Answering the question, “How much of my culture will my children be allowed to inherit?”
My answer will be: EVERYTHING.
Culture is the identification of a people, and it would be a great loss if my children grow up and are unable to identify with my culture. No, I wouldn't want that for my children. I want them to be known by the language they speak; I want them to be easily identified when people talk about where they are from.
Language:
This will be the first thing that I will inculcate in my children. No matter how far we live from home, or even if I travel far to marry a woman who is not from my tribe, my children must know how to speak my local dialect very fluently. It will be a task that I will gladly take on. And if my wife is from my tribe, it will be much easier for us to teach them how to speak the native dialect.
I had many uncles and aunts back then, and whenever they visited home with their children from the cities, those children would struggle to speak the dialect. The scene used to be funny, even though we would laugh at them in those days.
While growing up with my family, my dad hated it when some of our city relatives came home and their children, I mean grown-up children, couldn’t speak their parents’ language. My dad used to criticize them harshly, and to be honest, I hated how he used to slam them back then. But now, I understand the reason. It is very unfortunate for children not to know their native language.
Modern-day living is affecting cultural heritage badly, even though it is often said that culture is being promoted. While it is true that culture is being promoted in schools, it can never be compared to how much better it can be passed on at home. The home should be the primary foundation. Schools will only teach students the culture of the particular land they are located in and will only touch briefly on other cultures. This is why it is the responsibility of the home to instill the culture of their land into the children through many processes like speaking the dialect at home, cooking native food, taking the children on visits to the village to attend festivals, burial ceremonies, marriage ceremonies, and other events. Not just attending these events, but making sure the children actively participate and engage in them as well.
I want my children to be fully immersed in the culture of my land. This is why I have an interest in marrying my tribe, so that it will be easier to raise children who have a deep knowledge of our culture. I am not saying that marrying outside my tribe is bad, no, it is good, but I want a home where the children will find it very easy to get along with the culture and traditions of my tribe.
Thanks!