It's never too late to whip up some recipes from your grandmother's cookbook. Smell and taste have powerful connections to memory. Just reading a recipe can teach you how much ingredients and kitchen tools have changed. And even if some of them are unfamiliar, others have most likely become your comfort food or a source of family pride.
Spend time with other members of the community. The best way to preserve your culture is to keep it alive. Gather as a group not just for holidays, but for ordinary meals, events, or just conversation. Many aspects of culture are difficult to learn in books and museums, including etiquette, body language, and humor. Think about the types of conversations you have within your culture, compared to the mainstream culture where you live.
Or compare two different cultures you participate in. Does one feel more energetic or friendly than another? Would a normal statement in one context be considered rude in another? Why do you think that is? This kind of deep analysis can be tough to figure out, but it gets to the core of the cultural experience. Learn about religious traditions. Whether or not you share your parents' and grandparents' religion, studying it can help you understand their culture.
Religion connects to language, history, and personal behavior. Becoming more familiar with your or your family's religion can help you understand all these other aspects. Speak your ancestral language. If you know someone who shares your culture but has a different native tongue than yourself, ask them to teach you. Many linguists and anthropologists argue that language shapes our whole perception of the world.
Plus, if the language is rare in your area, nobody will be able to eavesdrop on your conversations! Thousands of languages are at risk of extinction. Share examples of the knowledge and perspective that would be lost if it goes away.
Record the language spoken and written if possible , and work on translations to less endangered languages. Part 2.
Choose a focus. You can record anything you've discovered through your research and life, no matter how small it seems. What you can't do is write down everything there is to know about a culture. There's just too much to say. Most people choose one of two directions instead: A personal history of one's own experience, or a family's. A detailed look at one aspect of the culture: cooking, jokes, or any other subtopic.
Decide on a medium. You can use calligraphy, oral storytelling, or another traditional medium to make the recording a personal cultural experience as well. Or you can put your work on a website, DVD, or another digital form. This lets you share your cultural story with people from all around the world.
Conduct interviews. Interview the people whose histories you're telling, or experts in the subject you're writing about. Come prepared with a list of questions, but let the interviewee to wander to other topics and stories. Keep each interview within one or two hours. If the interviewee is willing, return to conduct additional interviews. This lets you prepare more questions, and lets the interviewee search for documents or objects she wants to share.
Use a video or audio recorder if the interviewee agrees to it. These are much more accurate than trying to write everything down or hold it in your head. Follow your family tree. Record your family tree with the help of family members, adding to it as you go along. There are probably whole branches of cousins and in-laws you've never met. Track these down through family connections or online searches, and they may offer whole new perspectives on your culture. Government websites and physical record collections may offer additional information dating back centuries.
Use your records to fight for your culture. Minority cultures often struggle to pass on cultural traditions. Share your stories and records with young people in your culture, who may not know the riches of their cultural background.
In the face of political struggles or social challenges, organize people to participate in discussions and cultural activities. Your research can help people understand the core values of their culture, and inspire them to keep it alive and thriving. Accept change. The dialogue around passing on culture often sounds defeatist.
Cultures are "endangered" or need "preserving" before they die out. Real challenges and threats do exist, but don't assume that all change is bad. Culture helps people adapt to the world around them. The world has always been changing, cultures have always been adapting, and it's up to you to choose a direction you can be proud of. It does not only allow people to understand why some cultural traditions existed and how they play into what where the culture stands today.
It also allows to build bridges between cultures to show that we may have different traditions, but we often have shared values that lead us to our various customs. The preservation of our various practices, our oral history, our ethnic heritage, food, music and so much more is important but not for only one reason.
The reminder of what grounds us, the revelations of what connects us and the changes that we implement to build stronger and better communities are all reasons to preserve culture. We believe that preserving it is what allows others to experience it and experiencing it is what allows humanity to remember the things that make us all human. Your email address will not be published.
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Towards this end, the state must recognise the role of media in disseminating and promoting, if not generating, cultural knowledge. Similarly, the influence of the Western drama and One Act plays on Indian literature; the imitations of the English sonnet, Ode, and Blank verse by famous Indian poets; the impact of European, Chinese and South-east paintings in India during the rule of the great Mughal king Akbar These are just a few examples that connect the cultures of the East and the West.
Information is key and literacy is fundamental. And, media is what binds the two. Media Information literacy MIl , therefore, becomes crucial to promote our ancient local traditions, culture and heritage. On its 70th Independence Day, India must understand what MIl means and how it can act as a catalyst in promoting local culture and traditions. Today with over 1. The Pan-Indian saree , for example, has gone global and the bindi on the forehead is slowly catching up in the West.
But, has anyone ever thought why this trend is happeningIJ The accessories were always there; the saree was always Indian; so, what made the difference nowIJ The answer is simple — More information, awareness and literacy.
Nearly 25 years ago the World Wide Web was born. Ease of information access influenced all generations. While this criss-cross of arts and interest is intriguing, people of different nations are recognised by their culture and should be proud of their impressive traditions. India has always been famous for its traditions and hospitality. Each element has its own impact and circle of influence, and thus leveraging through media becomes crucial.
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