WHICH TRIBE ARE YOU FROM? CULTURAL BELONGING AND INSTINCT

Tribe: noun

1. A unit of socio-political organization consisting of a number of families, clans, or other groups who share a common ancestry and culture and among whom leadership is typically neither formalized nor permanent.

2. A political, ethnic, or ancestral division of ancient states and cultures

3. A group of people sharing an occupation, interest, or habit

4. Informal A large family.                                              http://www.thefreedictionary.com

Sarah Wilson (http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/ ) recently posted of her search for the ‘tribe’ she belongs to.  Sarah is travelling though Europe.  Vienna made her feel ‘not with her tribe’; Greece made her feel closer to her tribal ‘roots’ (and I don’t think she is Greek!). 

‘The Sapphires’ movie the other day also made me think about tribes, of a slightly different kind ... where do we all belong? (Chris O’Dowd’s character said something lovely about the issue of belonging – you will have to see the movie).

 ‘Googling’ several months ago, researching mythology (long story), I found a website discussing people who form psedo-relationships with certain cultures.  However, those people may not belong to those cultures; they may not be with their ‘tribe’.   The example was of the American Indians.  Some Americans feel spiritually compelled to participate and join in with various Indian tribal customs and rituals, because of the Indian strong spiritual connection and tie to land and nature. 

However, if people are not of American Indian heritage then they DON’T belong, they CAN’T belong and they SHOULDN’T belong; they are not Indian and they are simplifying and common-ising the tribal spirituality.

I remember reading James Michener’s ‘The Source’; there was a quote, something like ‘you can’t become a Jew until there are 7 generations of Jewishness in your family line’. That means, for a current generation Jew, their great, great, great, great, grandparents had to be a practicing Jew.  That is really belonging.

Which brings me back to.... tribes.

I am Australian-born (first generation) with mother’s heritage Russian and Swedish and father’s heritage of Dutch and French. 

I have an interest in Buddhist philosophy but I wouldn’t consider myself a Buddhist nor do I practice Buddhism, or not a form that I recognise.  I follow more the Dali Lamas suggestion to ‘do the bits you like’ type-Buddhism.  

I have an interest in Celtic and Druidic cultures, but I don’t belong there; they are not my ‘tribe’ by right or birth. 

I don’t feel great connection to my Russian heritage or my French either.  But, I do feel more drawn to my northern European (Dutch/Swedish) inheritance. 

LOL: Picture me as a Helga or a Bjorn in a Viking helmet and blonde plaits, singing as my ship (rowed by slaves) travels to foreign lands with Thor the Thunderer backing me up in the clouds!

I don’t feel as disengaged as Sarah Wilson says she feels (she has been searching for a while now).  But I do feel like I need to know more about myself. 

I will be doing more research.  I am going to start with reading the book:

Northern Lore: A Field Guide to the Northern Mind, Body & Spirit by Eoghan Odinsson, or something by Freya Aswynn...

...if I can find them.