This week I want to focus on Hall’s text, “Honduras’ Ereba Makers: Garifuna Foodways as Grassroots”, but I also want to connect it to two of the keywords: testimonio and appropriation. The first paragraph of Hall’s text quotes Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie when speaking about the “the danger of a single story” (27). I think this is one of the most important things to keep in mind throughout this class, not just when speaking about ereba makers, but with all other “groups” or peoples. I put the word “groups” in quotation marks because I think sometimes human beings have the tendency to want to categorize and label everything; and while this may be useful in some cases, in others, like for example grouping the ereba makers together and creating a single narrative, it is harmful. As human beings we are also always searching for answers and for some reason we always want to find “the answer” or “the truth”, as if only one exists. We tend to label groups and assume that there is a single story that defines the entire group, but there are different voices, different perspectives and different narratives that exist within these groups. Of course, it is also important to note that there is a difference between the Garifuna peoples referring to themselves as a group, and us grouping them together. I think that the keyword “testimonio” fits well into this discussion. Firstly, as Hall mentions, the Garifuna people tell a different version of history than that which is typically told: “they identify themselves as one of a few (or the only) African descendants in the Americas who evaded enslavement” (28) And with respect to the ereba makers specifically, as we can see from the first two pages of the reading, there is no single story or single feeling tied to ereba traditions, and the stories that are told by ereba makers themselves are going to be different from those (or quite possibly a single story) that might be told to us by a professor or somebody who has studied them. This is precisely why it is important to include their voices, just like our professor has done. Back to the keyword “testimonio”, the keyword group defines the term as: “the firsthand narrative from a marginalized group who has experienced or is experiencing oppression or unjust circumstances.” To relate this definition to ereba makers, and the Garifuna people in general who have been oppressed, each maker has different thoughts, feelings, experiences and stories connected to ereba traditions, and is entitled to their own narrative. I also want to talk about the keyword “appropriation”. The keyword group defines this term as: “taking property from someone, cultural or intellectual, without their knowledge or permission”. I think the word “property” is quite interesting as it can include so many different things, including people’s own experiences and stories. With respect to the ereba makers, it would be wrong (and downright impossible) for someone to tell a single story that aims to encompass the thoughts, feelings and experiences of all ereba makers.
Also: I just assumed that we could make the combined posts a little bit longer, so I hope that’s okay!
So much to comment on here, Cynthia! I’ll come back to make a more substantive comment later in the week, but for now, just some quick reassurance that, yes, it’s perfectly fine that the post is longer than usual 🙂
Hi Cynthia! I thought that your slowing down the reading by first focusing on “the danger of a single story” was helpful, as I found this paper particularly hard to follow. I admire your warning against bunching in unique Indigenous peoples and groups together as a singular entity, something many non-Indigenous people are guilty of doing (including myself in the past, where I may have unknowingly done something along those lines). I think something relevant that ties into what you are talking about is the distinction that Tamara made in lecture between “Garifuna” and “Garinagu” and the importance of learning the difference between the two and employing the right word in the right context.
I don’t know whether I am supposed to also comment on your interpretation of the keyword, but I found your fixation on property and its meanings interesting, as the first thing that came to my head when I read that word was intellectual property. Just like you mentioned, it is something that is so much harder to pinpoint and accuse people of stealing, and can lead to a lot of gaslighting.
Hi Cynthia!
I think it’s really interesting the way that you tied this reading, and specifically the problematic aspects of a single narrative, to the keyword “testimonio”. In Spanish the word “testimonio” can be translated quite literally to the English word testimony. A testimony can certainly be an account of wrongdoings told by marginalized groups, as the keyword post describes. However, I have more frequently used the terms testimony and testimonio to refer to a testament of faith. I have done a lot of work, both here in Canada and in Honduras, talking to all sorts of people about Christianity and how each of us have a life purpose and our own personal story to tell. Our story is our testimony. So I agree with you when you say that sometimes we feel the need to categorize and label ourselves and each other, so that everything fits together and makes sense. In some ways, I believe these organizations are necessary. However, I also think it’s so important to remember that these labels aren’t everything, that we are all beautifully unique, and that uniqueness is what gives us our individual testimonies.