Do you like reading? And what's your favourite book? I'll tell you about mine:
definitely, 'Ceremony' by Leslie Marmon Silko.
It's about a young Native American man (Tayo) who's lost his identity. He feels invisible and he feels nobody accepts him because he's a halfbred. That is the reason why he starts a spiritual journey where he gets in touch with his cultural heritage and where he learns about his ancestors and ancient Indian traditions (the power of storytelling). Thanks to this, he will find inner peace and self-discovery at the same time that he gets over severe psychological trauma after returning from the second world war.
I like it because even though it belongs to contemporary Native American fiction, we can somehow connect it to Galician culture. I think that people from Galicia sometimes have to understand the past in order to value their present.
Silko recounts Tayo's search for his own cultural identity within American Indian community and I feel that in the same way Tayo did, some people in Galicia should start that journey too. That would help them appreciate Galician cultural heritage much more than what they do.
I know this is my personal opinion and you may disagree with me, but don't you feel embarrassed whenever a Galician person criticises another Galician person because of the place where they live, the way they talk (their accent), their language (ours) or whatever they do? Not everybody feels proud of being Galician. It's a psychological trauma for some. They should also start a process of self-discovery.
I reckon that as this is the community I belong to, I must be proud of it. I'm proud of my ancestors and of my identity as the Galician person I am and I'm happy that my grandparents showed me so many things from the past. They passed on values that are not remembered any longer today. They told me stories from Galician folklore when they were alive. That helped me feel part of the Galician community.
Can you understand why this book was so important to me? It's a very challenging and provoking read because I feel like I also started my spiritual journey together with Tayo.
definitely, 'Ceremony' by Leslie Marmon Silko.
It's about a young Native American man (Tayo) who's lost his identity. He feels invisible and he feels nobody accepts him because he's a halfbred. That is the reason why he starts a spiritual journey where he gets in touch with his cultural heritage and where he learns about his ancestors and ancient Indian traditions (the power of storytelling). Thanks to this, he will find inner peace and self-discovery at the same time that he gets over severe psychological trauma after returning from the second world war.
I like it because even though it belongs to contemporary Native American fiction, we can somehow connect it to Galician culture. I think that people from Galicia sometimes have to understand the past in order to value their present.
Silko recounts Tayo's search for his own cultural identity within American Indian community and I feel that in the same way Tayo did, some people in Galicia should start that journey too. That would help them appreciate Galician cultural heritage much more than what they do.
I know this is my personal opinion and you may disagree with me, but don't you feel embarrassed whenever a Galician person criticises another Galician person because of the place where they live, the way they talk (their accent), their language (ours) or whatever they do? Not everybody feels proud of being Galician. It's a psychological trauma for some. They should also start a process of self-discovery.
I reckon that as this is the community I belong to, I must be proud of it. I'm proud of my ancestors and of my identity as the Galician person I am and I'm happy that my grandparents showed me so many things from the past. They passed on values that are not remembered any longer today. They told me stories from Galician folklore when they were alive. That helped me feel part of the Galician community.
Can you understand why this book was so important to me? It's a very challenging and provoking read because I feel like I also started my spiritual journey together with Tayo.
6 comments:
I think there is a film called ceremony that plays this story. I like that film very much.
see you
I think you must read a text about how galician people from rural world came around sixties from there to the city and change their way of live, while their sons were born in the city and forget their traditions. This text is in grial nº 176, by Marcos Lourenzo.
see you on monday
Ok, I will read it if I manage to find the article...
I can also recommend an articles from The Times about a Galician village (Vilar) which is introduced in the magazine as a vanishing village in galicia. This is the link: http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1630354,00.html
I'll try again:
http://www.time.com/time/
photogallery/0,29307,1630354,00.html
I read Time article, and I thing it´s very interesting. First of all because the author is able to show how Galician rural traditions are alive, but not exactly in their tradicional way of live. One example can be how people from Vilar use their ovens today to put inside the pieces of bread that they buy every morning, instead of cooking it.
I think there is the key to keep alive our culture: by the material thinks (the construction, the territory...), but, of course, with a new use, and by "happy" traditions, like gastronomy or music.
see you
maybe my favourite story is "The clown", by Heinrich Böll. I try everybody to read it. It`s wonderful. A story it´s about a clown that learn something that is not easy: to keep his way of life between his feelings and his opinions.
I`m not saying anything concrete, but it´s very, very good.
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