Native American Family Traditions

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Family traditions were created to pass down the culture from generation to generation. Many of these traditions are ritual or rites of passage that emphasize the value of family and growing up within the family’s culture. Family traditions passed down through generations establish unity, responsibility, feeling of belonging and a well-rounded individual. Growing up in a house with three or more generations of family is very chaotic since the changing times clash greatly among each generation. Even if all three generations don’t live among each other, it’s still trouble when all three come together. In Mexican culture, the three generations are typically defined as the grandparents who came from Mexico, followed by their children who were born …show more content…

Ruben Rumbaut mentions in his article “Linguistic Life Expectancies: Immigrant Lnaguage Retention in Southern California” that Mexican-Spanish has the life-expectancy of only three generations regardless of the area. A friend of mine once described it as not having a “people” because the ones of your culture expect you to speak the language, and when you do not it just becomes a disappointment. Children who fall into this category struggle to find themselves and to racially label themselves because they cannot fully embrace the culture that looks down upon them. This occures because many families feel the need to “Americanize” themselves to fit the culture of their home-country. The United states has been regarded as a “graveyard” for home lanugages because of the death of native languages in …show more content…

Speaking Spanish is important to the Mexican culture because everyone speaks it. As an individual experiencing this, I can testify that I feel united and even proud of my roots because I know the struggle of my family that got me to where I am. Being bilingual has gotten me recognized and has given me an advantage not only at home but also in the real