REMEMBERING OUR STORIES
An intriguing article about a South
African indigenous tribe, the Kalahari Bushmen, was published in the February
2000 edition of “National Geographic.” Below, it is reprinted in part.
The Kalahari Bushmen were made
famous in the movie, “The
Gods Must be Crazy.” Their
recent history is quite sad, for in the last 100 years the Bushmen culture
has been disappearing, along with their lands. One of the saddest Bushmen settlements is
Schmidtsridft, located in South Africa. There
two bushmen peoples, the Xu and the Khwe, who clash fiercely with one another,
live like many indigenous peoples whose way of life has been destroyed. They have grown dependent on government
pensions and alcohol which, for many, has become an anesthetic against their
dislocation and loss.
[Editor’s Note: This seems to be a
mirror image of the plight of Native Americans].
Mario Mahongo, the leader of the Xu
Traditional Council at Schmidtsdrift, longs for his people to rediscover some
of their spirit. But the problem is they
have lost their stories. “A lot of our
culture,” he says, “is lost in our lives – the old stories that were told by mothers
and fathers who would go into the bush and then return to tell the others what
they had seen. The problem is that now
no one goes out and does anything, so we have no stories to tell our children. We have nothing to pass on.”
Thank you, National Geographic, for there is much to learn from this tragic
tale. The stories that we pass on will
ultimately shape and define us. They show
us the way forward and offer us meaning, direction and values. In ancient West African culture, the village griot [pronounced gree-OH] had the important task of memorizing and
sharing rich details of tribal lore and legacy for present and future
generations. Here’s an creative idea. Perhaps, you could consider becoming your own
family’s griot since it is extremely important that our children learn,
remember and reflect upon the legacy and values that lie at the heart of their
family and culture.
However, just as importantly for
Christians (if not more so) are the awesome stories recorded in the Holy Writ,
which forge the foundation of our defining faith-story. The late Bishop Ozro Thurston Jones, Jr.
reminded us, “If you seek to truly understand the Word, never neglect to learn
and memorize the stories of the Bible.” The
Word’s admonition on this important matter?
Read these instructive and inspirational stories daily. And be sure to share them, systematically and
enthusiastically, with your children and your children’s children. (Deuteronomy
6:4-12) The Bible contains such a wide
array of diverse and fascinating stories that it would even put ‘Mother Goose’
to shame!
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