Being a Black American, I definitely understand the struggle of not fitting in. I'm not 'black enough' for other black people. I'm too black for white people. I dont have any folklore or history from my family passed down and even if I did, I can only go so far until the slave records make things almost impossible. I get genuinely curious about my ancestors, but I get incredibly disheartened by it.
I hear a lot of that from my biracial friends, that it's never 'enough' for either side. I hope you find some answers, and I'm sorry it's such a murky history to sift through. I wish you didn't have to deal with that
What about taking a DNA ancestry test?! Some tests can narrow down to a specific region where our ancestors can from. After that, research the folklore and customs from that area to start.
That's the same for me since I'm mixed. The black people tell me I'm not black enough or I act white (I did end up growing up with white family) and the white people say I'm to black and that I act ghetto. Which is really insulting bc what does ghetto have to do with anything.
Never realised how lucky I am to be Irish in rural Ireland with pretty much only Irish ancestry. Celtic culture, mythology and thought is such a huge part of me and my lifestyle. It makes me sad not everyone had such a definitive link to their ancestry and those indigenous elements. I'm very happy you are doing this and I hope you find what you are looking for 💕 Edit - just so you know pagan elements are still very much a part of Irish life even though Catholicism is the main religion. We have bonfire traditions on Halloween (Samhain). We celebrate st. Bridget at the start of spring aka goddess Brigid and going for a 'cure' for an ailment is as normal as going to the doctor - cures are essentially pagan 'witchy' healing practices which are passed down through families. No one actively links them to paganism but Irish people never fully lost their pagan roots in the transition to catholicism - we just changed the names of things 😂
Saying this as a Native American person, I, and many other Native folk, feel a weird sort of trauma bond with Irish folk. I always wondered if that sentiment was echoed in irish culture, but just don't have any irish friends.
I'm Irish and Welsh! My Irish/Welsh great grandma sadly died a few years after I was born, but she was a wonderful baker. I hope to visit Ireland or Wales soon and look at the pub (or what's left of it) my family owned before coming to Canada.
spookie Irish people definitely feel a great kinship with other Celtic and native people. I know things like Dakota pipeline really got people wound up here your voices being drowned out by the majority was reminiscent of problems Ireland has had. In a lot of ways we are very privileged to live on such a small island although we have been effected by colonisation we have been able to hold on to very key elements because largely people didn’t mass settle here and being such a small place the world doesn’t pass us much mind. I hope the native America (and all native people) are given the space, protection and help they need. Your culture should be allowed to flourish 💕
I'm part Irish but I know absolutely nothing about where my family came from in Ireland. My grandmother was Irish and she has passed on and we were never very close. I have always been very attracted to the Irish part of my history because I love reading about Celtic mythology. And I like how Ireland mixes their mythology with Catholicism. I was raised Catholic and then a few years ago I finally started mixing my Catholic beliefs with witchcraft. I am not Wiccan... I consider myself a Catholic witch. I get a lot of backlash at times when I try talking about it on social media especially since in the United States witchcraft is considered evil in the eyes of the Catholic Church. Yet when I go to a Catholic mass all I see are extremely similar and parallel rituals that seem exactly like witchcraft to me. So for now I'm in the broom closet.
I’m mixed too. Black, Native American and white. I don’t feel like I fit in with anyone, I’ve always felt like an outcast. I have an identity crisis, but it’s hard to talk to anyone about it.
I felt the same too until last year. I have finally reached a comfort level with myself and who I am. I have realized 2 things: no one can change who you are and you are valid. Why do you have to fit anywhere? Someday, it probably wont matter anymore because everyone will be mixed. You can be you without any apologies!
There were alot of mixed Black/ Native American settlers that wew located in Delaware which were called settlements. I believe Alot of French migrated there and settled there. Good luck
Oh same here I'm predominantly Native American and African American (I'm pretty sure its African?). But also some Irish. My family appears more on the white side but are technically more native than anything else. They are extremely happy to teach me native history but refuse to teach any of my history from my fathers side (African American) or any Irish history soooo.
Hi Olivia! I’m so happy you got to share about yourself and your ethnicity with us. I literally wanted to cry out of excitement to discover you’re Filipino and that you want to delve into the pre-colonial practices & folklore of it. I tell you, THERE’S SO MUCH you’ll want to learn since every region here in the Philippines have different cultural practices and beliefs-Sometimes they even intersect! What’s difficult is that most of these folklores are passed down through oral teachings rather than being documented because of the strong influence of Christianity due to the Spanish Colonization. But! Witchcraft was evident in pre-colonial Philippines! Precolonial Philippines was mostly into animism and we had “baybaylans” or shamans who would communicate to the spirits. Mostly babaylans are female but precolonial Philippines was very open and allowed men too to become babaylans but were to wear female clothes to be a babaylan. (Not to sure about this but this was taught to us orally, so the accuracy is kinda off). We have folklore that ranges from pregnant women must carry a dagger/knife to prevent “aswangs” from attacking them to getting a dream about losing your tooth/teeth means someone you know is dying/close to death. One thing I can do is to suggest a book that might help you start in learning the various cultures, folk beliefs, and customs in each region in the Philippines. The book name is “Encyclopedia of Philippine Folk Beliefs and Customs” by Fr. Francisco Demetrio, S.J. There are two volumes of this book and I swear it’s worth it! Sending you lots of love over the pacific and hopefully this journey will inspire you more!
AH! I know I'm so excited the more I learn! There's been a lot of it in my personal practice over the last year, and it's felt like everything boosted for me since then
Thank u Nikka, for sharing that info. I'm another fellow Filipina here that's been searching for the same answers and wanting to know more about Filipino customs prior to the Spanish colonization. Do u live in the Philippines?
It’s interesting what you said about the dreams because in Puerto Rico we always talk about those dreams and meanings within my family!!! Especially the dream about teeth falling
Thank you, for the book suggestion, Nikkia! I've also been on the search for information on Pre-Colonial Philippines and I'm really glad that you brought it up. I'm Fil-Am and sometimes I feel like I'm grasping at straws because I'm doing a lot of research on my own, and what my family knows only goes back so far.
I'm mixed-race and I hadn't begun to dig into my Persian ancestry until a year or two ago. It led me to research and learn a lot of Persian mythology and spirituality, as well as Persian history, including a disturbing history of colonialism in Iran by Britain and the US. It's been an enlightening journey and I've found a lot that I'm now passionate about. It's really lovely to hear you share your experience!
🤗. Im half Persian and Irish/Russian American. I was raised by my Persian family. No matter what the political climate, Im super proud of my European history too. (As I say, Europeans were late in the conquering game. Everyones hands are dirty). All sides have endured a lot. You got a lot of catching up to do on history, weve survived a lot of empires but we are all Mesopotamian.
This might explain why I don't talk in depth about my practices, because not only am I still learning a ton, but my practice involves a lot of really personal strings to both sides of myself. I can't wait to hear your stories! PS we're having a discussion about it on the discord server if you'd like to join in the channel #tea-time discord.gg/jWACzzJ
I am Irish/english. My earliest ancestors on my father's side ( Jonathan and samuel Eddy) came over from England in 1630. The english Eddy's still live in Cornwall England. My mothers family came over from Ireland during the potato famine. History is murky...all I know the irish Stickney's moved to Michigan from the Appalachian mountains during the early 1900s. The eddys have a rich history. Carlsbad new Mexico was original called Eddy new Mexico....that ancestor actually did business with pat Garrett....I had another ancestor who served on stede bonnets crew....I am a nerd lol
Oh!!! If you look it up...I do believe at one point a Egyptian queen moved to Ireland and mingled with the locals. Some say that is the origins of druidism
This is very refreshing! As a Filipino/Scottish American and constantly struggling with "identity". And "feeling" more Filipino than I look, etc... Mabuhay!
I hate being called exotic. It’s quite annoying. I’m Puerto Rican, scot/Irish and Norwegian. I hate living here in the US because I have this calling to the homelands. I understand your struggles. It’s been super hard to trace my Celtic and Norwegian ancestors and I feel so close to them. I’m trying to start my journey soon to seek answers and possible “meet” one of them.
It s really hard to find celtic documents and history cause the celts didn t keep records on paper of anything, and they were always in constant battle between each other since there were a lot of celtic tribes around Europe at that time. The records that are still preserved were written by the Romans, but you can find the modern adaptation of the celtic religion.
I feel this. It's really irritating when people say I look exotic, and I'm not trying to put people in boxes, but it's almost always older Caucasian people who say it. I'm a mix of British Isles, Native American, and Spanish, with a few other bits of the Mediterranean thrown in for good measure. I've been asked if I'm Greek, Arabic, Puerto Rican, Brazilian, and I even had one (old Caucasian) couple tell me I looked Egyptian. I've had people ask me if I'm actually from the U.S. and wonder at why my English is so good... My Caucasian family always treated me a bit different, and on the Reservation and among my Latinx side of the family, I was frequently teased for being so white. A weda. My husband, who is half Navajo, mixed with German & Irish has had much the same experience. Only recently (I'm now almost 30) have I found myself comfortable in my own skin. I no longer feel like a fraud when I say I'm Native American, and I no longer feel uncomfortable being the darkest skinned person among most of my mother's side of the family. I believe now that being of mixed ethnicity is a blessing, and those of us who are will help lead everyone into a better future, as we all will eventually become many facets of the beautiful cultures and people's that have evolved on this lovely blue jewel of a planet. Good luck to you in your own unique beautiful journey of self love and discovery. ❤️
I honestly don't know anything about my family. As an African American you can understand that our heritage was decimated and damn near erased. I honestly wanted to ask my parents about their background but idk if they would understand why I wanted to know
No hurt in trying to ask them. My family hasn't been able to give me many answers but I've been finding peace in knowing more about the culture itself even if its not my direct bloodline. I hope you find answers you need
Scarlet Silverflame it is so sad how many black people have lost their heritage due to slavery. I did have a friend that did one of those dna test which helped her at least find what country her ancestors originated from.
@@TheWitchOfWonderlust Hi, I'm a fan of filipino ancient culture and mythology and I would like to share with you a great something. You should check out "aswangproject.com" for mythical creatures from philippine indigenous folklore. You might like the "god/goddess or diwata" files. Therefore, you might like or even love it, they have massive number of documentary topics on the website about indigenous folklore too. Please check it out :-) Thank you.
I’m the same! I was born and grew up in the Philippines and even though I’m African American on both my parents side and part Filipino on my mum’s (she’s half), I mostly know about my Filipino heritage and nothing about my African American side or anything. I’ve been wanting to understand my roots too so I’m waiting for an ancestry test to arrive and that should hopefully get the ball rolling!
Thank you for this. Being half Filipino and half German, I experienced many of the points you brought up. Being mixed is hard because you don't have a large population to go to, to share and gain experiences of what is like to be mixed. I was always pushed towards basically picking a side but I am both at all times. And it is hard, being "americanized" in my mom's terms. From picking an American name for me, not teaching me tagalog, telling me about her home country, or not being able to sympathize with other people's cultural upbringing. But I was to be proud of being Filipino, but I knew nothing beyond that it was a type of asian person. It is a very lost feeling but it is a unique experience to take control of learning about your roots. I think it is rewarding in its own way, keep going! So much more to learn, but happy that you are embarking on it.
Blessings to you my dear!! Sending you love! I truly appreciate and am honored to walk this journey with you my beautiful sister. I am too am on this self-discovery pre-colonization journey. Thank you Beautiful Soul! Be Blessed!
This hit me in all the feels. I’m also Filipina and “white.” I’ve noticed that many in my Filipina side claim to have no aboriginal blood; they say they are Part Chinese and Part Spanish only. You’ve inspired me to look deeper into it myself! It’s interesting that my great grandfather was a traditional healer and my uncle carries this familial stone that holds those same healing powers. I’m like “I wanna know more! Is this just family urban legends or is there merit to it?” Thank you for being brave and sharing your story! You’ve totally inspired me. 🥰
I totally get this! I was raised by my mom n her family, who are a stereotypical caucasean mix (Irish, German, English etc) but my dad is an islander (palauan and chamoro [from guam and Palau]). We live in michigan, in a predominantly white community. My sister tried to look into our islander heritage but most of our culture was lost due to pillaging from other counties. We're estranged from our dad's family so they're not a good source either. People are always fascinated by us because they don't know what our ethnicity is. It's often assumed I'm hispanic and people will try to speak Spanish to me, but I've only ever learned German so I just confuse them more. I could tell a million stories about people assuming my ethnicity, or that I'm adopted, or when someone meets my family for the first time and being confused. It's a weird way to grow up n see the world.
I feel that. I'm also very culturally German and I look relatively European, but I'm part Iranian too. I have an olive complexion but also blue eyes. I refer to myself as "spicy white".
I'm Cherokee x Irish..I could speak for ages on my thoughts of being both of something and somehow neither in the process. Olivia, you brought me to tears. You put it into words beautifully.
I'm the same mix, but with a pinch of african too. I just found out about the Cherokee part a couple years ago, researching that side of my heritage has been tough
@@HunterLvyiXIII Well, if you would let me save you some searching. There is a small, tri-racial isolate genetic group of people that are descendants of slaves, native americans, assimilated and not, and the white "undesirables" who were just poor or irish or german and the mix just kept mixing creating a subrace of people called the Melungeons. We are cousins. However many times removed. Your family would most likely have at some point moved from the Appalachian Mountains, around the Cumberland Gap area or up through Eastern Kentucky, or South Western Virginia unless you are still in TN, VA, KY..(the west region of Virginia, by the way not West Virginia to be more specific.) In 2005 a project started up to track our group of DNA and those people are in Hancock County, Tennessee. Throughout history mixed race marriages were not allowed in the 13 colonies, but free white women who chose to marry free poc and had mixed race children, those children were considered white by the law and allowed their mothers free status. It goes so deep the well of information once you are given the word. Research Melungeons.
@@heathernicole9358 Thank you very much! I knew it! Also I have a lot of ancestors who were born in and around Hancock county, TN, I will definitely look into the Melungeons
Olivia, be strong and be true to self. As many many people around the world, we are mixed with many indigenous people. Realize you are blessed and scared. Having done the 23 & me DNA screening, I learned of my Nigerian, Congolese, Irish, English, and Chinese ancestry. Your journey is designed by your ancestors... continue to follow. You are not to fit in, you are to lead; there are those who will follow. I'm proud of you and the work you are doing. Blessed be!
Thank you for speaking on this topic! I am Irish, Native American (Cherokee) and African American. I knew about my Irish heritage, because my mom's side was very proud of it. Unfortunately, racism is prominent on that side, and I never understood why I looked different from my family and was treated differently that I can still remember of as of this day. I did notice my mother took me to pow wows on occasion and tried to educate me as a child, but did not offically tell me about my Native American/ African American side until I was sixteen, when I found out on my own. I was told to never speak of it to anyone in my family. No one was allowed to know except for the few that already did. It hurt, and I feel it from time to time but I have healed from that anger/frustration, and researched more about my heritage. Thank you for being so honest and saying the words I wish I was brave enough to. You put your heart into this.
I am like you with added Puerto Rican. For me, it is difficult to vibe with just one ancestor; like do we as mixed folk just blend our heritages together and create something new? I'm still going through that journey. I hope you found some focus for your background for sure.
Hey, thanks! I am a black girl, and I have no real ability to trace my heritage on some level. But I love hearing people talk about where they come from and learning to love themselves without the context that was often placed on top of us. I know this was vulnerable and I thank you for what shared. Thanks!
@@Divineunlimitedenergy I was thinking along these lines too. Maybe a DNA test can narrow down your ancestry and that can be a starting point for your research.
West African most likely, and I'm sure you have some European or maybe even Indigenous American in there. Get a DNA test and make use of the religions black slaves and their descendant preserved in places like the South and the Carribean ! They took the Orisha/Yoruban religion with them and many black people all across the Americans still do ancestor work with these figures.
As someone who has a very similar genealogical background (Pampangan Filipino and Irish/Norwegian) this list of resources has SAVED me. I've been searching for any sort of knowledge or framework like this for years, its so difficult to sift through the catholic culture that has taken over. Thank you so much for sharing, you are helping so many Filipino practitioners and non-practioners get a point of reference for understanding where they and their spirituality come from. Thank you, and thanks to the people you got this information from!
Such a beautiful, raw and thought provoking video Olivia. I'm Puerto Rican and Mexican - born here in the states and my youngest daughter is Half Filipina - THIS conversation is something I have with my family and her father often. I have been on my decolonization journey for a few years as a Latina and one book I found very informative was 1491 as it gave the not so pretty recount of the harm that Columbus did to my people in the Caribbean. My daughter is still kind of young to understand all of this, but I actively talk with her and her big sister (half polish from my first marriage) about the history they don't teach in school. I know how hard it can be attempting to connect with your ancestors and wanting to know the stories and histories of our people, but being so disconnected because we are here in the states. I know my great gramma was a healer on the Island of Puerto Rico, but I only met her once, before she passed, but I feel her presence with me often. Our family has "gifts" we don't talk about much, but I also know that has to be a part of our lineage too. So, I am typing all of this to say that I wish I was half as awake as you are at your age. I'm in my mid 30s now and I think I am at a stage where I DGAF what people think and I think that makes me search and explore and be more open about this journey as a bruja who is trying to decolonize her mind and heart. Keep up the beautiful work! I hope one day my daughters are as curious and open to learning about their history as you are and I hope one day they can watch this video and see there are many of us seekers out there.
I am half White (French descendant) and half Mexican 🤗 and I am soooooo happy to see someone with a platform speaking on this topic! It truly is a very unique, and often lonely experience being a mixed person, even though I also am very proud to have the background that I do, as I'm sure many of us are. :) But growing up, I was raised much closer to my Mexican side of the family because my White side wasn't making the best choices in life. So I grew up feeling very close to and at home with the Mexican culture. However...I wasn't raised speaking Spanish even though I was always around it and came to understand a decent amount of it. This has become the biggest thing that has kept me somewhat separated from other Hispanics I meet that I want to connect with. It breaks my heart every time I can't bridge the language barrier between myself and a fellow Hispanic. I've practiced Spanish on my own time, but it's a long process as an adult. Because of this, Hispanics and other "minority" races usually see me as a White girl, and I have been racially judged by Mexicans (which hurts when I am Mexican and love my culture) because they have assumed I was doing something racist because I have white skin. On the other hand, I don't tend to fit into White culture because I didn't grow up in it. But even if I did, most White people can tell I am either mixed, or they think I'm definitely Hispanic so then I have also been racially judged/mistreated by White people before as well. As ostracizing as it can be, I am forever grateful to have been given this unique perspective on life where I get to see the world from two very different sides. As biracial or multiracial children become more and more common, I truly feel it's one of the paths towards a more open-minded country. Thank you for sharing your experience and thank you to everyone else sharing their experience in the comments & letting us know we aren't alone! :) 💗
I'm also Mexican and French, and on the Mexican side am Spanish and Zapotec!! I have gone through all the above, as well. Not speaking Spanish, though even my French Mom is fluent, definitely created a barrier sometimes, and I was never Mexican enough, or Chicana enough (in New Mexico) or white enough (in Louisiana).
I highly doubt u are half white and half mexican u should take a dna test and u will be super surprised at ur results also I am mexican and central American with alot of indigenous in me more then my Spainard side but I got light skin because of my Spanish and some Mexicans have made fun of me cuz I'm light skinned oh and I am fluent in Spanish so you can't win I'm more indigenous and a person of color then white and still got bullied people just suck or maybe they feel intimidated by our color also it's ridiculous cuz the only reason Latin America knows Spanish is because of Spain so really Spanish is a white language so there is that
I just came across this video today. Thank you so much for sharing. I can relate…I am Indigenous (native american) but I have French and Scottish ancestors as well. I get the exotic look comments all the time, and people are never quite sure what I am. I get Filipina a lot, Vietnamese, Hawaiian…My kids are half German and when my son was a baby, people assumed I was his nanny because he looked like a white baby. I know my two kids have had some struggles with their own identities but we talk about this all the time and I do my best to be supportive. Anyway, thanks again for sharing and I wish you well on your journey 😊
When you started talking about lightening skin tones, I teared up... Because for most of my childhood, I remember my mother who is full Malaysian (She moved here to marry my dad is who is Irish, German, Italian and Dutch); she is super dark... She used to tell me that there were so many people back home for her where people made fun of how dark she was... I remember sitting in the bathroom watching her makeup routines and I finally asked her, I remember this as a child "mommy, why are you using light make up?" My mom would look at me and tell me "To feel more pretty and beautiful pumpkin" ... I would always look at her and tell her "mommy, you are pretty, I love you just the way you are".... Back then I never understood why she did it, till I matured. Going on 29 now, it still pains me having a full understanding what my mom had to go through, to endure racism, and being called names to the point or telling her to "go back home". She was always home so long as I was here... No matter where we were at or separated. Being mixed has shown me the good and the bads. I never felt like I fit in anywhere or connected anywhere... And what gets under my skin so much here in the south is being asked if I know Malay... I don't. My mother was told it would "hinder" me from learning, this was during the time when her English was very broken; people would always ask me this. I UNDERSTAND some BASIC words, but I can't enunciate them accordingly. Another thing that I hate is when people seem shocked I am mixed OR tell me I look eXoTiC, or "You don't look Asian", as if ALL Asian's look exactly the same... To sum everything up, thank you for making this video.
We are from one major source. The Original woman of This Universe and you continue to reflect your uniqueness. Love and continued Light and understanding.
Hi Olivia. I too am of Filipino descent, born and raised in California, and I love that you are touching onto this topic and the journey of decolonization. I've been on the journey of decolonization for almost two years now and from my experiences it has been very healing and magical. When I began practicing the Craft my mom dropped the bomb that my great-lola was healer in the province where she grew up. She was an Albularya and a Hilot. In the northern regions of the islands where my mom was from, they still retain their animistic believes while still practicing Catholicism. In my journey of decolonization I got to connect with other Filipino spiritual practitioners via Instagram. Many of them are intuitive guides, healers, ceremonialists, educators, artists, activists, storytellers, and medicine makers. The journey of decolonizing myself has taught me to love my brown skin and it has brought me closer to my ancestors more than ever. Even though we may not know much even the lack of knowledge our families have due to colonization, I feel the Babaylan spirit working though each Filipino who are on the spiritual path. I hope to connect with you sometime in the future. My insta is @ManongMedicine.
Similar to you I’ve felt like I’m an outsider in America, being Japanese and European. It’s not often I hear someone else who can relate to the conflict I’ve had within myself, it’s really refreshing actually to know I’m not alone. And I too am researching my ancestry and folklore of where my family is from. It’s such a fun journey! I can’t wait to hear more about what you’ve discovered :)
As a mixed person(white, Indonesian, Latine) thinking about decolonizing myself, this was very helpful. I've tried looking into my family heritage but sadly, colonizers don't like to keep records of the people they are oppressing. It was crazy to see that my white side was perfectly preserved, but nothing came from my Indonesian side or my native Mexican side.
I don t want to be rude or anything but maybe the culture os Mexican or Indonesian didn t have the social structure that the white had to preserve the heritage? A lot of documents were kept by the catholic church that s why they are so well preserved.
Hello. Mexican native culture was one of the most sophisticated native cultures of precolumbian America. You can trace it if you study popular-folk mexican culture. Mexican folk and traditional culture is bilingual (native languages +spanish) so you can find a lot of the native aztec culture transformed and alive in contemporary mexican society. You can add to that traces of african culture (Veracruz, in Mexico, was a big slave trade center back in colonial times) and, of course, you have the folk christian culture brought and imposed by the catholic conquistadors. Hope I helped. Hugs from Colombia.
A family story that was passed down on my mom's side of the family: Great great grandfather was a full blooded Cherokee Native American. When he met my great great grandmother and fell in love, she said she would only marry him if he converted to Christianity. And so he did but that wasn't enough for the local church to allow him in. His Cherokee name was Skullhead and the church wanted him to have a more Christian name. After being given a list of similar sounding names he settled on Schoolings, which is the name his new bride took as well. The name Schoolings continued on for generations. My mother was a Schoolings until she married my father.
Thank you so, so much for this. I too am a twentysomething mixed Filipina/white American beginning to deconstruct the colonized belief structures I've inherited, paralleling my fledgling exploration of witchcraft. We have gone through such similar things -- I grew up in a predominantly white community in Oregon and I'm very familiar with the 'little comments' you mention. I was just talking with my sister today about how we so rarely get the chance to talk with other mixed Filipinx American folks about our dissonant cultural experiences and how to reconcile our identity. I'm still in the initial probing phases of lineage exploration -- my father (who also immigrated to the US in the 70s!! from a rural village outside Davao) has so far shared with me some vivid experiences he had in childhood with shamanic figures and spirit encounters. It comes in pieces, but I hold the memories close. Your chance restaurant encounter sounds beautiful, I can't wait to delve into the sources you generously listed.
I’ve been with you and this channel for a long time now and I don’t think I’ve ever been as emotionally affected along the way as I was when I watched this. We love you girl, I wish you the best luck.
Thanks for Sharing Olivia! I believe this is part of our awakening. I started remembering things my Grandmother taught me as a small child and that brought me to wanting to know more about my background and where my gifts come from. I too was raised Christian, but I spent almost all of my childhood outdoors and now I walk the pagan path. I'm always searching for the answers. Blessings to you and I hope you find all of yours.
I'm a Filipina living in Japan, with a mixed daughter,half Filipino and half Japanese. I'm watching this to delve into the possible future thoughts, questions and curiosity of my 3-yr old daughter. This is gonna be my reference for her future questions. Love and light. 🇵🇭🇯🇵
Thank you for this video. Really beautiful. I have an Aleut heritage, but I didn't really feel like an outsider in America growing up. What I have often experienced is that others ask me to PROVE how indigenous, I am which feels invalidating.
I'm embarking on a very similar journey too, I'm the daughter of a Peruvian immigrant. It's so complex and overwhelming, and I'm so happy for you on your journey. Thank you so much for sharing and being vulnerable, I feel seen and heard, and we're with you on your journey
Wow. This is a lot! I am part Jicarilla Apache and part Spaniard. There have been times in my life where it hits me in the chest that one part of my ancestors killed (among other things) the other part of my ancestry. I've begun trying to map my family tree, I'm just running into a few roadblocks due to lack of birth documents. And then there are times when I think ... "I was born to the land of Colorado, despite any ancestry, I belong to Colorado" and I've begun to try and describe what that means. It's a difficult road ... not for the faint of heart. I'm sending many blessings and lots of good energy to help you in your search. Thank you for sharing your journey with us!
I only recently found out that my ancestors come from Wales, and Scotland. I had begun to listen to music and I found that Irish/Scottish music and song in Gaelic spoke to me and filled me with a sense of homesickness and longing. I didn't understand it but it lead me to get an AcestryDNA test where I found that my Ancestors were from Wales and Scotland/Ireland. Because of this discovery I have dived into the history of Scotland, Celtic mythology, and have begun to learn Scottish Gaelic and hope to live in Scotland one day. I can't wait to learn more!
I’m still wading through my heritage and history. I’m adopted..and my adoptive dad was also adopted so tracing my adoptive and my birth family has been difficult. I recently found out from my birthdad (we met when I was 25) that somewhere way back on his side our ancestors were Scottish Quaker’s who helped to create and run the Underground Railroad. (I am super happy to know that we were on the right side of history). I hope to one day find out a full history of adoptive and birth families because while my birth family is blood my adoptive family is still my family and their history is mine too
God I began my struggle with this a couple years ago. I'm Vietnamese from my dad and my mom is German. My dad is a refugee that came here when he was about 14-15, and he left my mom when I was about 6. I'm first generation on his side, and I discovered my moms side has only been in the US since the early 1900s, I'm only about a 4th generation on her side. I'm not white-passing at all, not even a little bit, and I've known that from a very young age. I heard the Asian jokes my entire life and even saw the racism come through when people would no longer stand or walk next to me once the Coronavirus hit, even though I've never even been to Asia. I couple years ago I felt this emptiness in my that longed for my dad's side, and I found out I had cousins I didn't even know existed. I went to visit them that year and got a family tree that my uncle put together, I got to see pictures of my aunt and uncles and my grandparents that I never got to meet. I still connect with them and I've been learning a lot about that side of me. It's funny because it was actually witchcraft and my own path that lead me there.
This video came at an insane time! I recently was looking to my family history too and I found I have a great-great-great(?) grandfather who was a Chinese immigrant who worked on the railroads here in the US. I’ve always been interested in Chinese culture since I was young and didn’t know why and now I feel like I know where that connection comes from. I’m a proud African American woman but now I know I can be proud of the other aspects (English, Irish and Chinese) of me as well! I’m glad you decided to go down this path because it’s really interesting to look for new perspectives on life (especially pertaining to spirituality and witchcraft) ♈️✌🏾
I've struggled with this for a long time. I'm German, Irish and Indian, but because of genetic variation I look white - unlike my sister and father. For a long time I felt like that meant I wasn't allowed to celebrate my ancestors' cultures, but the more I examined it the more I realised I already was, by using old family recipes, celebrating holidays in subtly indigenous ways, and the more I explore the traditions and my ancestors' relationships to them, the more accepting and proud I am of my background.
When we had "heritage day" at school I asked my parents what our heritage was. They said "well, we're white." Okay, but like where did we come from? Turns out my dad (adopted) was descended from Pennsylvania Dutch (German) and we still used words, practices, and customs that were very strongly tied to that community. It also turns out there are some black ancestors on that side of the family, which is probably why he got defensive about his whiteness. On my mom's side they kept our Native American ancestry pretty quiet for a while and it turns out my great grandmother was Scottish and a granny witch. The Appalachian folks had a sort of culture of their own that was apart from the general "whiteness" in America. I've enjoyed delving into that culture, as well.
I have been in the same journey. I am Italian, German, Belgian. I have found it hard to find out the Italian and Belgian sides. Thank you for posting this. I have been on the same journey!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful and raw part of yourself. I'm mixed too: half Puerto Rican and half white (which itself is a mix of Irish, British, and Greek). I related so hard when you mentioned feeling allowed to claim your Filipina heritage. My mother is from Puerto Rico, but since I was raised in the states, I only learned American culture. I wasn't taught the spanish language, foods, or traditions. Plus, since I am light skinned, most people assume that I have no other cultural influence. I've been struggling lately with feeling like I am "allowed" to claim my Hispanic heritage. I often feel like an imposter when trying to incorporate more of my Hispanic side in my daily life.
Thank you for sharing your story. I can definitely resonate with it, I am also a mixed person with Asian and white ethnicities. Specifically, Filippina and German/Austrian. I live in southern va, so I got asked a lot of questions regarding it. People also asked/commented racist remarks to me. I'm so glad that the lady you mentioned was able to guide you. 😭 And thank you for sharing those resources with us.
First of all, can I just say thank you sm for being so open and honest about a topic like this. I just really appreciate how much heart and thought you put into such a personal topic, and how you wanted to talk about this because you knew that others could relate to where you're coming from as well. Second of all, I'm definitely one of those people who can relate. As far as I'm concerned, I am Filipino from my dad's side (funny enough his side is also from Cebu) and part Spanish from my mom's side because my great-grandfather (bisabuelo) came here to The Philippines during the 1930's. Just like you, I also want to dig deep and learn more, especially about my mom's side. As a kid my grandma would always tell me stories about my bisabuelo and would carry on traditions from our Spanish roots that my family and I continue to practice today, and all in all he just sounded like a really kind and great man. I guess one of the main reasons why I especially want to learn more about my Spanish roots and about who my bisabuelo was is because I feel very connected to that side. Growing up, my family and I, although very much in touch with our Filipino roots, would practice traditions and even cook foods that my friends and others around me had no idea about, and when I'd tell them about it they'd give me these weird looks. Also, at least here in The Philippines, I've been told so many times that I don't look 'pure' and I look 'mestiza' (mixed blood) and that would always make me feel like a bit of an outsider at times because when I would explain that I am Filipino but part Spanish, some people wouldn't count me as 'not a real Filipino'. Anyways, all in all, as you said, I just really want to connect with my roots because by connecting with my roots maybe I'll get a better sense of who I am and where my family came from. Sadly, all of the photographs, letters, and documents surrounding my bisabuelo were all burned in WWII. Edit: I'm pretty sure my bisabuelo was a herbologist, or at least was very knowledgable when it came to herbs because, according to my grandmother, people in the village would come to him for help and he always knew how to make some sort of herb-based remedy that would fix their injury or ailment. Idk I just found that really cool
I found you mystically, and share you to all aspiring witches. You're amazing, beautiful, strong, and wise. An articulate and open person. Never forget yourself, and be proud. You're an awesome person.
Thanks for opening up about this! As a first-gen American mixed kid (Chilean/Columbian and Irish) a lot of my path has had to do with learning more about where I came from. You're not alone and I'm wishing you the best as you learn more
My mother is Mexican and my father is Guamanian/Filipino. I'm also so very mixed and have found it hard at times. I've tried to learn about the indigenous people prior to colonization before but didn't get very far. Sometimes I'd even get shunned for asking. This video has made me think it might be worth trying again. :) TY!
It's a difficult conversation sometimes. I'll get blown off sometimes too. I hope you are able to find those answers, there's SO much amazing history in the pre-colonized Mexican, Guatemalan and Filipino sides!
As someone who is also mutli-ethnic/racial individual, I had the same identity questionings you had, growing up. It's ironic that here in the states where it's a hotpot of every beautiful ethnic/racial backgrounds/cultures, those who are not culturally aware questions my identity since they couldn't really pin-point what i am ethnically/racially. I am of Filipino/Hawaiian/Spanish descent, who is also American. I'm still new at practicing witch craft and the things that you brought up here really resonates with me. Thank you for sharing part of your story with us, Olivia!
I think that I was fortunate to have grown up in a heavily Mormon family, since genealogy is a big thing. I feel like that's the only real benefit I got growing up LDS. Most of my family heritage is pretty well mapped out and I know pretty well what my ethnicity and family history is, except for my mom's maternal side specific to my family only. But my mom's mom is Ukrainian (although she was born and raised in the US) and she taught us some traditions her parents taught her growing up. Recently I've really been diving into Ukrainian culture, particularly the old ways. I have a deep love and fascination with Baba Yaga.
I grew up lds as well and I feel like my family gave up their ancestry for their religion. My parents cared about ancestors, but only in order to convert them, I was never taught about traditions.
I never learned about traditions from my family (LDS as well) although I know my genealogy on my Mom's side is very well mapped. Dad's side is a lot iffier from my understanding. I might be able to find some things though, thankfully I think there are other family members who also want to know a lot about old Irish traditions and culture so I might be able to find some resources from them.
I grew up in a pagan family but experienced the LDS church for 3 years and even went through the temple. I did so much work on my family history but haven't gotten all the Italian and German side mapped out yet because they died and my mom won't help me. My paternal grandmother's side is almost impossible because her grandfather changed the family name when he was running from the law, it was darling and now it's woods, but I can't prove it because there is no records other than maybe a news paper article with his name in it wanted for murder
Dude!! People have also told me “oh your English is so good!” I am also told i “look exotic”. At first it bothered me, now I feel that it connects me to sooooooo many humans, it’s like a gift. I feel like we are on the same road and I am glad you made this video. You are not alone!!
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. It s a very personal topic and it can be so hard and confusing to find your routs and the history of your own ancestry, especially if you didn't grew up with elements of these cultures because they have been lost or been forgotten. I would love to hear your progress through your studies, I think this is a very important topic many many witches struggle with. I appreciate that you have shared such a personal topic and opened a conversation about finding routs and rediscover traditional practices by our ancestors.
Knowing who you are is very self empowering from every perspective! This is a great video beloved. Being mixed is sometimes very difficult, especially when no one in the family resembles you. Alienated and rejected is how I was treated growing up among my social pier groups. But as we grow and learn to love and accept ourselves we heal and evolve. 💛💪 Appreciate the vid!!!
the idea of being an outsider when it comes to your own culture is something that I struggle with constantly, and I admire your willingness to be open and share your experience. Thank you.
This is extremely relatable. I'm 🇺🇲/🇵🇭, dad was in the navy, met my mom and she immigrated to Hawaii. Eventually my family moved to Colorado. I never got to know my Filipina side, never had the opportunity to learn my mom's native language, or her culture. It's always felt disheartening, like I've never been able to fully connect with my mom or my self. I was lucky to have my sisters who understand the struggle. Good luck on your journey. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and resources.
I resonate with this and love that you're diving into your background. I am half Panamanian and half white European hodge podge with some Native. It can be difficult not knowing or feeling where you "fit in". I came out looking whiter than my sisters so people were always confused by me in many different ways. It can be troubling. I could go on and on about my experiences. My mom is extremely proud and always immersed us in her culture and I am very proud. But when I was little I remember my mom being upset that I checked "white" on my paperwork. I now check Latin or other. I dont really speak to my father's side. Much love.
As a Greek person, born and raised in Greece, it is impossible for me to even imagine how it must feel not knowing your family history. I have spent countless hours listening to my grand parents, my aunts and uncles, my parents talking about our family’s journey, how they overcame difficulties, how they experienced pain and joy, how they shaped their destiny. There is no present without the past, not in the sense that you should live in the past, but that you should be aware of it and learn from it, use it as an invaluable source of information on human behavior, adopt the patterns that suit you and discard others. Knowing your family’s past and traditions is important because it provides you with a “life map” that would otherwise take you years to figure out for yourself. It is information and experience already waiting for you, ready to be used so that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you come across a situation that your ancestors have already dealt with. You just draw from past experience and use it accordingly. Without any connection to our family and our history we are just floating around without any identity.
Thank you for such a candid video. It resonated with me even though I am not of mixed background. You aren’t alone. There are those that are not of mixed background who are are still also decolonizing. Decolonizing is like peeling the layers of an onion. Each layer brings you on the brink of tears from both sympathy and anger for the plight of your ancestors. When the tears dry, you get a clearer picture of who you are and how you are connected to not only your colonized ancestry but to everyone else on this planet. Every culture was once a colony, even Rome. Over time, after more layers reveal more of your ancestry, the challenge then becomes choosing which indigenous culture you feel the strongest connection.
I'm part Irish and part Samoan and there's always been a feeling of not being "White" enough or "Brown" enough. So watching a video of somebody in a similar position is really refreshing. 💖
I feel like I'm lucky in the sense that I know a lot about my Native American side of the family. My family's lineage dates back to Spotted Tail, and one of my great great grandfathers used to rob Wells Fargo stagecoaches. The gold they took from those lasted all the way up to my dad. He told stories about how every spring his mom would lift a floorboard up from their house and take out a coffee can of gold coins and use the money to get their school supplies. If anything, I want to learn more about my tribe's rituals, our stories, and get closer to my root culture.
This is so perfect!!! I love this. I am "pure" Portuguese from Portugal and was raised very "traditional". As much as I love the culture there was a lot I have never been able to identify with, and I never knew why. I've recently been working a lot with my ancestors through dream work and it has been such an amazing and beautiful journey. I've learned that my family has had witches for centuries, and that I'm not the only one. These practices were lost when Catholicism basically became mandatory. My family was healers, and spiritual leaders in their communities. I connect so much to natural medicines, oils, and connecting to self and the earth more than I ever did to any religion, and I'm discovering that this is why. My ancestor work has been teaching me so much about crafting, and healing. Recently I did some healing work with an Indigenous healer in Canada and she mentioned that I have connection to the middle east and that I have ancient ancestry there, and she saw a large cat that was constantly around me to protect me. She told me it was some sort of cat that was found in the middle east and that animal is my protector and my families protector. Discovering that piece about the middle east also makes a lot of sense to me, and me and people in my family do have some features and I often get mistaken for a middle eastern man. It's not uncommon that I'm the elevator or bus and someone randomly starts speaking to me in Aribic. Lol all in all, these jour eyes are so powerful, meangful, and just beautiful. It has been such an eye opening and healing experience for me. Recently I've been REALLY REALLY getting called back to Portugal. I don't know where or why, but I'm sure that will be revealed when I am able to go. Though due to Covid, it might be a while. 😩
I’m so excited for you to learn about your ancestry! Thanks so much for taking us in this journey with you. I’m adopted from South Korea growing up with two white parents in a mostly (if not all) white community and have soooo many feelings about this subject. Maybe someday I’ll get the courage to go down this road of self discovery as well. 😊
I’m really grateful that you uploaded your story. Never had to deal with the issues that come with having a mixed skin color, but I’m still aware of it because some of my friends are mixed and we’ve spoken about it before. Im not really at a standpoint where I can comment on that though, so I’m going to leave it as is. There’s a reason that many people in America are just not known for their politeness.💛 On the other topic, I can completely relate to not being able to find your heritage. Up until my mid-teens, I didn’t know practically anything about mine except for that my family is white. Thankfully, my Gamma has been learning about our family’s ancestry, for a while now so she was able to tell me what kind of cultures our family is tied to (at least on my mom’s side). I know that I’m Polish, Ukranian, Romanian, Hungarian, German, and the list goes on a bit but mostly it’s all in the lump category of “white.” Honestly, digging into the history before colonization (before christianity took over) has been complicated and it just shows how that specific religion has dismantled culture all across the world. It’s hard to find certain aspects of many older cultures but thankfully I have found some great resources in my time searching.🙏🏻 I hope you are able to continue your path and figure out more about who you are, Olivia. You have amazing energy and I highly respect you, especially for posting a good video like this during current times. Light and love, may your gods treat you well💛
Wooooooooooooo. So real! It's crazy how intense being in the middle is. Being a "mixed" person is being in between two lands that you don't fully understand and you feel that you don't belong to neither of them, one because you know nothing about it and the other because you just born there but you had the constant feeling of "not beloning" cause you are constantly said that "you are exotic" or "you don't look like (introduce a nationality here)" or people ask for explanations of things that you don't even know or understand. The constant and painful question mark on top of your head. I always felt and feel that I have no land, and the more the times passes, the more I feel connected to something deeper with all my South American ancenstors...nobody told me anything about them, I just know they are there, they call (they freaking do OMG) and you can't even get started cause it's sooo overwhelming... Anyway! thanks
I feel you girl! It’s pretty difficult without fully understanding our Filipino heritage, all the while trying to decolonize. I haven’t found much on the roots/representation/specifics of my Tagalog tribe, either. All I know is that we’re part-Spanish & part-Chinese, as well, but I have a hunch about being tortured & tormented, given my whole maternal side has “a missing nipple”. If you believe in reincarnation, this may resonate with you.
Thank you for sharing your story! I am also mixed (father - Mixed Caucasian, mother - Native American). It is really nice to know that other people are going through the same thing as I am. I’m too white/tall with one side of my family, and I’m too dark/“exotic” for the other side. I found that it made me closer to my siblings since we can’t relate too closely on either side. I still have a hard time telling people about being mixed because they only see what they want to see and then they judge me on their beliefs after being told what I am. It took a long time, but I’m proud to be ethnically ambiguous and learn more about where both sides of my family comes from. ✌🏽
First off I wanted to say thank you for sharing this piece of yourself with us. And, actually I've wanted to comment on this for a while but never thought it was really the time to say. I'm mixed too. I'm a mishmash of European, indigenous Mexican and Filipino. Finding you, a witch of European and Filipina heritage made me so happy because here is someone who is my age, sorta looks like me, who practices witchcraft just as I have for the past decade, that kind of representation makes me deeply happy. About those small comments that people make too, I went to a majority white elementary school and would get comments on my hair, my skin, my eyes, people would tell me that because Im of Asian descent that its the reason why Im so smart or why Im so pretty. There was always this sense of otherness that was created by my peers which separated me from them, despite me passing as white. Ive had white friends who have tokenized me, lied about my genetic percentages, to show how not racist they are to other people despite me LOOKING AND BEING PART WHITE. Ive had strangers stare at me and my parents while we're out to lunch. Ive had strangers come up to me and ask me what I am. While I love my heritage being seen and acknowledged, there's this line where it becomes offensive to me and others, there are these comments that show me how I truly dont fit in because Im not pure-blooded white European. That hurts and has created such a weird mental disconnect, especially when sometimes there have been people who tell me that I'm lying about my background. I'm....tired of it. But it makes me feel so much less alone to hear you speak about your experiences and your desire to decolonize. I've been thinking about decolonization a lot lately because of the protests in the states. I've been digging into it a bit within myself, especially since Im generally white-passing. Thank you so much for sharing these resources with us, Im definitely going to take the time to read
Omg I love this... I never knew what I was and no one could tell me other than white and native American... I just recently went and took a DNA test and discovered I am 53%german and the rest was a mix of English Irish and Scottish... I can't wait to learn more.
Young lady, I’ve been following you for a while. I see an intelligent light worker. My adopted children are half Vietnamese while I am Scottish, Scandinavian and German. My nieces are half Latino and my other niece is Jamaican. I appreciated your video. It reminds me of my obligation to teach my kids to embrace their Vietnamese heritage. You are important as an enlightened being sharing time and space with other enlightened beings. They are a family too. I hope my daughter is as enlightened as you.
I really understand where you’re coming from. I’m a carribean american in nyc and i was interested in traditional witchcraft. I looked up traditional witchcraft and only european cultures popped up?? Its like how everyone decided that nude is one color. The form of witchcraft from my family’s culture is obeah but you have to be formally taught by someone that practices it and i’m sure there are more folk practices that i don’t know about. I know some of the stories but i feel i’ll have to work hard to really immerse myself in a culture i didnt quite grow up in.
Thank you for sharing your story! I'm Jamaican (mixed African, Irish, British, and Germanic descent) and my fiance is Argentine-American (mixed European and Native South American descent) so our kids will be a mix of a lot of things. I'm interested in hearing about biracial and multiracial experiences here in the US ~ Its always hard to feel othered or to feel like you don't belong to any group. :( I will do my best to make sure my husband and I pass down stories, myths, recipes, etc. from both cultures when we have kids.
Thank you for this! In the past year I've been researching my Scottish heritage and the deeper I go the closer to home I feel. My husband's family is from the Philippines and he's mentioned before how he wishes he could find out more about his roots and heritage. I'm so excited to share these resources with him so that he can have the same feeling of "coming home". Thank you so much for sharing and for your beautiful content.
This is such a sacred journey, and I’m so glad that you are on it! I’ve found my Scots-Irish ancestry to really be a major part of my work and the puzzle pieces keep coming. I wish you joy on your path 💙 Be your own unique kind of beautiful- belonging is overrated, anyway.
Bravo for your message ! 4 generations of mixed woman here! and trust me , with the years, you feel that you make part of the whole! Being mixed is just to remind you that you make part of a Race... Human :)
As a Italian, German, French, English, Mexican, African, Native Amarican. I came to the conclusion that my family loved every one to much. Decided that my culture is the humans, and to celebrate life with a open heart and mind. Respecting the traditions from all walks of life.
I feel the same way about my journey. I always felt like I didn't fit. I'm, part German, Danish, Swedish, English, Scottish and am from Zimbabwe. I'm doing Genealogy. Need to go further back that 1700. Sending hugs. You're awesome. ❤
I'm Mexican Portuguese Israeli and Scottish. It took me over 30 years to realise how fascinating it is that because of so many travelers in my ancestory I exist. 💜✨
This was such an interesting video to watch. I'm "white" (mostly Scottish and Irish) but recently found out I have a significant amount of Sub Saharan African in my DNA and ancestry so that threw me for a loop. Finding out our ancestors and researching our shared pasts is such an emotional thing, I really appreciate you sharing this journey with us.
Thank you for this video, the topics you covered within hit home for me. I'm a light olive-skinned woman with English, Tongan, German and Welsh heritage and I live in New Zealand. The disconnected feeling is really troubling sometimes when you have no traditions to center yourself.
I'm of Scots - Irish descent and my grandmother was sold to the highest bidder in the U.S. by the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland. It took me ages to find anything about her and when I did, none of the paperwork added up. She had four different names, two birthdays and the list of connections was seemingly endless, but led nowhere. Finally, I found a childhood friend of hers and I'm now actually living in Ireland. I feel such a connection to this place and yet it hurts me to think that a person's life can be so drastically altered by the whims of greedy people with little care for the culture and beauty of the countries they stumble into ~ And to think of how recent all of this was is hard to wrap my head around even now.
I absolutely love this being a mix german, irish, italian and Guatamalan I take so much more pride in my Hispanic heritage bc there traditions weren't just brought here and then considered "american" it's different and unique and I love it. Definitely thinking about doing a vid on it ,you've greatly inspired me ❤️
Tooootally feel this. I am Irish and Cuban (Spanish Cuban), never white enough, never brown enough. I am super grateful that my family only recently moved to the US and we still practice traditions from both sides. But, as you mentioned, they are definitely Western, Christian or Catholic practices with just snippets of the indigenous cultures left in them. Congrats on beginning your journey and I wish you the best. Really grateful that you shared this video because it will help people ❤️
Yay! An Ate to relate to, in a way. I am full Filipino born in PH, but raised in America. It's a struggle for me since childhood to maintain my Fil-Am identity, trying to care about my family and holding onto my individualism. I also struggle trying to get in touch with my Ilokano Ancestral line since I know little of the Ilokano dialect. Thanks for sharing, Ate!
both of my parents are Black, yet I can completely relate to everything you're saying. when I set up my ancestor alter in January of this year one of the questions I had (and still have) is who did my people pray to before colonization. don't have an exact answer to that, but I did discover Hoodoo (the black belt version talked about in the book Mojo Workin)...and I feel like that's a starting point for me personally. I also feel like my dead people are leading me as I continue this journey of my own decolonization...is not going to me easy..but I feel it's necessary...wishing you much success in your journey my dear. peace and blessings
Thank you for sharing such a personal post. I've become a big fan of your channel over the last few weeks or so , but this post is so thought provoking that I've had to pause it half way through and feel compelled to comment on how great it is too. It's got my mind going off in a tangent, so much so that I'll have to resume the rest of the vid in the morrow. Thanks Olivia keep up the good work 🙂
I am puertorrican, born, raised and live in PR. I needed to watch this video to understand why i feel like i do. Thanks for sharing this. My couture is disappearing rapidly and I feel desperate to rescue it...
Beautiful video dear 💕 I felt similarly for different reasons... once I got my ancestry done, it helped me to feel more connected to my Afrikan ancestors, particularly Nigeria. I found out that I was 31% Nigerian (among other things) and it made many things about my journey, spirituality and interests make sense. It also gave me the courage to dive into the spirituality of my Motherland now that I am deepening my witchcraft with a focus on Yoruba/Ifa practices and the connection to the Orishas. Bless you on this journey and all that you find ✨
Thank you for speaking on this. I have expressed this with others, but have found very few who feel the same. I’m VERY mixed, I’m Native American, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Irish, Indonesian etc... I’ve been told that I shouldn’t try to fit in to what was never mine, especially because I was raised only by my Italian/Irish mom. Which hurts because I feel alienated from all cultures within me. So thank you, this really made me feel validated.
This hit home so hard. Being Puerto Rican and Sicilian I was always to white for the Spanish kids and too Spanish for the white kids. This past year I got really into herbalism and wanted so badly to learn about it in a way that was more authentic to me. Only to come to find that information mostly passed down by word of mouth is almost all but lost. It's hard missing something that was taken away long before you were born. Good luck in your search.
So amazing to be on a similar journey myself! I feel an awaking happening. I am sure your getting messages about many ppl on this journey. So excited to see this all unfold into our world🌎
Being a Black American, I definitely understand the struggle of not fitting in. I'm not 'black enough' for other black people. I'm too black for white people. I dont have any folklore or history from my family passed down and even if I did, I can only go so far until the slave records make things almost impossible.
I get genuinely curious about my ancestors, but I get incredibly disheartened by it.
I hear a lot of that from my biracial friends, that it's never 'enough' for either side. I hope you find some answers, and I'm sorry it's such a murky history to sift through. I wish you didn't have to deal with that
What about taking a DNA ancestry test?! Some tests can narrow down to a specific region where our ancestors can from. After that, research the folklore and customs from that area to start.
Naima T didn’t know you were a scientist
That's the same for me since I'm mixed. The black people tell me I'm not black enough or I act white (I did end up growing up with white family) and the white people say I'm to black and that I act ghetto. Which is really insulting bc what does ghetto have to do with anything.
The thing about not being black enough for the black family but too black for the white family is real. I’m Caribbean (Barbados) and Norwegian
Never realised how lucky I am to be Irish in rural Ireland with pretty much only Irish ancestry. Celtic culture, mythology and thought is such a huge part of me and my lifestyle. It makes me sad not everyone had such a definitive link to their ancestry and those indigenous elements.
I'm very happy you are doing this and I hope you find what you are looking for 💕
Edit - just so you know pagan elements are still very much a part of Irish life even though Catholicism is the main religion.
We have bonfire traditions on Halloween (Samhain). We celebrate st. Bridget at the start of spring aka goddess Brigid and going for a 'cure' for an ailment is as normal as going to the doctor - cures are essentially pagan 'witchy' healing practices which are passed down through families.
No one actively links them to paganism but Irish people never fully lost their pagan roots in the transition to catholicism - we just changed the names of things 😂
Saying this as a Native American person, I, and many other Native folk, feel a weird sort of trauma bond with Irish folk. I always wondered if that sentiment was echoed in irish culture, but just don't have any irish friends.
I'm Irish and Welsh! My Irish/Welsh great grandma sadly died a few years after I was born, but she was a wonderful baker. I hope to visit Ireland or Wales soon and look at the pub (or what's left of it) my family owned before coming to Canada.
spookie Irish people definitely feel a great kinship with other Celtic and native people. I know things like Dakota pipeline really got people wound up here your voices being drowned out by the majority was reminiscent of problems Ireland has had. In a lot of ways we are very privileged to live on such a small island although we have been effected by colonisation we have been able to hold on to very key elements because largely people didn’t mass settle here and being such a small place the world doesn’t pass us much mind. I hope the native America (and all native people) are given the space, protection and help they need. Your culture should be allowed to flourish 💕
moths get chest hair definitely recommend coming to visit where your family came from. Be amazed at the culture you might find 🤗
I'm part Irish but I know absolutely nothing about where my family came from in Ireland. My grandmother was Irish and she has passed on and we were never very close. I have always been very attracted to the Irish part of my history because I love reading about Celtic mythology. And I like how Ireland mixes their mythology with Catholicism. I was raised Catholic and then a few years ago I finally started mixing my Catholic beliefs with witchcraft. I am not Wiccan... I consider myself a Catholic witch. I get a lot of backlash at times when I try talking about it on social media especially since in the United States witchcraft is considered evil in the eyes of the Catholic Church. Yet when I go to a Catholic mass all I see are extremely similar and parallel rituals that seem exactly like witchcraft to me. So for now I'm in the broom closet.
I’m mixed too. Black, Native American and white. I don’t feel like I fit in with anyone, I’ve always felt like an outcast. I have an identity crisis, but it’s hard to talk to anyone about it.
I felt the same too until last year. I have finally reached a comfort level with myself and who I am. I have realized 2 things: no one can change who you are and you are valid. Why do you have to fit anywhere? Someday, it probably wont matter anymore because everyone will be mixed. You can be you without any apologies!
Biracial Angel I'm the same mix and I get it, truly I do
There were alot of mixed Black/ Native American settlers that wew located in Delaware which were called settlements. I believe Alot of French migrated there and settled there. Good luck
Oh same here I'm predominantly Native American and African American (I'm pretty sure its African?). But also some Irish. My family appears more on the white side but are technically more native than anything else. They are extremely happy to teach me native history but refuse to teach any of my history from my fathers side (African American) or any Irish history soooo.
You're part of both. You belong with both. No one can or has the right to tell you otherwise. Both are part of your DNA.
Hi Olivia! I’m so happy you got to share about yourself and your ethnicity with us. I literally wanted to cry out of excitement to discover you’re Filipino and that you want to delve into the pre-colonial practices & folklore of it. I tell you, THERE’S SO MUCH you’ll want to learn since every region here in the Philippines have different cultural practices and beliefs-Sometimes they even intersect! What’s difficult is that most of these folklores are passed down through oral teachings rather than being documented because of the strong influence of Christianity due to the Spanish Colonization. But! Witchcraft was evident in pre-colonial Philippines! Precolonial Philippines was mostly into animism and we had “baybaylans” or shamans who would communicate to the spirits. Mostly babaylans are female but precolonial Philippines was very open and allowed men too to become babaylans but were to wear female clothes to be a babaylan. (Not to sure about this but this was taught to us orally, so the accuracy is kinda off). We have folklore that ranges from pregnant women must carry a dagger/knife to prevent “aswangs” from attacking them to getting a dream about losing your tooth/teeth means someone you know is dying/close to death. One thing I can do is to suggest a book that might help you start in learning the various cultures, folk beliefs, and customs in each region in the Philippines. The book name is “Encyclopedia of Philippine Folk Beliefs and Customs” by Fr. Francisco Demetrio, S.J. There are two volumes of this book and I swear it’s worth it! Sending you lots of love over the pacific and hopefully this journey will inspire you more!
AH! I know I'm so excited the more I learn! There's been a lot of it in my personal practice over the last year, and it's felt like everything boosted for me since then
Thank u Nikka, for sharing that info. I'm another fellow Filipina here that's been searching for the same answers and wanting to know more about Filipino customs prior to the Spanish colonization. Do u live in the Philippines?
It’s interesting what you said about the dreams because in Puerto Rico we always talk about those dreams and meanings within my family!!! Especially the dream about teeth falling
Thank you, for the book suggestion, Nikkia! I've also been on the search for information on Pre-Colonial Philippines and I'm really glad that you brought it up. I'm Fil-Am and sometimes I feel like I'm grasping at straws because I'm doing a lot of research on my own, and what my family knows only goes back so far.
I'm mixed-race and I hadn't begun to dig into my Persian ancestry until a year or two ago. It led me to research and learn a lot of Persian mythology and spirituality, as well as Persian history, including a disturbing history of colonialism in Iran by Britain and the US. It's been an enlightening journey and I've found a lot that I'm now passionate about. It's really lovely to hear you share your experience!
🤗. Im half Persian and Irish/Russian American. I was raised by my Persian family. No matter what the political climate, Im super proud of my European history too. (As I say, Europeans were late in the conquering game. Everyones hands are dirty). All sides have endured a lot. You got a lot of catching up to do on history, weve survived a lot of empires but we are all Mesopotamian.
This might explain why I don't talk in depth about my practices, because not only am I still learning a ton, but my practice involves a lot of really personal strings to both sides of myself. I can't wait to hear your stories! PS we're having a discussion about it on the discord server if you'd like to join in the channel #tea-time discord.gg/jWACzzJ
I have Dutch-German from my father's side. I also have Scot-Irish, and English from my mom's side. Somewhere in the mix is Cherokee.
I have my own channel also still finding my journey of my own gift xxx You have a fantastic gift 🧚♀️🦋🧚♀️ Xxx
As far as the practice goes, would you say that when creating a spell it is up to the person?
I am Irish/english. My earliest ancestors on my father's side ( Jonathan and samuel Eddy) came over from England in 1630. The english Eddy's still live in Cornwall England. My mothers family came over from Ireland during the potato famine. History is murky...all I know the irish Stickney's moved to Michigan from the Appalachian mountains during the early 1900s. The eddys have a rich history. Carlsbad new Mexico was original called Eddy new Mexico....that ancestor actually did business with pat Garrett....I had another ancestor who served on stede bonnets crew....I am a nerd lol
Oh!!! If you look it up...I do believe at one point a Egyptian queen moved to Ireland and mingled with the locals. Some say that is the origins of druidism
This is very refreshing! As a Filipino/Scottish American and constantly struggling with "identity". And "feeling" more Filipino than I look, etc... Mabuhay!
I hate being called exotic. It’s quite annoying. I’m Puerto Rican, scot/Irish and Norwegian. I hate living here in the US because I have this calling to the homelands. I understand your struggles. It’s been super hard to trace my Celtic and Norwegian ancestors and I feel so close to them. I’m trying to start my journey soon to seek answers and possible “meet” one of them.
It s really hard to find celtic documents and history cause the celts didn t keep records on paper of anything, and they were always in constant battle between each other since there were a lot of celtic tribes around Europe at that time. The records that are still preserved were written by the Romans, but you can find the modern adaptation of the celtic religion.
I feel this. It's really irritating when people say I look exotic, and I'm not trying to put people in boxes, but it's almost always older Caucasian people who say it. I'm a mix of British Isles, Native American, and Spanish, with a few other bits of the Mediterranean thrown in for good measure. I've been asked if I'm Greek, Arabic, Puerto Rican, Brazilian, and I even had one (old Caucasian) couple tell me I looked Egyptian. I've had people ask me if I'm actually from the U.S. and wonder at why my English is so good... My Caucasian family always treated me a bit different, and on the Reservation and among my Latinx side of the family, I was frequently teased for being so white. A weda. My husband, who is half Navajo, mixed with German & Irish has had much the same experience. Only recently (I'm now almost 30) have I found myself comfortable in my own skin. I no longer feel like a fraud when I say I'm Native American, and I no longer feel uncomfortable being the darkest skinned person among most of my mother's side of the family. I believe now that being of mixed ethnicity is a blessing, and those of us who are will help lead everyone into a better future, as we all will eventually become many facets of the beautiful cultures and people's that have evolved on this lovely blue jewel of a planet. Good luck to you in your own unique beautiful journey of self love and discovery. ❤️
I used to get called exotic all the time. Im puerto rican and celtic as well.
I honestly don't know anything about my family. As an African American you can understand that our heritage was decimated and damn near erased. I honestly wanted to ask my parents about their background but idk if they would understand why I wanted to know
No hurt in trying to ask them. My family hasn't been able to give me many answers but I've been finding peace in knowing more about the culture itself even if its not my direct bloodline. I hope you find answers you need
I feel the same way, my black side has so many myths or legends/stories about who's related to who that it's really hard to find concrete answers.
Scarlet Silverflame it is so sad how many black people have lost their heritage due to slavery. I did have a friend that did one of those dna test which helped her at least find what country her ancestors originated from.
@@TheWitchOfWonderlust Hi, I'm a fan of filipino ancient culture and mythology and I would like to share with you a great something. You should check out "aswangproject.com" for mythical creatures from philippine indigenous folklore. You might like the "god/goddess or diwata" files. Therefore, you might like or even love it, they have massive number of documentary topics on the website about indigenous folklore too. Please check it out :-) Thank you.
I’m the same! I was born and grew up in the Philippines and even though I’m African American on both my parents side and part Filipino on my mum’s (she’s half), I mostly know about my Filipino heritage and nothing about my African American side or anything. I’ve been wanting to understand my roots too so I’m waiting for an ancestry test to arrive and that should hopefully get the ball rolling!
Thank you for this. Being half Filipino and half German, I experienced many of the points you brought up. Being mixed is hard because you don't have a large population to go to, to share and gain experiences of what is like to be mixed. I was always pushed towards basically picking a side but I am both at all times. And it is hard, being "americanized" in my mom's terms. From picking an American name for me, not teaching me tagalog, telling me about her home country, or not being able to sympathize with other people's cultural upbringing. But I was to be proud of being Filipino, but I knew nothing beyond that it was a type of asian person. It is a very lost feeling but it is a unique experience to take control of learning about your roots. I think it is rewarding in its own way, keep going! So much more to learn, but happy that you are embarking on it.
Blessings to you my dear!! Sending you love! I truly appreciate and am honored to walk this journey with you my beautiful sister.
I am too am on this self-discovery pre-colonization journey.
Thank you Beautiful Soul! Be Blessed!
This hit me in all the feels. I’m also Filipina and “white.” I’ve noticed that many in my Filipina side claim to have no aboriginal blood; they say they are Part Chinese and Part Spanish only. You’ve inspired me to look deeper into it myself! It’s interesting that my great grandfather was a traditional healer and my uncle carries this familial stone that holds those same healing powers. I’m like “I wanna know more! Is this just family urban legends or is there merit to it?” Thank you for being brave and sharing your story! You’ve totally inspired me. 🥰
I totally get this! I was raised by my mom n her family, who are a stereotypical caucasean mix (Irish, German, English etc) but my dad is an islander (palauan and chamoro [from guam and Palau]). We live in michigan, in a predominantly white community. My sister tried to look into our islander heritage but most of our culture was lost due to pillaging from other counties. We're estranged from our dad's family so they're not a good source either. People are always fascinated by us because they don't know what our ethnicity is. It's often assumed I'm hispanic and people will try to speak Spanish to me, but I've only ever learned German so I just confuse them more. I could tell a million stories about people assuming my ethnicity, or that I'm adopted, or when someone meets my family for the first time and being confused. It's a weird way to grow up n see the world.
Pillaging is so horrible. Im sorry you couldn’t find much but maybe one day people will find information about your culture!
Hi I'm Palauan too. Most people assume I'm black cause I have darker skin.
I feel that. I'm also very culturally German and I look relatively European, but I'm part Iranian too. I have an olive complexion but also blue eyes. I refer to myself as "spicy white".
I relate to this on a deeper level. Why do people assume that when your not dark enough to be black but not light enough to be white your Hispanic?
I'm Cherokee x Irish..I could speak for ages on my thoughts of being both of something and somehow neither in the process. Olivia, you brought me to tears. You put it into words beautifully.
I'm the same mix, but with a pinch of african too. I just found out about the Cherokee part a couple years ago, researching that side of my heritage has been tough
@@HunterLvyiXIII Well, if you would let me save you some searching. There is a small, tri-racial isolate genetic group of people that are descendants of slaves, native americans, assimilated and not, and the white "undesirables" who were just poor or irish or german and the mix just kept mixing creating a subrace of people called the Melungeons. We are cousins. However many times removed. Your family would most likely have at some point moved from the Appalachian Mountains, around the Cumberland Gap area or up through Eastern Kentucky, or South Western Virginia unless you are still in TN, VA, KY..(the west region of Virginia, by the way not West Virginia to be more specific.) In 2005 a project started up to track our group of DNA and those people are in Hancock County, Tennessee. Throughout history mixed race marriages were not allowed in the 13 colonies, but free white women who chose to marry free poc and had mixed race children, those children were considered white by the law and allowed their mothers free status. It goes so deep the well of information once you are given the word. Research Melungeons.
@@heathernicole9358 Thank you very much! I knew it! Also I have a lot of ancestors who were born in and around Hancock county, TN, I will definitely look into the Melungeons
Olivia, be strong and be true to self. As many many people around the world, we are mixed with many indigenous people. Realize you are blessed and scared. Having done the 23 & me DNA screening, I learned of my Nigerian, Congolese, Irish, English, and Chinese ancestry. Your journey is designed by your ancestors... continue to follow. You are not to fit in, you are to lead; there are those who will follow. I'm proud of you and the work you are doing. Blessed be!
Thank you for speaking on this topic! I am Irish, Native American (Cherokee) and African American. I knew about my Irish heritage, because my mom's side was very proud of it. Unfortunately, racism is prominent on that side, and I never understood why I looked different from my family and was treated differently that I can still remember of as of this day. I did notice my mother took me to pow wows on occasion and tried to educate me as a child, but did not offically tell me about my Native American/ African American side until I was sixteen, when I found out on my own. I was told to never speak of it to anyone in my family. No one was allowed to know except for the few that already did. It hurt, and I feel it from time to time but I have healed from that anger/frustration, and researched more about my heritage.
Thank you for being so honest and saying the words I wish I was brave enough to. You put your heart into this.
I am like you with added Puerto Rican. For me, it is difficult to vibe with just one ancestor; like do we as mixed folk just blend our heritages together and create something new? I'm still going through that journey. I hope you found some focus for your background for sure.
I feel honored that you've shared such a personal video with us! Tusend Tak!
I am on the same boat with my ethnicities!! I’m Mexican, Native, and Irish!
Hey, thanks! I am a black girl, and I have no real ability to trace my heritage on some level. But I love hearing people talk about where they come from and learning to love themselves without the context that was often placed on top of us. I know this was vulnerable and I thank you for what shared. Thanks!
Heyyyy.....you can always go to ancestry.com ......
@@Divineunlimitedenergy I was thinking along these lines too. Maybe a DNA test can narrow down your ancestry and that can be a starting point for your research.
My DNA test was done by ancestry.com and it indicated my lineage to Nigeria and Cameroon. I am so proud now. It’s worth a try.
West African most likely, and I'm sure you have some European or maybe even Indigenous American in there. Get a DNA test and make use of the religions black slaves and their descendant preserved in places like the South and the Carribean ! They took the Orisha/Yoruban religion with them and many black people all across the Americans still do ancestor work with these figures.
I hate the word black 😔
As someone who has a very similar genealogical background (Pampangan Filipino and Irish/Norwegian) this list of resources has SAVED me. I've been searching for any sort of knowledge or framework like this for years, its so difficult to sift through the catholic culture that has taken over. Thank you so much for sharing, you are helping so many Filipino practitioners and non-practioners get a point of reference for understanding where they and their spirituality come from. Thank you, and thanks to the people you got this information from!
Such a beautiful, raw and thought provoking video Olivia. I'm Puerto Rican and Mexican - born here in the states and my youngest daughter is Half Filipina - THIS conversation is something I have with my family and her father often. I have been on my decolonization journey for a few years as a Latina and one book I found very informative was 1491 as it gave the not so pretty recount of the harm that Columbus did to my people in the Caribbean. My daughter is still kind of young to understand all of this, but I actively talk with her and her big sister (half polish from my first marriage) about the history they don't teach in school. I know how hard it can be attempting to connect with your ancestors and wanting to know the stories and histories of our people, but being so disconnected because we are here in the states. I know my great gramma was a healer on the Island of Puerto Rico, but I only met her once, before she passed, but I feel her presence with me often. Our family has "gifts" we don't talk about much, but I also know that has to be a part of our lineage too. So, I am typing all of this to say that I wish I was half as awake as you are at your age. I'm in my mid 30s now and I think I am at a stage where I DGAF what people think and I think that makes me search and explore and be more open about this journey as a bruja who is trying to decolonize her mind and heart. Keep up the beautiful work! I hope one day my daughters are as curious and open to learning about their history as you are and I hope one day they can watch this video and see there are many of us seekers out there.
I'm so glad that you decided to talk more about yourself to us, I'll always support you♡ love you!
I am half White (French descendant) and half Mexican 🤗
and I am soooooo happy to see someone with a platform speaking on this topic! It truly is a very unique, and often lonely experience being a mixed person, even though I also am very proud to have the background that I do, as I'm sure many of us are. :) But growing up, I was raised much closer to my Mexican side of the family because my White side wasn't making the best choices in life.
So I grew up feeling very close to and at home with the Mexican culture. However...I wasn't raised speaking Spanish even though I was always around it and came to understand a decent amount of it. This has become the biggest thing that has kept me somewhat separated from other Hispanics I meet that I want to connect with. It breaks my heart every time I can't bridge the language barrier between myself and a fellow Hispanic. I've practiced Spanish on my own time, but it's a long process as an adult.
Because of this, Hispanics and other "minority" races usually see me as a White girl, and I have been racially judged by Mexicans (which hurts when I am Mexican and love my culture) because they have assumed I was doing something racist because I have white skin.
On the other hand, I don't tend to fit into White culture because I didn't grow up in it. But even if I did, most White people can tell I am either mixed, or they think I'm definitely Hispanic so then I have also been racially judged/mistreated by White people before as well.
As ostracizing as it can be, I am forever grateful to have been given this unique perspective on life where I get to see the world from two very different sides. As biracial or multiracial children become more and more common, I truly feel it's one of the paths towards a more open-minded country. Thank you for sharing your experience and thank you to everyone else sharing their experience in the comments & letting us know we aren't alone! :) 💗
I'm also Mexican and French, and on the Mexican side am Spanish and Zapotec!! I have gone through all the above, as well. Not speaking Spanish, though even my French Mom is fluent, definitely created a barrier sometimes, and I was never Mexican enough, or Chicana enough (in New Mexico) or white enough (in Louisiana).
Seems like miscegenation is not so wonderful as the mainstream tells us every day.
I highly doubt u are half white and half mexican u should take a dna test and u will be super surprised at ur results also I am mexican and central American with alot of indigenous in me more then my Spainard side but I got light skin because of my Spanish and some Mexicans have made fun of me cuz I'm light skinned oh and I am fluent in Spanish so you can't win I'm more indigenous and a person of color then white and still got bullied people just suck or maybe they feel intimidated by our color also it's ridiculous cuz the only reason Latin America knows Spanish is because of Spain so really Spanish is a white language so there is that
I just came across this video today. Thank you so much for sharing. I can relate…I am Indigenous (native american) but I have French and Scottish ancestors as well. I get the exotic look comments all the time, and people are never quite sure what I am. I get Filipina a lot, Vietnamese, Hawaiian…My kids are half German and when my son was a baby, people assumed I was his nanny because he looked like a white baby. I know my two kids have had some struggles with their own identities but we talk about this all the time and I do my best to be supportive. Anyway, thanks again for sharing and I wish you well on your journey 😊
When you started talking about lightening skin tones, I teared up... Because for most of my childhood, I remember my mother who is full Malaysian (She moved here to marry my dad is who is Irish, German, Italian and Dutch); she is super dark... She used to tell me that there were so many people back home for her where people made fun of how dark she was...
I remember sitting in the bathroom watching her makeup routines and I finally asked her, I remember this as a child "mommy, why are you using light make up?" My mom would look at me and tell me "To feel more pretty and beautiful pumpkin" ... I would always look at her and tell her "mommy, you are pretty, I love you just the way you are".... Back then I never understood why she did it, till I matured. Going on 29 now, it still pains me having a full understanding what my mom had to go through, to endure racism, and being called names to the point or telling her to "go back home". She was always home so long as I was here... No matter where we were at or separated.
Being mixed has shown me the good and the bads. I never felt like I fit in anywhere or connected anywhere... And what gets under my skin so much here in the south is being asked if I know Malay... I don't. My mother was told it would "hinder" me from learning, this was during the time when her English was very broken; people would always ask me this. I UNDERSTAND some BASIC words, but I can't enunciate them accordingly. Another thing that I hate is when people seem shocked I am mixed OR tell me I look eXoTiC, or "You don't look Asian", as if ALL Asian's look exactly the same...
To sum everything up, thank you for making this video.
We are from one major source. The Original woman of This Universe and you continue to reflect your uniqueness. Love and continued Light and understanding.
Hi Olivia. I too am of Filipino descent, born and raised in California, and I love that you are touching onto this topic and the journey of decolonization. I've been on the journey of decolonization for almost two years now and from my experiences it has been very healing and magical. When I began practicing the Craft my mom dropped the bomb that my great-lola was healer in the province where she grew up. She was an Albularya and a Hilot. In the northern regions of the islands where my mom was from, they still retain their animistic believes while still practicing Catholicism. In my journey of decolonization I got to connect with other Filipino spiritual practitioners via Instagram. Many of them are intuitive guides, healers, ceremonialists, educators, artists, activists, storytellers, and medicine makers. The journey of decolonizing myself has taught me to love my brown skin and it has brought me closer to my ancestors more than ever. Even though we may not know much even the lack of knowledge our families have due to colonization, I feel the Babaylan spirit working though each Filipino who are on the spiritual path. I hope to connect with you sometime in the future. My insta is @ManongMedicine.
Similar to you I’ve felt like I’m an outsider in America, being Japanese and European. It’s not often I hear someone else who can relate to the conflict I’ve had within myself, it’s really refreshing actually to know I’m not alone. And I too am researching my ancestry and folklore of where my family is from. It’s such a fun journey! I can’t wait to hear more about what you’ve discovered :)
As a mixed person(white, Indonesian, Latine) thinking about decolonizing myself, this was very helpful. I've tried looking into my family heritage but sadly, colonizers don't like to keep records of the people they are oppressing. It was crazy to see that my white side was perfectly preserved, but nothing came from my Indonesian side or my native Mexican side.
I don t want to be rude or anything but maybe the culture os Mexican or Indonesian didn t have the social structure that the white had to preserve the heritage? A lot of documents were kept by the catholic church that s why they are so well preserved.
Hello. Mexican native culture was one of the most sophisticated native cultures of precolumbian America. You can trace it if you study popular-folk mexican culture. Mexican folk and traditional culture is bilingual (native languages +spanish) so you can find a lot of the native aztec culture transformed and alive in contemporary mexican society. You can add to that traces of african culture (Veracruz, in Mexico, was a big slave trade center back in colonial times) and, of course, you have the folk christian culture brought and imposed by the catholic conquistadors. Hope I helped. Hugs from Colombia.
@@alejita1679 Oh my goodness, I'm Colombian and looking for precolonial/preHispanic resources and connections! Do you have any leads??
A family story that was passed down on my mom's side of the family:
Great great grandfather was a full blooded Cherokee Native American. When he met my great great grandmother and fell in love, she said she would only marry him if he converted to Christianity. And so he did but that wasn't enough for the local church to allow him in. His Cherokee name was Skullhead and the church wanted him to have a more Christian name. After being given a list of similar sounding names he settled on Schoolings, which is the name his new bride took as well. The name Schoolings continued on for generations. My mother was a Schoolings until she married my father.
Thank you for the strength and bravery you displayed in not only making this content but making it Public
I panicked for three weeks about it lmao
Hi, Temperance! ✳️
Thank you so, so much for this. I too am a twentysomething mixed Filipina/white American beginning to deconstruct the colonized belief structures I've inherited, paralleling my fledgling exploration of witchcraft. We have gone through such similar things -- I grew up in a predominantly white community in Oregon and I'm very familiar with the 'little comments' you mention. I was just talking with my sister today about how we so rarely get the chance to talk with other mixed Filipinx American folks about our dissonant cultural experiences and how to reconcile our identity. I'm still in the initial probing phases of lineage exploration -- my father (who also immigrated to the US in the 70s!! from a rural village outside Davao) has so far shared with me some vivid experiences he had in childhood with shamanic figures and spirit encounters. It comes in pieces, but I hold the memories close. Your chance restaurant encounter sounds beautiful, I can't wait to delve into the sources you generously listed.
I’ve been with you and this channel for a long time now and I don’t think I’ve ever been as emotionally affected along the way as I was when I watched this. We love you girl, I wish you the best luck.
Thanks for Sharing Olivia! I believe this is part of our awakening. I started remembering things my Grandmother taught me as a small child and that brought me to wanting to know more about my background and where my gifts come from. I too was raised Christian, but I spent almost all of my childhood outdoors and now I walk the pagan path. I'm always searching for the answers. Blessings to you and I hope you find all of yours.
I'm a Filipina living in Japan, with a mixed daughter,half Filipino and half Japanese. I'm watching this to delve into the possible future thoughts, questions and curiosity of my 3-yr old daughter. This is gonna be my reference for her future questions. Love and light. 🇵🇭🇯🇵
Thank you for this video. Really beautiful. I have an Aleut heritage, but I didn't really feel like an outsider in America growing up. What I have often experienced is that others ask me to PROVE how indigenous, I am which feels invalidating.
I'm embarking on a very similar journey too, I'm the daughter of a Peruvian immigrant. It's so complex and overwhelming, and I'm so happy for you on your journey. Thank you so much for sharing and being vulnerable, I feel seen and heard, and we're with you on your journey
Wow. This is a lot!
I am part Jicarilla Apache and part Spaniard. There have been times in my life where it hits me in the chest that one part of my ancestors killed (among other things) the other part of my ancestry. I've begun trying to map my family tree, I'm just running into a few roadblocks due to lack of birth documents. And then there are times when I think ... "I was born to the land of Colorado, despite any ancestry, I belong to Colorado" and I've begun to try and describe what that means.
It's a difficult road ... not for the faint of heart. I'm sending many blessings and lots of good energy to help you in your search.
Thank you for sharing your journey with us!
I only recently found out that my ancestors come from Wales, and Scotland. I had begun to listen to music and I found that Irish/Scottish music and song in Gaelic spoke to me and filled me with a sense of homesickness and longing. I didn't understand it but it lead me to get an AcestryDNA test where I found that my Ancestors were from Wales and Scotland/Ireland. Because of this discovery I have dived into the history of Scotland, Celtic mythology, and have begun to learn Scottish Gaelic and hope to live in Scotland one day. I can't wait to learn more!
I’m still wading through my heritage and history. I’m adopted..and my adoptive dad was also adopted so tracing my adoptive and my birth family has been difficult. I recently found out from my birthdad (we met when I was 25) that somewhere way back on his side our ancestors were Scottish Quaker’s who helped to create and run the Underground Railroad. (I am super happy to know that we were on the right side of history). I hope to one day find out a full history of adoptive and birth families because while my birth family is blood my adoptive family is still my family and their history is mine too
You are a beautiful and free soul. An authentic thinker and communicator. You help people expand their views of life and love.
God I began my struggle with this a couple years ago. I'm Vietnamese from my dad and my mom is German. My dad is a refugee that came here when he was about 14-15, and he left my mom when I was about 6. I'm first generation on his side, and I discovered my moms side has only been in the US since the early 1900s, I'm only about a 4th generation on her side. I'm not white-passing at all, not even a little bit, and I've known that from a very young age. I heard the Asian jokes my entire life and even saw the racism come through when people would no longer stand or walk next to me once the Coronavirus hit, even though I've never even been to Asia. I couple years ago I felt this emptiness in my that longed for my dad's side, and I found out I had cousins I didn't even know existed. I went to visit them that year and got a family tree that my uncle put together, I got to see pictures of my aunt and uncles and my grandparents that I never got to meet. I still connect with them and I've been learning a lot about that side of me. It's funny because it was actually witchcraft and my own path that lead me there.
This video came at an insane time! I recently was looking to my family history too and I found I have a great-great-great(?) grandfather who was a Chinese immigrant who worked on the railroads here in the US. I’ve always been interested in Chinese culture since I was young and didn’t know why and now I feel like I know where that connection comes from. I’m a proud African American woman but now I know I can be proud of the other aspects (English, Irish and Chinese) of me as well! I’m glad you decided to go down this path because it’s really interesting to look for new perspectives on life (especially pertaining to spirituality and witchcraft) ♈️✌🏾
That is a super interesting mix. I'm curious bas to what you look like now (totally not meaning to sound creepy 😂 just legitimately curious/
I've struggled with this for a long time. I'm German, Irish and Indian, but because of genetic variation I look white - unlike my sister and father. For a long time I felt like that meant I wasn't allowed to celebrate my ancestors' cultures, but the more I examined it the more I realised I already was, by using old family recipes, celebrating holidays in subtly indigenous ways, and the more I explore the traditions and my ancestors' relationships to them, the more accepting and proud I am of my background.
When we had "heritage day" at school I asked my parents what our heritage was. They said "well, we're white." Okay, but like where did we come from? Turns out my dad (adopted) was descended from Pennsylvania Dutch (German) and we still used words, practices, and customs that were very strongly tied to that community. It also turns out there are some black ancestors on that side of the family, which is probably why he got defensive about his whiteness. On my mom's side they kept our Native American ancestry pretty quiet for a while and it turns out my great grandmother was Scottish and a granny witch. The Appalachian folks had a sort of culture of their own that was apart from the general "whiteness" in America. I've enjoyed delving into that culture, as well.
I have been in the same journey. I am Italian, German, Belgian. I have found it hard to find out the Italian and Belgian sides. Thank you for posting this. I have been on the same journey!
Regardless about your ethnicity you are an absolutely beautiful young lady and an awesome human being.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful and raw part of yourself. I'm mixed too: half Puerto Rican and half white (which itself is a mix of Irish, British, and Greek). I related so hard when you mentioned feeling allowed to claim your Filipina heritage. My mother is from Puerto Rico, but since I was raised in the states, I only learned American culture. I wasn't taught the spanish language, foods, or traditions. Plus, since I am light skinned, most people assume that I have no other cultural influence. I've been struggling lately with feeling like I am "allowed" to claim my Hispanic heritage. I often feel like an imposter when trying to incorporate more of my Hispanic side in my daily life.
Thank you for sharing your story. I can definitely resonate with it, I am also a mixed person with Asian and white ethnicities. Specifically, Filippina and German/Austrian. I live in southern va, so I got asked a lot of questions regarding it. People also asked/commented racist remarks to me. I'm so glad that the lady you mentioned was able to guide you. 😭 And thank you for sharing those resources with us.
First of all, can I just say thank you sm for being so open and honest about a topic like this. I just really appreciate how much heart and thought you put into such a personal topic, and how you wanted to talk about this because you knew that others could relate to where you're coming from as well.
Second of all, I'm definitely one of those people who can relate. As far as I'm concerned, I am Filipino from my dad's side (funny enough his side is also from Cebu) and part Spanish from my mom's side because my great-grandfather (bisabuelo) came here to The Philippines during the 1930's. Just like you, I also want to dig deep and learn more, especially about my mom's side. As a kid my grandma would always tell me stories about my bisabuelo and would carry on traditions from our Spanish roots that my family and I continue to practice today, and all in all he just sounded like a really kind and great man.
I guess one of the main reasons why I especially want to learn more about my Spanish roots and about who my bisabuelo was is because I feel very connected to that side. Growing up, my family and I, although very much in touch with our Filipino roots, would practice traditions and even cook foods that my friends and others around me had no idea about, and when I'd tell them about it they'd give me these weird looks. Also, at least here in The Philippines, I've been told so many times that I don't look 'pure' and I look 'mestiza' (mixed blood) and that would always make me feel like a bit of an outsider at times because when I would explain that I am Filipino but part Spanish, some people wouldn't count me as 'not a real Filipino'.
Anyways, all in all, as you said, I just really want to connect with my roots because by connecting with my roots maybe I'll get a better sense of who I am and where my family came from. Sadly, all of the photographs, letters, and documents surrounding my bisabuelo were all burned in WWII.
Edit: I'm pretty sure my bisabuelo was a herbologist, or at least was very knowledgable when it came to herbs because, according to my grandmother, people in the village would come to him for help and he always knew how to make some sort of herb-based remedy that would fix their injury or ailment. Idk I just found that really cool
I found you mystically, and share you to all aspiring witches. You're amazing, beautiful, strong, and wise. An articulate and open person. Never forget yourself, and be proud. You're an awesome person.
Thanks for opening up about this! As a first-gen American mixed kid (Chilean/Columbian and Irish) a lot of my path has had to do with learning more about where I came from. You're not alone and I'm wishing you the best as you learn more
My mother is Mexican and my father is Guamanian/Filipino. I'm also so very mixed and have found it hard at times. I've tried to learn about the indigenous people prior to colonization before but didn't get very far. Sometimes I'd even get shunned for asking. This video has made me think it might be worth trying again. :) TY!
It's a difficult conversation sometimes. I'll get blown off sometimes too. I hope you are able to find those answers, there's SO much amazing history in the pre-colonized Mexican, Guatemalan and Filipino sides!
As someone who is also mutli-ethnic/racial individual, I had the same identity questionings you had, growing up. It's ironic that here in the states where it's a hotpot of every beautiful ethnic/racial backgrounds/cultures, those who are not culturally aware questions my identity since they couldn't really pin-point what i am ethnically/racially. I am of Filipino/Hawaiian/Spanish descent, who is also American. I'm still new at practicing witch craft and the things that you brought up here really resonates with me. Thank you for sharing part of your story with us, Olivia!
I think that I was fortunate to have grown up in a heavily Mormon family, since genealogy is a big thing. I feel like that's the only real benefit I got growing up LDS. Most of my family heritage is pretty well mapped out and I know pretty well what my ethnicity and family history is, except for my mom's maternal side specific to my family only. But my mom's mom is Ukrainian (although she was born and raised in the US) and she taught us some traditions her parents taught her growing up. Recently I've really been diving into Ukrainian culture, particularly the old ways. I have a deep love and fascination with Baba Yaga.
I grew up lds as well and I feel like my family gave up their ancestry for their religion. My parents cared about ancestors, but only in order to convert them, I was never taught about traditions.
I never learned about traditions from my family (LDS as well) although I know my genealogy on my Mom's side is very well mapped. Dad's side is a lot iffier from my understanding. I might be able to find some things though, thankfully I think there are other family members who also want to know a lot about old Irish traditions and culture so I might be able to find some resources from them.
I grew up in a pagan family but experienced the LDS church for 3 years and even went through the temple. I did so much work on my family history but haven't gotten all the Italian and German side mapped out yet because they died and my mom won't help me. My paternal grandmother's side is almost impossible because her grandfather changed the family name when he was running from the law, it was darling and now it's woods, but I can't prove it because there is no records other than maybe a news paper article with his name in it wanted for murder
I am proud native American, African, and Cajun! 35% Seminole Indian
Dude!! People have also told me “oh your English is so good!” I am also told i “look exotic”. At first it bothered me, now I feel that it connects me to sooooooo many humans, it’s like a gift. I feel like we are on the same road and I am glad you made this video. You are not alone!!
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. It s a very personal topic and it can be so hard and confusing to find your routs and the history of your own ancestry, especially if you didn't grew up with elements of these cultures because they have been lost or been forgotten. I would love to hear your progress through your studies, I think this is a very important topic many many witches struggle with. I appreciate that you have shared such a personal topic and opened a conversation about finding routs and rediscover traditional practices by our ancestors.
Knowing who you are is very self empowering from every perspective! This is a great video beloved. Being mixed is sometimes very difficult, especially when no one in the family resembles you. Alienated and rejected is how I was treated growing up among my social pier groups. But as we grow and learn to love and accept ourselves we heal and evolve. 💛💪
Appreciate the vid!!!
the idea of being an outsider when it comes to your own culture is something that I struggle with constantly, and I admire your willingness to be open and share your experience. Thank you.
This is extremely relatable. I'm 🇺🇲/🇵🇭, dad was in the navy, met my mom and she immigrated to Hawaii. Eventually my family moved to Colorado. I never got to know my Filipina side, never had the opportunity to learn my mom's native language, or her culture. It's always felt disheartening, like I've never been able to fully connect with my mom or my self. I was lucky to have my sisters who understand the struggle.
Good luck on your journey. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and resources.
I resonate with this and love that you're diving into your background.
I am half Panamanian and half white European hodge podge with some Native. It can be difficult not knowing or feeling where you "fit in". I came out looking whiter than my sisters so people were always confused by me in many different ways. It can be troubling. I could go on and on about my experiences. My mom is extremely proud and always immersed us in her culture and I am very proud. But when I was little I remember my mom being upset that I checked "white" on my paperwork. I now check Latin or other.
I dont really speak to my father's side. Much love.
As a Greek person, born and raised in Greece, it is impossible for me to even imagine how it must feel not knowing your family history. I have spent countless hours listening to my grand parents, my aunts and uncles, my parents talking about our family’s journey, how they overcame difficulties, how they experienced pain and joy, how they shaped their destiny. There is no present without the past, not in the sense that you should live in the past, but that you should be aware of it and learn from it, use it as an invaluable source of information on human behavior, adopt the patterns that suit you and discard others. Knowing your family’s past and traditions is important because it provides you with a “life map” that would otherwise take you years to figure out for yourself. It is information and experience already waiting for you, ready to be used so that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you come across a situation that your ancestors have already dealt with. You just draw from past experience and use it accordingly. Without any connection to our family and our history we are just floating around without any identity.
Thank you for such a candid video. It resonated with me even though I am not of mixed background. You aren’t alone. There are those that are not of mixed background who are are still also decolonizing. Decolonizing is like peeling the layers of an onion. Each layer brings you on the brink of tears from both sympathy and anger for the plight of your ancestors. When the tears dry, you get a clearer picture of who you are and how you are connected to not only your colonized ancestry but to everyone else on this planet. Every culture was once a colony, even Rome. Over time, after more layers reveal more of your ancestry, the challenge then becomes choosing which indigenous culture you feel the strongest connection.
I'm part Irish and part Samoan and there's always been a feeling of not being "White" enough or "Brown" enough. So watching a video of somebody in a similar position is really refreshing. 💖
Wow. I cried when you spoke of that woman who helped you. You're ancestors totally sent her your way. I wish you many blessings on your journey ❤
I feel like I'm lucky in the sense that I know a lot about my Native American side of the family. My family's lineage dates back to Spotted Tail, and one of my great great grandfathers used to rob Wells Fargo stagecoaches. The gold they took from those lasted all the way up to my dad. He told stories about how every spring his mom would lift a floorboard up from their house and take out a coffee can of gold coins and use the money to get their school supplies. If anything, I want to learn more about my tribe's rituals, our stories, and get closer to my root culture.
This is so perfect!!! I love this. I am "pure" Portuguese from Portugal and was raised very "traditional". As much as I love the culture there was a lot I have never been able to identify with, and I never knew why. I've recently been working a lot with my ancestors through dream work and it has been such an amazing and beautiful journey. I've learned that my family has had witches for centuries, and that I'm not the only one. These practices were lost when Catholicism basically became mandatory. My family was healers, and spiritual leaders in their communities. I connect so much to natural medicines, oils, and connecting to self and the earth more than I ever did to any religion, and I'm discovering that this is why. My ancestor work has been teaching me so much about crafting, and healing. Recently I did some healing work with an Indigenous healer in Canada and she mentioned that I have connection to the middle east and that I have ancient ancestry there, and she saw a large cat that was constantly around me to protect me. She told me it was some sort of cat that was found in the middle east and that animal is my protector and my families protector. Discovering that piece about the middle east also makes a lot of sense to me, and me and people in my family do have some features and I often get mistaken for a middle eastern man. It's not uncommon that I'm the elevator or bus and someone randomly starts speaking to me in Aribic. Lol all in all, these jour eyes are so powerful, meangful, and just beautiful. It has been such an eye opening and healing experience for me. Recently I've been REALLY REALLY getting called back to Portugal. I don't know where or why, but I'm sure that will be revealed when I am able to go. Though due to Covid, it might be a while. 😩
I’m so excited for you to learn about your ancestry! Thanks so much for taking us in this journey with you. I’m adopted from South Korea growing up with two white parents in a mostly (if not all) white community and have soooo many feelings about this subject. Maybe someday I’ll get the courage to go down this road of self discovery as well. 😊
I’m really grateful that you uploaded your story. Never had to deal with the issues that come with having a mixed skin color, but I’m still aware of it because some of my friends are mixed and we’ve spoken about it before. Im not really at a standpoint where I can comment on that though, so I’m going to leave it as is. There’s a reason that many people in America are just not known for their politeness.💛 On the other topic, I can completely relate to not being able to find your heritage. Up until my mid-teens, I didn’t know practically anything about mine except for that my family is white. Thankfully, my Gamma has been learning about our family’s ancestry, for a while now so she was able to tell me what kind of cultures our family is tied to (at least on my mom’s side). I know that I’m Polish, Ukranian, Romanian, Hungarian, German, and the list goes on a bit but mostly it’s all in the lump category of “white.” Honestly, digging into the history before colonization (before christianity took over) has been complicated and it just shows how that specific religion has dismantled culture all across the world. It’s hard to find certain aspects of many older cultures but thankfully I have found some great resources in my time searching.🙏🏻 I hope you are able to continue your path and figure out more about who you are, Olivia. You have amazing energy and I highly respect you, especially for posting a good video like this during current times. Light and love, may your gods treat you well💛
Wooooooooooooo. So real! It's crazy how intense being in the middle is. Being a "mixed" person is being in between two lands that you don't fully understand and you feel that you don't belong to neither of them, one because you know nothing about it and the other because you just born there but you had the constant feeling of "not beloning" cause you are constantly said that "you are exotic" or "you don't look like (introduce a nationality here)" or people ask for explanations of things that you don't even know or understand. The constant and painful question mark on top of your head. I always felt and feel that I have no land, and the more the times passes, the more I feel connected to something deeper with all my South American ancenstors...nobody told me anything about them, I just know they are there, they call (they freaking do OMG) and you can't even get started cause it's sooo overwhelming...
Anyway! thanks
I feel you girl! It’s pretty difficult without fully understanding our Filipino heritage, all the while trying to decolonize. I haven’t found much on the roots/representation/specifics of my Tagalog tribe, either. All I know is that we’re part-Spanish & part-Chinese, as well, but I have a hunch about being tortured & tormented, given my whole maternal side has “a missing nipple”. If you believe in reincarnation, this may resonate with you.
I hope some links I provided can help you peel back that curtain a little bit
Thank you for sharing your story! I am also mixed (father - Mixed Caucasian, mother - Native American). It is really nice to know that other people are going through the same thing as I am. I’m too white/tall with one side of my family, and I’m too dark/“exotic” for the other side. I found that it made me closer to my siblings since we can’t relate too closely on either side. I still have a hard time telling people about being mixed because they only see what they want to see and then they judge me on their beliefs after being told what I am. It took a long time, but I’m proud to be ethnically ambiguous and learn more about where both sides of my family comes from. ✌🏽
First off I wanted to say thank you for sharing this piece of yourself with us. And, actually I've wanted to comment on this for a while but never thought it was really the time to say. I'm mixed too. I'm a mishmash of European, indigenous Mexican and Filipino. Finding you, a witch of European and Filipina heritage made me so happy because here is someone who is my age, sorta looks like me, who practices witchcraft just as I have for the past decade, that kind of representation makes me deeply happy.
About those small comments that people make too, I went to a majority white elementary school and would get comments on my hair, my skin, my eyes, people would tell me that because Im of Asian descent that its the reason why Im so smart or why Im so pretty. There was always this sense of otherness that was created by my peers which separated me from them, despite me passing as white. Ive had white friends who have tokenized me, lied about my genetic percentages, to show how not racist they are to other people despite me LOOKING AND BEING PART WHITE. Ive had strangers stare at me and my parents while we're out to lunch. Ive had strangers come up to me and ask me what I am. While I love my heritage being seen and acknowledged, there's this line where it becomes offensive to me and others, there are these comments that show me how I truly dont fit in because Im not pure-blooded white European. That hurts and has created such a weird mental disconnect, especially when sometimes there have been people who tell me that I'm lying about my background. I'm....tired of it. But it makes me feel so much less alone to hear you speak about your experiences and your desire to decolonize. I've been thinking about decolonization a lot lately because of the protests in the states. I've been digging into it a bit within myself, especially since Im generally white-passing. Thank you so much for sharing these resources with us, Im definitely going to take the time to read
Lovely, delicate, strong and brave! Thank you for sharing your story ❤
Omg I love this... I never knew what I was and no one could tell me other than white and native American... I just recently went and took a DNA test and discovered I am 53%german and the rest was a mix of English Irish and Scottish... I can't wait to learn more.
Wow! That's a lot of rich history in you! :)
I thank you! Very touching and I just love how you are absolutely in tune with being worldly! You're an inspiration!
Young lady, I’ve been following you for a while. I see an intelligent light worker. My adopted children are half Vietnamese while I am Scottish, Scandinavian and German. My nieces are half Latino and my other niece is Jamaican. I appreciated your video. It reminds me of my obligation to teach my kids to embrace their Vietnamese heritage. You are important as an enlightened being sharing time and space with other enlightened beings. They are a family too. I hope my daughter is as enlightened as you.
I really understand where you’re coming from. I’m a carribean american in nyc and i was interested in traditional witchcraft. I looked up traditional witchcraft and only european cultures popped up?? Its like how everyone decided that nude is one color. The form of witchcraft from my family’s culture is obeah but you have to be formally taught by someone that practices it and i’m sure there are more folk practices that i don’t know about. I know some of the stories but i feel i’ll have to work hard to really immerse myself in a culture i didnt quite grow up in.
Thank you for sharing your story! I'm Jamaican (mixed African, Irish, British, and Germanic descent) and my fiance is Argentine-American (mixed European and Native South American descent) so our kids will be a mix of a lot of things. I'm interested in hearing about biracial and multiracial experiences here in the US ~ Its always hard to feel othered or to feel like you don't belong to any group. :( I will do my best to make sure my husband and I pass down stories, myths, recipes, etc. from both cultures when we have kids.
Thank you for sharing this. I have been searching for my ancestors recently as well. It’s a hard journey - both logistically and emotionally.
Thank you for this! In the past year I've been researching my Scottish heritage and the deeper I go the closer to home I feel. My husband's family is from the Philippines and he's mentioned before how he wishes he could find out more about his roots and heritage. I'm so excited to share these resources with him so that he can have the same feeling of "coming home". Thank you so much for sharing and for your beautiful content.
This is such a sacred journey, and I’m so glad that you are on it! I’ve found my Scots-Irish ancestry to really be a major part of my work and the puzzle pieces keep coming. I wish you joy on your path 💙 Be your own unique kind of beautiful- belonging is overrated, anyway.
Bravo for your message ! 4 generations of mixed woman here! and trust me , with the years, you feel that you make part of the whole! Being mixed is just to remind you that you make part of a Race... Human :)
As a Italian, German, French, English, Mexican, African, Native Amarican. I came to the conclusion that my family loved every one to much. Decided that my culture is the humans, and to celebrate life with a open heart and mind. Respecting the traditions from all walks of life.
I feel the same way about my journey. I always felt like I didn't fit. I'm, part German, Danish, Swedish, English, Scottish and am from Zimbabwe. I'm doing Genealogy. Need to go further back that 1700. Sending hugs. You're awesome. ❤
You should try one of those DNA TEST things
I'm Mexican Portuguese Israeli and Scottish. It took me over 30 years to realise how fascinating it is that because of so many travelers in my ancestory I exist. 💜✨
This was such an interesting video to watch. I'm "white" (mostly Scottish and Irish) but recently found out I have a significant amount of Sub Saharan African in my DNA and ancestry so that threw me for a loop. Finding out our ancestors and researching our shared pasts is such an emotional thing, I really appreciate you sharing this journey with us.
Thank you for this video, the topics you covered within hit home for me. I'm a light olive-skinned woman with English, Tongan, German and Welsh heritage and I live in New Zealand. The disconnected feeling is really troubling sometimes when you have no traditions to center yourself.
I'm of Scots - Irish descent and my grandmother was sold to the highest bidder in the U.S. by the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland. It took me ages to find anything about her and when I did, none of the paperwork added up. She had four different names, two birthdays and the list of connections was seemingly endless, but led nowhere. Finally, I found a childhood friend of hers and I'm now actually living in Ireland. I feel such a connection to this place and yet it hurts me to think that a person's life can be so drastically altered by the whims of greedy people with little care for the culture and beauty of the countries they stumble into ~ And to think of how recent all of this was is hard to wrap my head around even now.
I absolutely love this being a mix german, irish, italian and Guatamalan I take so much more pride in my Hispanic heritage bc there traditions weren't just brought here and then considered "american" it's different and unique and I love it. Definitely thinking about doing a vid on it ,you've greatly inspired me ❤️
Tooootally feel this. I am Irish and Cuban (Spanish Cuban), never white enough, never brown enough. I am super grateful that my family only recently moved to the US and we still practice traditions from both sides. But, as you mentioned, they are definitely Western, Christian or Catholic practices with just snippets of the indigenous cultures left in them. Congrats on beginning your journey and I wish you the best. Really grateful that you shared this video because it will help people ❤️
Yay! An Ate to relate to, in a way. I am full Filipino born in PH, but raised in America. It's a struggle for me since childhood to maintain my Fil-Am identity, trying to care about my family and holding onto my individualism. I also struggle trying to get in touch with my Ilokano Ancestral line since I know little of the Ilokano dialect. Thanks for sharing, Ate!
both of my parents are Black, yet I can completely relate to everything you're saying. when I set up my ancestor alter in January of this year one of the questions I had (and still have) is who did my people pray to before colonization. don't have an exact answer to that, but I did discover Hoodoo (the black belt version talked about in the book Mojo Workin)...and I feel like that's a starting point for me personally. I also feel like my dead people are leading me as I continue this journey of my own decolonization...is not going to me easy..but I feel it's necessary...wishing you much success in your journey my dear. peace and blessings
Thank you for sharing such a personal post. I've become a big fan of your channel over the last few weeks or so , but this post is so thought provoking that I've had to pause it half way through and feel compelled to comment on how great it is too. It's got my mind going off in a tangent, so much so that I'll have to resume the rest of the vid in the morrow. Thanks Olivia keep up the good work 🙂
I am puertorrican, born, raised and live in PR. I needed to watch this video to understand why i feel like i do. Thanks for sharing this. My couture is disappearing rapidly and I feel desperate to rescue it...
Beautiful video dear 💕 I felt similarly for different reasons... once I got my ancestry done, it helped me to feel more connected to my Afrikan ancestors, particularly Nigeria. I found out that I was 31% Nigerian (among other things) and it made many things about my journey, spirituality and interests make sense. It also gave me the courage to dive into the spirituality of my Motherland now that I am deepening my witchcraft with a focus on Yoruba/Ifa practices and the connection to the Orishas. Bless you on this journey and all that you find ✨
Thank you for speaking on this. I have expressed this with others, but have found very few who feel the same.
I’m VERY mixed, I’m Native American, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Irish, Indonesian etc... I’ve been told that I shouldn’t try to fit in to what was never mine, especially because I was raised only by my Italian/Irish mom. Which hurts because I feel alienated from all cultures within me. So thank you, this really made me feel validated.
This hit home so hard. Being Puerto Rican and Sicilian I was always to white for the Spanish kids and too Spanish for the white kids. This past year I got really into herbalism and wanted so badly to learn about it in a way that was more authentic to me. Only to come to find that information mostly passed down by word of mouth is almost all but lost. It's hard missing something that was taken away long before you were born. Good luck in your search.
So amazing to be on a similar journey myself! I feel an awaking happening. I am sure your getting messages about many ppl on this journey. So excited to see this all unfold into our world🌎