Cultural Identity In The Color Of Water

Cultural Identity “A person without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots”(Garvey).Who are you? Where do you come from? What are your values, beliefs and interests? Culture is formed through our knowledge, beliefs and behavior from which we learn from our families based on our personal upbringing. Some people are not aware of their cultural identity, and this is certainly evident in The Color of Water. A majority of people lack the knowledge of their cultural origin and find it difficult to function in a world with diverse cultural backgrounds. Many people struggle with their cultural identity and this can be seen in Ruth’s struggle in her community, my ethnic background and identity and the …show more content…
I am born into a family who came from Nigeria, but I was born here in America. I am more familiar with African customs than I am with American customs. I was raised Catholic in my family, however I was informed that some of my ancestors were Catholic, but prayed to other gods for power by conducting rituals. That is a part of my culture identity that I do not accept, but I still live with it. I display my beliefs, knowledge and interest in both of the cultures I partake in. I am described as a bicultural individual meaning that I am able to function in more than one culture (PBS). I relate to Ruth in her search for cultural identity because growing up in America during my elementary school years, I explained the fact that my family is Nigerian, and people used to say that I was related to “Kunta Kinte”, or people would tell me that “Africans get their neck cut off with lions teeth”, and I would find myself only fitting in with my African heritage. But, as I grew older, I found myself realizing how important both of my cultures are, because even though my family originates from Nigeria, I play a big role in America because I am involved in the food, dress, language and many more of those traditions that are big in …show more content…
Ruth ended up changing her name, religion and dealt with being criticized to find herself. She was alone and only had God since she wasn’t right with her family and was going through emotional trauma with them. I experienced hard words towards my ethnic background and was informed more about my cultural background and understanding to identify who I am. In addition, accepting the fact that I am a bicultural teen trying to adjust to both of the cultures I partake in. Adolescents everywhere want to know who they are, where they come from and discover their beliefs, interests and values. They want to fit in based on what they are a part of and many of those teens find out when their own parents reveal and teach them about their culture.Restating the quote Garvey explains, without full knowledge of our culture or ourselves, we are unaware of who we