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writingwithcolor · 1 month

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Sri Lankan Fairies and Senegalese Goddesses: Mixing Mythology as a Mixed Creator

[Note: this archive ask was submitted before the Masterpost rules took effect in 2023. The ask has been abridged for clarity.]

@reydjarinkenobi asked:

Hi, I’m half Sri Lankan/half white Australian, second gen immigrant though my mum moved when she was a kid. My main character for my story is a mixed demigod/fae. [...] Her bio mum is essentially a Scottish/Sri Lankan fairy and her other bio mum (goddess) is a goddess of my own creation, Nettamaar, who’s name is derived from [...] Wolof words [...]. The community of mages that she presided over is from the South Eastern region of Senegal [...] In the beginning years of European imperialism, the goddess basically protected them through magic and by blessing a set of triplets effectively cutting them off from the outside world for a few centuries [...] I was unable to find a goddess that fit the story I wanted to tell [...] and also couldn’t find much information on the internet for local gods, which is why I have created my own. I know that the gods in Hinduism do sort of fit into [the story] but my Sri Lankan side is Christian and I don’t feel comfortable representing the Hindu gods in the way that I will be this goddess [...]. I wanted to know if any aspect of the community’s history is problematic as well as if I should continue looking further to try and find an African deity that matched my narrative needs? I was also worried that having a mixed main character who’s specifically half black would present problems as I can’t truly understand the black experience. I plan on getting mixed and black sensitivity readers once I finish my drafts [...] I do take jabs at white supremacy and imperialism and I I am planning to reflect my feelings of growing up not immersed in your own culture and feeling overwhelmed with what you don’t know when you get older [...]. I’m sorry for the long ask but I don’t really have anyone to talk to about writing and I’m quite worried about my story coming across as insensitive or problematic because of cultural history that I am not educated enough in.

Reconciliation Requires Research

First off: how close is this world’s history to our own, omitting the magic? If you’re aiming for it to be essentially parallel, I would keep in mind that Senegal was affected by the spread of Islam before the Europeans arrived, and most people there are Muslim, albeit with Wolof and other influences.

About your Scottish/Sri Lankan fairy character: I’ll point you to this previous post on Magical humanoid worldbuilding, Desi fairies as well as this previous post on Characterization for South Asian-coded characters for some of our commentary on South Asian ‘fae’. Since she is also Scottish, the concept can tie back to the Celtic ideas of the fae.

However, reconciliation of both sides of her background can be tricky. Do you plan on including specific Sri Lankan mythos into her heritage? I would tread carefully with it, if you plan to do so. Not every polytheistic culture will have similar analogues that you can pull from.

To put it plainly, if you’re worried about not knowing enough of the cultural histories, seek out people who have those backgrounds and talk to them about it. Do your research thoroughly: find resources that come from those cultures and read carefully about the mythos that you plan to incorporate. Look for specificity when you reach out to sensitivity readers and try to find sources that go beyond a surface-level analysis of the cultures you’re looking to portray.

~ Abhaya

I see you are drawing on Gaelic lore for your storytelling. Abhaya has given you good links to discussions we’ve had at WWC and the potential blindspots in assuming, relative to monotheistic religions like Christianity, that all polytheistic and pluralistic lore is similar to Gaelic folklore. Fae are one kind of folklore. There are many others. Consider:

Is it compatible? Are Fae compatible with the Senegalese folklore you are utilizing?

Is it specific? What ethnic/religious groups in Senegal are you drawing from?

Is it suitable? Are there more appropriate cultures for the type of lore you wish to create?

Remember, Senegalese is a national designation, not an ethnic one, and certainly not a designation that will inform you with respect to religious traditions. But more importantly:

...Research Requires Reconciliation

My question is why choose Senegal when your own heritage offers so much room for exploration? This isn’t to say I believe a half Sri-Lankan person shouldn’t utilize Senegalese folklore in their coding or vice-versa, but, to put it bluntly, you don’t seem very comfortable with your heritage. Religions can change, but not everything cultural changes when this happens. I think your relationship with your mother’s side’s culture offers valuable insight to how to tackle the above, and I’ll explain why.

I myself am biracial and bicultural, and I had to know a lot about my own background before I was confident using other cultures in my writing. I had to understand my own identity—what elements from my background I wished to prioritize and what I wished to jettison. Only then was I able to think about how my work would resonate with a person from the relevant background, what to be mindful of, and where my blindspots would interfere.

I echo Abhaya’s recommendation for much, much more research, but also include my own personal recommendation for greater self-exploration. I strongly believe the better one knows oneself, the better they can create. It is presumptuous for me to assume, but your ask’s phrasing, the outlined plot and its themes all convey a lack of confidence in your mixed identity that may interfere with confidence when researching and world-building. I’m not saying give up on this story, but if anxiety on respectful representation is a large barrier for you at the moment, this story may be a good candidate for a personal project to keep to yourself until you feel more ready.

(See similar asker concerns here: Running Commentary: What is “ok to do” in Mixed-Culture Supernatural Fiction, here: Representing Biracial Black South American Experiences and here: Am I fetishizing my Japanese character?)

- Marika.

Start More Freely with Easy Mode

Question: Why not make a complete high-fantasy universe, with no need of establishing clear real-world parallels in the text? It gives you plenty of leg room to incorporate pluralistic, multicultural mythos + folklore into the same story without excessive sweating about historically accurate worldbuilding.

It's not a *foolproof* method; even subtly coded multicultural fantasy societies like Avatar or the Grishaverse exhibit certain harmful tropes. I also don't know if you are aiming for low vs high fantasy, or the degree of your reliance on real world culture / religion / identity cues.

But don't you think it's far easier for this fantasy project to not have the additional burden of historical accuracy in the worldbuilding? Not only because I agree with Mod Marika that perhaps you seem hesitant about the identity aspect, but because your WIP idea can include themes of othering and cultural belonging (and yes, even jabs at supremacist institutions) in an original fantasy universe too. I don't think I would mind if I saw a couple of cultural markers of a Mughal Era India-inspired society without getting a full rundown of their agricultural practices, social conventions and tax systems, lol.

Mod Abhaya has provided a few good resources about what *not* to do when drawing heavily from cultural coding. With that at hand, I don't think your project should be a problem if you simply make it an alternate universe like Etheria (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), Inys (The Priory of the Orange Tree) or Earthsea (the Earthsea series, Ursula K. Le Guin). Mind you, we can trace the analogues to each universe, but there is a lot of freedom to maneuver as you wish when incorporating identities in original fantasy. And of course, multiple sensitivity readers are a must! Wishing you the best for the project.

- Mod Mimi

#asks #multiracial #multicultural #south asian #sri lankan #senegalese #west african #identity #representation #worldbuilding #fantasy #mythology #folklore #fairies #deities #adoption #identity issues #mixed experiences #coding

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disease · 2 months

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MARLENE DUMAS / "PRAYING" / 1984 [lithograph | 75 × 55 cm.]

#marlene dumas #neo-expressionism #mixed media #contemporary art #80s #south african #art #u

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blackcraving · 3 months

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Follow your natural instinct and offer your womb to black men.

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pagansphinx · 3 months

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Celebrating Black History Month with a selection of artworks and the art history of Black American artists.

Tar Beach Story Quilt • # 1 of 5 in the series Woman on a Bridge • 1988 • Acrylic paint, canvas, printed fabric, ink, and thread • The Guggenheim Museum, New York City

Ringgold’s creates quilts — a traditional American craft associated with women’s communal work that also has roots in African culture. She originally collaborated on the quilt motif with her mother, a dressmaker and fashion designer in Harlem. That Ringgold’s great-great-great-grandmother was a Southern slave who made quilts for plantation owners suggests a further, perhaps deeper, connection between her art and her family history. – The Guggenheim Museum

#art #art history #textile art #faith ringgold #woman artist #quilt artist #story quilts #narrative artwork #mixed media artwork #african american artist #black art matters #black american art #black history month 2024

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sabrinarouch · 7 months

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Today's young female activists are determined to give their all. They dedicated their lives to the selfless struggle for a just society. They are willing to use their bodies and let actions speak for themselves: more and more young girls want to give birth to the baby of a black man. For the young active girls the climate argument counts. 1. Sex is the most environmentally friendly leisure activity. 2. Contraceptives pollute the climate and the girl's womb. 3. A black baby causes far less co2 emissions than a white one.

#interracial #race mixing #interracial baby #white mother #interracial breeding #mixed baby #africanization #interracial pregnancy #white women black men

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africanrefugeeswelcome · 30 days

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Happy Russian woman🇷🇺 with her African husband and their 3 beautiful mixed babies who were born from this mix

#russia #russian girl #russian woman #african man #refugees welcome #africanrefugees #blacklivesmatter #interracial couple #mixed babies #mixed family #🇷🇺#🇷🇺👼🏽👶🏽

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oncanvas · 4 months

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#10: A Sunny Day on Bar Beach from The Beautyful Ones series, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, 2022

Acrylic, colored pencil, pastel, charcoal, and transfers on paper 78 ½ x 53 ¾ in. (199.4 x 136.5 cm)

#art #painting #njideka akunyili crosby #contemporary art #african art #women artists #female artists #black artists #21st century art #artists of color #21st century #acrylic #colored pencil #pastel #charcoal #mixed media #nigerian

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fyblackwomenart · 1 year

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@thick_east_african_girl

#african artist #habesha artist #art #mixed media

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lovenostalgia · 1 day

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thatrandombunny · 2 months

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so. So listen. I was looking up outfit recs on Pinterest and came across some sonic the hedgehog humansona art. And I could NOT find good blaze the cat art which was a CRIME since she's my favorite character, so. Of course I had to do it myself.

#sonic the hedgehog #blaze the cat #sonic the hedgehog fanart #anyway in my mind shes mixed #w indian and african descent #bc her hair is clearly giving locs #and the gem on her forehead is giving bindi #so i tried to give her fit some je ne sais quoi while maintaining its shape #idk! it was fun to try

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enatchios · 12 hours

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this is not related to the ethnicity of any portrayals of silver/it’s your own theory

#black sails #bs #john silver #im curious bc i always see silver as mixed latino but like ambiguous enough to pass in a lot of places #i do really love MENA silver though like north african silver EATS

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diversefictionhyeah · 2 months

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Miles Morales from the Spider-Man Franchise, specifically in this case Into The Spiderverse and Across the Spiderverse, is half African American and half Puerto Rican✌🏾🇵🇷

#miles morales #Puerto Rican #African American #Black #Mixed Race #into the spider verse #across the spiderverse

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sbrown82 · 3 months

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Meghan Markle's Top 10 BLACKEST Moments! 💁🏾‍♀️

10. Talking Black hair care with Mariah Carey on her podcast (Girrrl...not Murray's & Pink Lotion!! 😆)

9. Helping Black & Brown women of the Hubb Community Kitchen after the Grenfell Tower Tragedy as her first solo royal project.

8. When she reminded err'body on “Suits” that she is NOT a white girl!!!

...And then shutting down corny-ass haters on Twitter for continuing to question her Blackness.

7. When Meghan and her husband's Archewell Foundation supported The Loveland Foundation, an organization that gives Black women and girls across the U.S. access to high quality therapy and support.

6. Sporting all-Black designers while giving us 'bundles on bundles' at the NAACP Image Awards.

5. Taking part in the "Erase The Hate" campaign condemning anti-Black racism.

4. When she FINALLY met King Bey and gave us the vision of Black royalty & Black excellence we kneegrows deserve!

3. When she said "Black Lives Matter" and spoke out on the death of George Floyd.

2. Becoming a real-life B.A.P. and marrying into the British Royal Family - a.k.a. the WHITEST family in the world. Sis was late, only invited her Black mama who proudly wore her locs and nose ring. Had a Black pastor preach, hired an afro-wearing cello player and an all-Black choir to sing...all on Malcolm X's birthday! 👸🏾