Heritage

Part 1

  Heritage 

1-: property that descends to an heir

2a: something transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor : LEGACY, INHERITANCE

2b: TRADITION

3: something possessed as a result of one’s natural situation or birth 

History and Etymology for heritage

Middle English heritage, eritage, borrowed from Anglo-French, from heriter “to inherit, make an heir” (going back to Late Latin hērēditāre “to leave as an inheritance, inherit, make an heir,” from Latin hērēd-, hērēs HEIR entry 1 + -itāre, verb suffix) + -age 

Citation: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heritage

Part2 

Heritage is your background it can be something that’s passed down to you from family members. An example could be that your family is from an African descendant.In West Africa your heritage is passed down to you from generation to generation and it’s your parents duty to keep it up. Another example of heritage is clothing. West African clothing is unique and distinguishable. It’s just another way of letting others know what makes up you and your culture. In West Africa the style of the clothing is passed down from family member to family member.

 

 

Part3

We all come from different backgrounds and communities where we inherit our culture.It is our backgrounds and communities that make us who we are. Some communities inherit their  clothes and language from their heritage. English is not most West Africans first language. We will have an African dialect as our first language. And most of us will be dressed differently when we go out. We  will wear the traditional clothing. As West Africans we use clothes and languages as a way to express our heritage.

West Africans have different heritages that make them unique. We inherit our West African clothing from our culture. Our clothes makes us distinguishable and unique. We inherit them from our ancestors who passed it down to our parents and they passed it on to us. The style of the clothing is passed down. Our clothes express our heritage. That’s how we can express ourselves and show people that we are from West Africa. It binds us together and makes us a community. We celebrate our backgrounds and communities by wearing Kanga and Agbada. Some parts of Africa call it a different name. Kanga and Agbada are what we wear in West Africa during events like weddings, Eid, and at parties. They’re just clothing that you buy to the color of your liking and then they take your measurements and style it the way you want it. The clothing is significant because it distinguishes us from others and you feel like you belong when wearing it. The clothing brings us closer together at events in the sense that if you see someone wearing it you’re going to know that they are part of your community and go up to them and start a conversation.

   When some people see Africans talking in languages other than English they assume that they are speaking “African” not realizing that people in different parts of Africa speak different dialects. In Mali we speak Bambara and French. Bambara is taught to you as a little kid. It is  passed down from generation to generation. If you happen not to speak Bambara and you are from West Africa it will be hard for you to be a part of the community. You wont fit in with the rest because it’s your heritage and should know it. Your parents should’ve taught you it since you were little. Developing a shared language builds a community. Bambara is a part of our heritage, it’s something that we as West Africans inherit from our families. 

 A community is a group of people who share the same  culture or language. They have something that brings them together. The word heritage and community are related to each other in the sense that they both include people with a common background. In West Africa language and clothes are a big part of your heritage. It lets others know that this is what you represent and also introduces the idea of a community. Heritage brings people together in the same way that communities does.

 

Part4

  I am wearing Agbada, this was during Eid. This is just an example of what West Africans wear to show their heritage.