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"I
Don't Know . . .I'm Just Black. . . and One-Fourth Cherokee."
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Memories of the Little
Elephant is available for Pre-Order
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The Movement of African People, illustration by Nehprii Amenii, from Memories of the Little Elephant
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New York, NY
(BlackNews.com) - If you were going to teach your children about
their story, their history, where would you begin? Would you start
with the spellbinding and nose-scrunching tale of the 20 hours you
spent with them in labor? Or, would you begin as far back as you've
been able to trace on your own family tree? Perhaps, you'd even
go as far as connecting their ancestral heritage? Thanks to the
internet, libraries, and an abundance of cultural centers, you would
have a wealth of information at your disposal. However, how much
of it would be suitable for your young child? And how much would
relay a story that you could feel good about sharing?
"Raising children
is not the easiest thing to do," says community activist Dan
Tres Omi, father of four, "and raising children of African
descent just adds more weight. Issues such as slavery, Jim Crow,
and race just compound the confusion that also comes along with
puberty, crushes, rules, chores, and safety."
"Cultural identity
builds self-esteem, but simply being taught about the enslavement
of your forefathers does not. You want your child to learn of a
history that they feel proud about," says Nehprii Amenii, author
and illustrator of Memories of the Little Elephant, a children's
book that is reshaping the future tellings of African history.
All parents are in need of teaching tools that compliment their
efforts to nurture the healthiest development of their child. Memories
of the Little Elephant is told through the vantage point of
a young girl who remembers her life all the way back to the beginning
of time. The story opens with "In the beginning my body was
created to house my spirit." From there the main character,
Abii, covers centuries of time, from the populating of Earth via
the movement of her family around the globe, to the building of
Ancient Egypt, to her travels to West Africa all before her tragic
movement into the Americas, as though giving an account of one day.
Abii's telling of her family's story leaves much for parents and
children to talk about, from dreams, to the night time sky, and
African traditions, long before landing on the topic of enslavement.
As an educator, Amenii states, "There is nothing more defeating
to a child's confidence than having to sit in a room full of other
children who can give a clear break down of their 'Irish, German,
Italian and Swedish' heritages, while all your child can mumble
is. . . 'I'm black?' Or, to make it sound more official, maybe they'll
throw in '. . . and I'm one-forth Cherokee, on my mother's side.
. .'"
We've seen countless books, and exhibits that depict the terrible
period of African enslavement, and the struggles through emancipation.
Yet, rarely do we see stories and images that link that history
to an ancient place of brilliance, beauty, intellect and pride.
Amenii, reflecting on her own childhood, added, "I didn't even
know that Egypt was in Africa, let alone, that it was my own history.
For me, Egypt was some far away land of fanciful myths. It had nothing
to do with medicine, mathematics, law, physics, astronomy, engineering,
world scholars, or literacy. And, it definitely had nothing to do
with black people."
Memories of the Little Elephant has just been chosen as
the primary text of the Alvin Ailey's 2008 youth-empowering summer
program, CAS/AileyCamp. One hundred of New York's inner city youth
will have the opportunity to spend six weeks creatively immersed
in self-esteem building artistry, from puppetry to book-making,
based on Memories of the Little Elephant, and instructed
by the author. Amparo Santiago, Director of Manhattan CAS/AileyCamp
says, "It's good to know that from here on our children will
have such a book. There was nothing like this for my own generation."
Perhaps as you take your child through their family tree, and tell
them about how they get their height from their Uncle Fred, next
time you hang their scribbles on the refrigerator door, you'll tell
them how their great, great, great, great, grand parents taught
the world that art of writing!
Nehprii Amenii has been studying African philosophy, art, and been
directly involved in community building for the past decade. Eight
of which she as spent as an educator. She currently teaches within
New York City public schools, where she gets to witness firsthand
the role that cultural awareness, or the lack thereof, plays in
self-image. She also shares her passions, with Alvin Ailey American
Dance Foundation's Arts in Education Department creatively teaching
cultural identity, and life values to inner city adolescents. To
learn more about the link between cultural awareness, positive self
imagery, and academic achievement visit: www.nehpriiamenii.com
CONTACT:
Nehprii Amenii
Khunumproductions@gmail.com
718-924-8779
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