Children and their Cultural Heritage

“Culture is simply how one lives and is connected to history by habit ” What is Cultural Heritage? -The essence of a person (individual level) -learned characteristics, beliefs, attitudes. -The behavioural patterns, arts, beliefs, and institutions of a group of people. (group level) -Customs (practices) passed through generations -Determines your level of comfort in diverse situations

Culture Determines Comfort Level (quotations from “Parenting in Canada: Human Growth and Development”) “If you were a girl from a culture in which female children and women were not allowed to run, how comfortable would you feel when asked to run four times around the school track in a physical education class?” “If you were a boy from a culture in which boys and men were discouraged from crying, how comforable would you be if you were moved to tears by a significant emotional event like a memorial service…?”

We may say the same thing differently (language)…

Examples: EthnicityAttitudes ReligionBeliefs LanguagePractices ValuesBehaviours FoodSport LeisurePlay ArtMusic

Childhood and Culture Parental Authority: –Patriarchy: male dominance (common, and often rooted in religious belief) –Matriarchy: female dominance(Asian and African tribes) –Egalitarian: shared authority between adults What type of parental authority is most prevalent (common) in Canada?

Rules for Behaviour Overt: clearly stated, “In this family, bedtime is 10pm.” “We don’t hit.” “Stealing is wrong.” Covert: implied, or understood, without being explicitly stated. -avoiding interrupting people -giving someone their space (personal bubble) -expressing friendliness to strangers or not -references to people: sir/miss, brother/sister, dude

Overt vs. Covert Rules in your Family Identify 3 overt rules and 3 covert rules that you learned while growing up. We will discuss these in a moment…

Guidance Children need an authority figure: parent, grandparent, religious leader, coach, guidance counsellor, older sibling. The person who assumes this role (of pointing the child in the right direction) is very much determined by culture

Transmitting Cultural Heritage to Children 1. Language: -Mother language (first language) is the earliest dimension of cultural contact -Studies have shown that there are cultural variations in the communication sounds of babies. -Children are sometimes provided with additional schooling in a language of their heritage (i.e. Hebrew School, Greek School) -Religions often have their own languages or elements of language (used for rituals, prayers, etc)

Transmitting Cultural Heritage to Children 2. Food: Food is closely linked to cultural identity. The touch, sight, smell, taste, (sound) become familiar and comforting. 3. Visual Learning: rituals, art, and the performance of general tasks become ingrained at an early age. 4. Parenting Customs: -naming: androgynous* name vs gendered name -Respect: for parents, for elders, for authority -boarding school vs living at home -playing games together vs parental observation *having both male and female characteristics. Could be a boy’s name or a girl’s name

Multiculturalism Because of globalization* modern children often reflect a variety of cultures. What examples can you think of? *the vast system of interconnections between people and countries that have arisen due to increasingly powerful technologies (internet, cell phones, etc)

Brief Cultural Profile Create a profile of yourself based on the cultural elements we have discussed so far. Outline 5-10 traits of your personal culture. If possible, suggest where you may have “acquired” these traits. GO!