pan-Africanism--seeing Africa as one big monolithic culture and not a continent including different countries, tribes and cultures. If we looked hard enough to see the vibrant and diverse cultures of African peoples, rather than just donning Kente cloth and ankhs, I think we could find threads of deep history that could change the way we see ourselves.<BR/><BR/>I think one way to discover our roots is through genealogy. New DNA testing may offer some help, too. <BR/><BR/>I took National Geographic's Genographic test and input my results into Family Tree DNA's international database. It's nothing concrete, but one African country where I find genetic matches with a lot of modern-day people is Mali. I don't know if my maternal line has roots in that country, but since noticing the connection, I've been reading about the country, it's people and culture. It would be wonderful to connect myself to a real place and culture in Africa.Tamihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12940502776699227686noreply@blogger.com