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Kapa Haka: A Journey Home

3/3/2019

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Kapa Haka: A Journey Home // GrowingLittleLeaves.com
RootsTech 2019 is a wrap! I have lots to share about my experience at this awesome conference. I do intend on writing a blog post outlining some of my favorite sessions, but there is one session I attended that was so impactful to me that it deserves its own blog post.

The session consisted of the showing of a documentary entitled 'Kapa Haka: A Journey Home,' and afterward there was a question/answer session with the three young women who made the film.  As I sit here now, I struggle to put into words the range of emotions I felt while watching this documentary. It was an experience of the heart. I will, however, attempt to summarize some of the main themes expressed in the film and how so much of it relates to genealogy. 

As the pamphlet says, this film follows a young Māori/Tongan woman who returns to New Zealand for the first time since she was five years old (after growing up in the U.S.) The interviews with her were real and raw, and through her range of emotions, we are shown just how complex it can be to go back to a place and a culture that is a part of who you are, but one that you haven't been immersed in for most of your life.

​Below, I'll outline some of the significant things I learned from this film. The majority of the film showcases the kapa haka. From Wikipedia,

"The work of a kapa haka consists of the performance of a suite of songs and dances spanning several types of Māori music and dance, strung together into a coherent whole."  

The film teaches us about the kapa haka (and its cultural meanings) by chronicling the work high school students do to prepare for the annual Polyfest competition. For pretty much the entire film, I was simply in AWE of these teens' talent, work ethic, passion, and respect for their culture and the people who came before them. Several of the teens are interviewed, and just hearing them speak of 'lifting up my culture,' 'connecting with my culture,' and singing so beautifully in a language that was in danger of dying out just a few decades ago left me, as a viewer, with such a deep admiration of these young people and of the way in which they are carrying on their ancestors' traditions.

Here is a very short video from NPR that gives you a sense of kapa haka.

Pepeha 
In Maori culture, a pepeha is a way of formally introducing yourself to another person. That introduction is formulated in a way that tells others how you are connected to place and to other people. It not only includes a bit of your 'whakapapa' (genealogy), but it also includes landforms, such as mountains, rivers, and other bodies of water, from your place of origin or those with which you personally identify.

​There is no English word to convey this 'genealogy to the land' concept, but it is something that I have felt for a long time. About 20 years ago, I left my home, the place where I grew up, the place in which all of my ancestors had lived since they left their European homelands and immigrated to America. My husband and I lived in four different states in that time I was gone, and there was no place in which I really felt at home. In fact, I had a running joke going with my husband, in which I would just say to him, "Don't bury me here." It wasn't really a morbid thing; it was me going to local cemeteries all the time, and just not being able to imagine myself (even my postmortem self) away from my ancestors. Since moving back to my Home, I've felt much more of a peace that I never felt in any of the other places we've lived. I have a connection to the physical land.

There is a really neat app called 'Pepeha' that you can download for free. It explains more about pepeha and helps you to create a visual of your own pepeha! Click HERE to learn more.

Ta Moko 
Ta Moko refers to traditional Maori tattooing. I learned from this film that these tattoos have incredible cultural AND familial significance. One of the teens in the film talked about her ta moko tattoo and about how each little design represented one of her family members. Another gentleman with full-face tattoo designs mentioned that every time he looks in the mirror, he is looking at his genealogy, his ancestors.

I learned so much from this film and it just makes me want to connect more deeply with my cultural heritage - the heritage that my people developed over hundreds of years BEFORE they came to America. 

After the viewing of the film, all of us in the audience were wondering where we could buy a copy. The three young women who made this film mentioned that they are still working on how to possibly distribute it, but encouraged us to follow their social media accounts (listed on that pamphlet above) to get updates and I hope you will do the same.

©2019 Emily Kowalski Schroeder
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Disney Pixar's 'Coco'

12/20/2017

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Coco Movie Review // GrowingLittleLeaves.com
Today, my children and I went to see the newest Disney Pixar movie, Coco, and it is so wonderfully centered on family history that I feel compelled to write about it here.

Coco is the story to Miguel Rivera, a boy who absolutely loves playing the guitar, but must keep his love for music secret from his family. You see, his family has shunned all music since his great-great grandfather seemingly abandoned his family for his musical career many, many years ago.

On D
ía de los Muertos, Miguel inadvertently goes on a journey to the Land of the Dead and meets his ancestors. In order to get back home, he must receive the blessing of his ancestors. But what blessing will he receive? Will he be able to continue to play his beloved guitar, or will he have to accept his family's wishes and give up music forever?

Visually, this movie is a beautiful tribute to Mexican music, culture, and the traditions behind the Day of the Dead. There is a heavy emphasis on the purpose and importance of the ofrenda (ancestor altar), and since we had just recently created one in our family, my kids were excited to see that in the film. 

This film is FULL of conversation-starters you can use with the children in your family to talk about different aspects of family history, and I've listed some of them below. (I have attempted to keep these listed themes spoiler-free, but if you really want to know nothing about the film, perhaps stop reading here.)

1.) Sometimes we feel a special connection to an ancestor who we've never met.

2.) Our eldest living family members are important bridges between our living family members and our deceased ones.

3.) We exist only as as long as we are remembered. It the responsibility of living family members to share the memories and stories of the deceased ones, so they can continue to live on through the generations.

4,) Our ancestors may have done something that seemed to be dishonorable, but perhaps we should not judge their actions until we know (if ever) the entire story behind those actions. 

5.) Our family may try to prevent us from doing certain things out of love, in an attempt to protect us from hurt, or to try to prevent us to go down a path that has caused hurt in the past.

6.) Sometimes who we THINK we are related to ends up being an incorrect assumption. (Am I right, researchers??)

The Coco movie and related books can be ordered via Amazon.com via the affiliate links below; just click on each image. (A small percentage of your sale comes back to support Growing Little Leaves.)

©2017 Emily Kowalski Schroeder

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Disney's Mulan: What Is An Ancestor?

2/18/2014

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Teaching the concept of an ancestor using Disney's Mulan // GrowingLittleLeaves.com
A couple of weeks ago, I purchased the Disney movie Mulan for my kids.  For those of you who haven't seen it, the film takes place in Imperial China, and it tells the story of a brave young woman who secretly takes her aging father's place in the army when he is called up for service.  Though her identity is discovered, she ultimately saves the empire from ruthless and destructive invaders.

After Mulan leaves her family in the night to join the army, her grandmother goes to the family shrine and asks the ancestors to keep Mulan safe.  The ancestors then 'awaken,' assume ghostly figures, and discuss ways to protect Mulan.  During one of our viewings of the film, my kids asked us, "What are ancestors?"  Well, as a family historian, this was a proud moment for me; my kids wanted to know about ancestors!  So, I simply told them that an ancestor was someone in your family who came before you did.  Some of your ancestors may still be alive, like mom, dad, grandma or grandpa, while some of them died long ago. 

A huge part of teaching young children about family history concepts starts with first teaching them vocabulary.  'Ancestor' is not a word they will pick up at day care or on the playground, so I thought it was just wonderful that this film sparked their curiosity and gave me the opportunity to talk with them about it, without them thinking I was actually trying to 'teach' them something (which usually ends in glazed-over eyes and the swift changing of subjects).

For Older Children: You can use this film to open up discussions about Chinese culture and traditions.  Ancestor veneration has been a part of Far East culture for thousands of years, and it reflects a great respect and love that people have for those who have come before them.  Google 'Chinese ancestor veneration,' and learn more about it with your child.  Most major world religions have ways of remembering and commemorating their dead - look for similarities and differences between them.  It's a great way to show kids that people, their beliefs, and their customs around the world are not really all that different from each other.

Also, your child(ren) may notice that Mulan is sometimes called 'Fa Mulan' in the film.  This is a GREAT way to teach them that some Far East cultures place the family name (surname) before a person's given name, instead of placing the surname at the end like many Western-influenced cultures.  Ask the child what his/her name would be if we followed traditional Chinese naming conventions ('Smith John' instead of 'John Smith').

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder. All rights reserved.

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    Emily Kowalski Schroeder

    Founder and Author of Growing Little Leaves

    Emily Kowalski Schroeder / Founder and Author of GrowingLittleLeaves.com

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