In those early days of motherhood, I spent a lot of time on European TikTok and what is a popular pastime is roasting Americans.
I could do another episode on my very mixed feelings on the subject…but we’re not here to talk about that.
What I do want to talk about is a topic that often comes up…America’s obsession with their European ties.
I have thoughts. I have theories. I have opinions
So let’s talk about it.
Hallöchen, Lieblings. I’m Mari, a sci/fi and fantasy author, who has been living in southern Germany since 2014.
First of all…what exactly am I talking about?
One common observation Europeans have of Americans is when said European – say my German husband, for example – would say their country of origin, the American would immediately respond with their own European heritage.
I’m from the great state of Indiana where there were a lot of German immigrants….a long time ago…..so my husband has heard the “oh, I’m German, too” quite often. But what they actually mean is that their oma or opa was German. And for a lot of Americans, it’s enough to claim that heritage.
Why is that? And also why does this only seem to happen in the US?
I mean, look at countries like Canada, Australia, or New Zealand who have similar colonial histories and why don’t you hear about them often….or at all?
I have a theory….and it’s probably wrong and I am thus full of shit, but hear me out…..
First…it is possible to claim Native American citizenship. However, each of the 574 federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska natives have their own requirements.
One of the ways to claim citizenship is called “tribal blood quantum”. An example would be me saying that I’m a quarter Italian or 25% Italian.
My Grandfather Alberto Angel was born in Sori, Italy. However, he moved to Peru when was a child and lived the majority of his life in Peru. Yet he never held Peruvian citizenship even though his mother was Peruvian.
As a result, we are actually working on getting my mom’s Italian Citizenship and through her, I can also get it. It will certainly make living in Europe easier since Germany has yet to fulfill their promise in making it easier for foreigners to get citizenship…..I did an episode already on this and I’ll link it below….
ANYWAY about 70% of tribes in the States use “tribal blood quantum” for citizenship requirements. But there is also “lineal descendancy” from someone on the Tribes base roll or a list of members that was designated in the tribe’s constitution or being in a relationship with a trial member who’s descended from someone on that base roll.
Regardless, there are ways to claim full tribal citizenship because of a relative and they can be relatively distant.
This was created by the Federal Government in the 1930s to pressure the tribes to come up with some sort of constitution which included how they determined citizenship.
Canada does something similar with their native tribes, but the requirements are a lot stricter. I have a link below that goes into greater detail, but it does boil down to having a specific percent to have native status and only being able to bestow it to their kid and that’s it.
I don’t know how Australia or New Zealand does it so I can’t speak for them….
Then there is also the “one drop rule” – the idea of a person having even one ancestor who’s black, no matter how far back, makes that person black….
Therefore, my theory is this: because of the US’s loosy goosy interpretation of citizenship with our native tribes as well as persons of color – we as Americans have then projected this idea onto our European heritage….or whatever heritage we have.
So.
Now you know my theory, but what do I think? Especially as someone who identifies as American Peruvian….it’s on all of my bios!
I think TikToker Also Sprach Zappithuestra put it best:
You’re not German, you’re German-American
You’re not Italian, you’re Italian-American
I’m not Peruvian, I’m American-Peruvian…..why the switch? I’ll get to that.
But first…
Also Sprach Zappithuestra made a great diagram further explaining this distinction. Sadly I can’t find the original video so I will do my own version. Hers was concerning Italy, I will use Germany as an example.
You have your German ancestors who moved to Indiana in the 1800s. So while your family grew from that couple that came over in – say – 1899. Germany went through World War I and II, the split between East and West Germany, influx of Turkish and Italian Gastarbeiter or guest workers, reunification, to Angela Merkel.
We can use this exercise on my mother. She came to the US from Peru in 1982. Since she has lived in the States, Peru gained a new currency, saw the end of the leaders of the terrorist group The Shining Path, the soap opera that was the presidency of Alberto Fujimori, the exploding population of her hometown, all the way to having the first female president, Dina Boluarte. Peru’s is the not same country when she left.
Or let’s do me. I left the States in 2014, Obama was still president. Which meant that in the 9+ years I’ve been gone, Trump happened, George Floyd died, Black Lives Matter, the Me, too Movement, Parkland school shooting, January 6th, the pandemic. The US is not the same country I left….
Essentially the country your ancestors knew when they left is not the same country of today. Also whatever bits of culture your family has both passed down and maintained in all that time is still technically from that culture, but in all this time was also likely influenced by American culture.
And I speak from Personal experience.
If you’re new to my channel – hi there….I identify as American-Peruvian. My mom is from Peru and my dad is American. When they got married and had “the talk” on how they would do their best to raise their future kids in both cultures.
I’m putting emphasis on “their best” because if anyone in Indiana remembers the cultural landscape of the 80s and 90s, there wasn’t much for latinos. It was nothing like the more populated areas for latinos of New York, Connecticut, Florida, or California.
My mom and other Latino parents in Indiana did what they could with what was available to them. This meant that not only was there an American influence but other latino cultures as well.
What has been created is this melting pot of latino culture that’s VERY specific to the US. We have our own jokes, cultural references, what have you.
If you were to try and quantify my upbringing as a list. Then you take said list and compare it to my full Peruvian cousins who are my age…it’s not the same.
So simply claiming to be Peruvian doesn’t fit.
Then take that same list and compare it to my American half-siblings and there will also be differences.
I have more in common with other American friends who have Latino parents, regardless of that parent’s country of origin.
It’s for that reason I am a huge fan of YouTubers Jenny Lorenzo (who’s Cuban American) and Johanna Hausmann (who’s Venezuelan American). If you’re interested in seeing what kind of videos they do, I linked my favorites in the description below.
Okay so why do I call myself American-Peruvian? Well, I started calling myself that thanks to the internet’s favorite daddy, Pedro Pascal.
If you’re not aware of who he is. Pedro Pascal is a Chilean-American actor who is best known for his roles as Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones, Din Djarin in the Mandalorian, Joel Miller in The Last of Us as well as Javier Peña in Netflix’s Narcos. He was born in Santiago de Chile. His parents were political activists against the Pinochet regime as they were directly related to Pincohet’s direct rival: Andres Pascal Allende. Nine months after Pedro was born, the family fled the country and found political asylum in Denmark before eventually landing in the US.
If you google him, it says under his name “Chilean-American Actor” AND YET when you google his little sister Lux Pascal, google says “American-Chilean Actress”. What’s the difference? They have the same parents? It’s because of where they were born. And once I saw this, I felt that calling myself American-Peruvian was a more appropriate term for my cultural heritage. I was born and raised in the US so it makes sense to have America First
America First
But I could never ignore my mother’s Peruvian influence in my life. It always annoyed me growing up when I would tell my cousins…or any other Peruvians while in Peru that I was “half” Peruvian, media Peruana. A lot of relatives would laugh. They would tell me I’m just American, not Peruvian. And I felt that was an insult to everything my mom worked in giving me what she could of her culture. She had me learn the language, I celebrated Peruvian holidays…well, mostly just Peruvian independence day (which is July 28th), I ate the food, I spent my summers there to improve my Spanish. Just saying I’m American-Peruvian is more than just saying it. It was a lived experience.
So my opinion in calling yourself by your cultural heritage is more than just that. You can’t use having distant relatives as enough to claim heritage. Like I said before, the country of those ancestors doesn’t exist anymore, the country has evolved and continued to develop into what it is today.
BUT with the internet being as it is today. It’s possible to do the research, learn the language, follow YouTubers who come from those countries where you can learn any and everything you can and all within the comforts of your own home.
Claim that heritage, but also learn about it, appreciate it, and if you can travel, go experience it first hand!
Woof. That was a long-winded episode. Like I said, I have thoughts and opinions. But honestly, folks can claim what they want, I’m not the heritage police. But I guess I do feel entitled because I worked for my identity.
What do you think? What are your thoughts on all of this? What are your thoughts on claiming cultural heritage? I would love to know your thoughts. Let me know in the comments below!
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And that’s it. Until next time. Adee.
Links:
US tribes requirements: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_quantum_laws
Canada tribes requirements: https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1462808207464/1572460627149
Fave Jenny Lorenzo: Laritza Survives a CUBAN SANGIVING: https://youtu.be/L-mqsQ2UCRA
Fave Joana Hausmann: Explaining (Problematic) Nicknames to an American: https://youtu.be/NbbT0FULkN8
Interested in more?
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