Personal Narrative: My Cultural Identity

My cultural Identity consists of many different things that are very different yet very comparable to other cultures around the world. Some may say my culture is insane, some may say it is lame, and some may say it is perfect. But I see my cultural identity as my own set of rules and participation that I choose to follow. Even though my cultural background says otherwise by including certain rules and traditional ways of doing things such as weddings, funerals, etc. these are just some things that I do not agree with and would rather stick to my own way of doing things based on my perspective on life.

For example, my dad’s side of the family is the Hmong culture. In this culture people grew up being taught that they were not allowed to date

or marry someone with the same last name as their own. If you chose to do so, it is considered taboo. The reason for this rule is because in the Hmong population we are so small that we only have 16 last-name clans so if people married others with the same last name, families would not be able to grow and multiply as fast. I know this seems totally silly to most people and personally for me, it is silly. It is just a last name to me, I do not care about a rule dealing with simple last names. How I see it is if you like someone, date them regardless if it is over some last name you guys share. This is just one of the Hmong rules that I disagree with and have cultural conflicts with. The Hmong culture is normally strict because they lived in harsher conditions than we do now a days.
Furthermore, my parents are also a big part of my cultural identity aside from the cultural background I just shared.

My parents influence me in many ways but at the same time not everything they do and say is something I agree with. For example, my parents believe that education, and having a high paying job is one of the biggest priorities in life for me. These are all great things to do but I am not going to be the typical asian daughter who is perfect and maintains high grades while obeying everything her parent says. When other families look at me my dad never wants me to do anything that will embarrass the family or cause gossiping to occur about me. I have to follow rules, I have to be mannerful, I have to do things correctly, I have to do this, I have to do that. The situation does not get any more stereotypically asian than this. But from my perspective on cultural identity I believe that there is room for mistakes. I will live my life in the path that I choose for myself to follow in the order that I want it to go, not my parents order. And with the whole “embarrassment” deal, I believe that people are going to talk about me regardless if I am perfect or not so I might as well do what makes me happy in life.

In addition to how I want to live my life, I believe that most hmong cultural rules and traditions are unimportant and I do not wish to apply some of them to my life. Unlike my grandparents and other elderly relatives, I choose not to cling on to traditional ways

of doing things such as my weddings and funerals. However, there are some good things about my hmong heritage that I would like to continue participating in and including in my cultural Identity.
My cultural Identity consists of the major elements of food and clothing in one’s
culture. The fantastic food that comes from my culture including papaya salad with a very spicy flavor, sticky rice coming out of a steaming basket, and nava juice containing tapioca, coconut milk, jelly, and fruits are just some of my favorite dishes. There are so many different foods in my culture that I love and grew up eating. Another element from my culture is the beautiful clothing and jewelry that is very unique and valuable. Hmong dresses are usually hand made, and the vivid details are sewn on with bright colored fabrics. The dress contains layers upon layers creating a ruffling look and it all comes together as a masterpiece. As for the jewelry, heavy pieces of silver or gold are carved into fine details that dangle elegantly around your wrist, neck, or ankles. Food and clothing are the two main cultural elements from the Hmong heritage that I keep in my cultural identity to serve as a special symbol to where I came from and my nationality.
And of course, my parents have always been a huge influence for my cultural identity. My parents had taught me how to be independent and they allowed me to develop independent qualities by giving me some freedom. They also taught me discipline, and for my cultural identity discipline is something I definitely want to have. My parents lead through example of how they would want me to be, there are pros and cons to it but overall my parents still influence my cultural identity greatly.
In conclusion, my cultural identity is developed by a mix of influences from many different things and people. The external conflicts I have with part of my culture and some of the things my parents expect from me helps me see what I want my cultural Identity to be like through my own perspective. I interpret what I believe is to be correct into my cultural identity. Some things that I see are agreeable and others are not.