Andres & Ancestry

My friend Andres, introduced to me by my friend Rachel, wrote the following on Facebook:

Coatlicue, the goddess of the earth, the mother of the gods as well as the grandmother of the race of humanity. She brings out the pagan in me and brings forth a desire to learn more about spirituality as it relates to a longing beyond Christianity. As I have learned that the name "Dominguez" was forced upon the indigenous ancestors of my father

Andres did DNA testing through National Geographic’s genome project & the results verified that the “Dominguez” side of his family name contained no European blood.

So, as Andres writes:  The name was somehow forced upon or adopted by an ancestor.

Andres & the history of his family, how they came to be a part of America in Kansas, is an incredible story.

Andres is a wonderful writer.  It is not his day job.  He has a wonderful wife & an amazing daughter & son.  He is an activist, in his family & in his community.

I, and many others, want him to write his family’s story.  

In another life, I had a direct report, born in India, in privileged circumstances.  Educated & beautiful.  

After rebelling for a while, cutting her hair, working as an airline hostess & living with a man, she returned to her family & asked for a husband.  A Parsi.

She is a Parsi.   

She shared with me how her ancestors, Parsis from Iran, travelled to India in the 17^th century or so to escape a rather repressive Iranian regime.  She told me that the local leader in India agreed to let them keep their religion, but insisted that they learn the local language.

Traditionally, Parsi history, I have learned, was handed down orally.  From father to son.

There has been, for some time, a fear among the Parsi community, that their history would be lost.

My friend’s husband, I know from the religion page of the Houston Chronicle, has been instrumental in a movement to write down the history of the Parsi story. 

As the community integrates & adapts to America, their oral history is in danger of being lost.

So, my friend Andres, write.

Write for Sophia & Cayo.

Don’t let your history be lost.

Yours & Amy’s,

Jaki Jean