INdignant response followup

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Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on April 20, 2001 at 11:53:32:

In reply to: In response to Kim..."indignant respnse" posted by Willowhawk on April 20, 2001 at 11:47:17:

: me. I stated that I do my own work at which point she glared at me
: and told me I had no business practicing something that was for
: Middle Eastern woman. She said Americans only do it for the money.

Was she wearing western dress? (and the next 5 questions that would
indicate that she is involved with and appreciating some
aspects of western culture) Last I heard, it's one planet and one
species. The more curious we are about each other, and the more we
learn about each other, the fewer misunderstandings will arise.

Once in a while I get that reaction and I just blow it off. Cultural
isolationism is pernicious. I understand the feelings, but am not
willing to support them,

I've certainly lost many night of the henna jobs because the families
simply could not wrap their minds around the fact that the henna on my
hands was MY work that I've stopped expecting any of them to come
through. The women will literally grab my hands, point at the
patterns and shake their heads, convinced that I'm lying and
somewhere I'm hiding a little (name the country of orogin) grandmother
in my closet. This would annoy me, except that I remember women from
my childhood (a very isolated rural area) with precisely the same
attitude about "them furriners". They felt very threatened by
anything that might encroach on their turf. You fear what you do
not know, you dig in your heels if you feel your world is going out of
control.

Some people, for their own sense of security, have to mark off their
territory and visit the bushes regularly. Unfortunatly, you got
mistaken for a bush and you got marked. It happens to all of us.
Hope she loosens up sometime.

There is also a strong political agenda in India to "claim" henna and
other ethnic traditions. With over 50 countries having henna
traditons going back as far as 9000 years (including Spain,
Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Sicily, Ukraine, Crete,
........ and many of those countries henna traditions PRE-DATE India's
henna traditions!!!) their claim is NOT very well founded.

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: : me. I stated that I do my own work at which point she glared at me : : and told me I had no business practicing something that was for : : Middle Eastern woman. She said Americans only do it for the money. : : Was she wearing western dress? (and the next 5 questions that would : indicate that she is involved with and appreciating some : aspects of western culture) Last I heard, it's one planet and one : species. The more curious we are about each other, and the more we : learn about each other, the fewer misunderstandings will arise. : : Once in a while I get that reaction and I just blow it off. Cultural : isolationism is pernicious. I understand the feelings, but am not : willing to support them, : : I've certainly lost many night of the henna jobs because the families : simply could not wrap their minds around the fact that the henna on my : hands was MY work that I've stopped expecting any of them to come : through. The women will literally grab my hands, point at the : patterns and shake their heads, convinced that I'm lying and : somewhere I'm hiding a little (name the country of orogin) grandmother : in my closet. This would annoy me, except that I remember women from : my childhood (a very isolated rural area) with precisely the same : attitude about "them furriners". They felt very threatened by : anything that might encroach on their turf. You fear what you do : not know, you dig in your heels if you feel your world is going out of : control. : : Some people, for their own sense of security, have to mark off their : territory and visit the bushes regularly. Unfortunatly, you got : mistaken for a bush and you got marked. It happens to all of us. : Hope she loosens up sometime. : : There is also a strong political agenda in India to "claim" henna and : other ethnic traditions. With over 50 countries having henna : traditons going back as far as 9000 years (including Spain, : Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Sicily, Ukraine, Crete, : ........ and many of those countries henna traditions PRE-DATE India's : henna traditions!!!) their claim is NOT very well founded.
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