There are many reasons people may become disconnected from their family’s culture.
Living in the West is a large factor in this – people may even be shamed out of expressing an interest their culture or heritage, for fear of judgment. But for those who would like to, for any reason, reconnect with their unfamiliar culture, here are 6 tips to help you learn about and immerse yourself in the culture of your family.
You don’t have to do all, or even any, these are just things which helped me understand and reconnect with my Asian Heritage after growing up in a majority white area, and I hope they can help you too. Some of the points on this list are less accessible than others, for instance family background research and the physical aspect of dance, but I have tried my best to include things most can access.
1. Talk To Your Family and Friends
For some this is easier than others. If you have a family member you can contact, this makes the whole process of immersion in culture a lot easier. They can likely teach you about languages, food, history… And it could even help you connect with people you haven’t ever talked to before.
If you’re not sure which family members you can talk to, see if your parent or guardian can put you in touch with anyone if they themselves can’t help!
If you live in a particularly multicultural area, you may even have a friend who can help you with your learning process. Don’t be afraid to talk about your heritage, and if willing your friends can always join in your conversation.
Plus, you could learn about many different cultures as well as your own! But make sure you’re careful not to alienate or fetishize your friend – they’re not a search engine or a history book, they are your friend! Make sure they are completely willing to discuss things with you.
2. Learn Your History
This step is a little mentally exhausting for some, as it may involve heavy reading.
However, even if you don’t buy countless dusty books, a google search, a search at your local library, or even just watching a documentary can help with any areas you’re particularly interested in.
It is likely that people have already condensed and summarized much of the information you are looking for!
If you are interested in looking for a more specific family related history, websites like ancestry.co.uk provide paid subscription services for access to things like birth and death certificates. Additionally, services like 23andme can provide you with an insight into your DNA origins, but for a rather large lump sum, and data on non-European DNA is very scarce (for instance if you have DNA from any region of South Asia it will simply say “South Asian”, but can pinpoint European DNA to very small specific areas of Europe).
These are useful services, but don’t necessarily help you connect with culture any more than they just help you find out where your family have come from, and won’t be accessible to the majority of young people due to the expense.
3. Eat Some Food
If you’re lucky enough to be able to cook and buy ingredients for yourself, a good way to ease into your culture is by eating some food from it. Recipe books are not strictly necessary – you can ask family, friends, or even google some classic recipes.
Sometimes even buying the food can help you reconnect – going to specialist shops stocking the ingredients you need often introduces you to other members of your community. I once had a shop owner recognize that my family was from Bangladesh based on the type of fish I was buying!
Tasting the food may help you feel more part of the culture, particularly if you can introduce the food to others and explain its origins! Additionally, you can be introduced to some lovely dishes and flavors and also have a good time while feeling more connected.
4. Listen to Music
This may be a little tricky, as not all music has been recorded and not all music is available cheaply. However, the first place I would try would be YouTube.
The music doesn’t have to be hundreds of years old – you can go straight for the popular music in the places your family came from!
This may also help you get used to the sound and words of the language, and perhaps even help you with the next step!
5. Dance!
There are hundreds of video tutorials of dance on YouTube, if you’re able to dance. Make sure you take your information from a reliable source and not an overly Westernized interpretation (for instance with yoga, there are hundreds of videos but very few address the spirituality or origins of yoga), as with all tips in this list. Tutorials will also help you with the terminology, so you’ll get a little head start into the language too.
If you’re not able to dance, you may enjoy the music or just the artistry of the dancing!
There’s no shame in sitting back and appreciating the art that has come out of your culture.
6. Learn Some of the Language
Again, this isn’t something everyone is able to do – learning a language is often time and energy consuming, and maybe something you’re not even interested in. Having friends and family willing to help gives you a real head start, but going alone isn’t so hard. There will likely be a few tutorials on YouTube, or lessons on websites like omniglot.com which can help you get to grips with the basics.
Nobody will expect you to be fluent, but leaning key phrases might help you communicate or just give you a confidence boost!
You can always practice the language by speaking with friends and family.
A sneaky 7th tip: Enjoy Yourself!
There are many, many ways to learn and immerse yourself in culture, not just ones on this list!
Don’t push yourself to learn too much, or go out of your way to do things you wouldn’t otherwise enjoy. Always put your enjoyment first and make sure you celebrate your culture, your friends and ultimately yourself!
I hope this list has provided you with inspiration on how to get in touch with your heritage with minimal effort and maximum enjoyment!
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