Aggies share their heritage during USU Diversity Week
The Aggie family is made up of students and faculty from a wide spectrum of cultures. Knowing ones heritage and family history can provide a sense of identity. Sometimes these cultures can be lost after a few generations.
Dr. Francois Dengah, professor of anthropology, has a Dutch Indonesian father and a French Canadian mother. His grandfather was born in Bali, Indonesia, which used to be a dutch colony. After WWII, his grandfather moved to the Netherlands where he met Dengah’s grandmother. They moved to the U.S. when Dengah’s father was a teenager.
Dengah’s background led him to celebrate unique tradition within his family.
“With my Dutch Indonesian side, we would celebrate both St. Nicholas and Santa Claus. He is like the Dutch version of Santa Claus. We would leave our shoes out for him filled with carrots and celery for his donkey. Then he would leave us presents. I also remember eating stroop waffles and specific Dutch Indonesian dishes,” Dengah said.
Dengah says his upbringing was also ironic because of his mix of cultures and his parents wanting to assimilate to the American lifestyle. They didn’t share every tradition with him. Dengah doesn’t speak the language of his parents due this factor which he calls being a “third culture kid.” This eventually led him to his career of being a cultural anthropologist.
“Because I didn’t feel quite American, French Canadian or Dutch Indonesian, that started me on the road of cultural anthropology. As a cultural anthropologist. I am interested in the variation of human experience. Knowing where you came from helps you appreciate the differences in other and makes you more curious in other cultures,” Dengah said.
Karla Cortez, global communications major, has had been able to experience the influence of her parents immigration experience. Both her mother and father are immigrants from Mexico. Her father came from the state of Chihuahua. His family had him set to work in a factory after high school. He didn’t want to follow in their footsteps, so one day he took out all his money from the bank and came to the states. He arrived here on his own and built a life for himself and family. Cortez says that the influence of Mexican culture heavily influenced her upbringing.
“Growing up, it was la familia first. I was lucky because my family all moved to Utah together. I grew up around all my family,” Cortez said. “We have traditions together especially during Christmas. We make traditional foods, speak spanish and have the same religion.”
Cortez also explained that the tradition of Quinceaneras was very important to her family. She remembered three of her cousins had theirs during one summer. It was something looked forward to in their extended family. She explained that the next step for her was making sure her and all the cousins learned these traditions to carry them onto the next generation.
“I think it’s important because you have a story. There is a history of people who fought for your rights and the traditions you have. There is a story of you. I definitely try to keep as much of my family traditions as I can,” Cortez said. “Now that I’m older, I’m learning how to make more mexican dishes. At some point it will be me and my cousins doing all the traditions. We are trying to keep as much of it alive now that we are older.”
Traditions play a major role in an individual’s identity and how they are influenced today. Rachael Rasmussen, English and Spanish major, also experienced traditions from her family’s heritage.
Rasmussen’s grandmother is from Northern Sweden and her grandfather is from the Netherlands. Her grandmother immigrated to the United States in her twenties to be closer to those in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She had been a foster child her whole life and came to the states with the opportunity to leave behind her tough childhood.
“For me I had a unique experience because my mom was a first generation American. Almost all my grandparents are foreigners,” Rasmussen said. “My mom brought Dutch sandwiches to school rather than a PB&J. It was little things like that that set us apart.”
Rasmussen said her family had different traditions during the holidays. During Christmas, her family would celebrate St Lucia. This is a little girl that wears a white dress and a wreath of holly and candles on her head. She brings sweets and is a model of good will. The youngest girl in the family dresses up as her. Rasmussen played the part of St Lucia during several Christmases.
Today, Rasmussen credits many of her habits to her Scandinavian heritage. Currently her brother is serving an LDS mission in Sweden. She felt that this was particularly exciting because of their Swedish heritage. Rasmussen said she is happy to know her heritage and still actively be apart of it.
“I like the idea of embracing culture and heritage because it makes me who I am. I identify myself as a Swede Dutch girl. Not only do I look that way, but I can find my place in the world by identifying with my heritage,” Rasmussen said.
—shelby.black@aggiemail.usu.edu
@shelbsterblack