Today's exploration of memory began with the Sankofa symbol below. This symbol is of a special legend from the Akan tribe in Ghana, in west Africa. The name of the bird is Sankofa. It's feet face forward, toward the future, yet it's head is turned backward toward the past, reaching for it's egg. San-ko-fa means ‘go back and fetch it.’ The story of Sankofa is based on an African proverb: “it is not taboo to go back and fetch that which you have forgotten,” meaning that you can’t know where you’re going unless you know where you came from. They say the egg represents the gems or knowledge of the past, upon which wisdom is based.
To do a little of our own version of Sankofa, or looking toward the past, we had time to visit with Norma Raymond, a 95 year elder in our congregation. She shared many photographs and answered the children's questions about growing up in the 1920s and 30s in Vermont. Thank you, Norma, for being our special guest!
Norma Raymond, born in Charlotte, VT in 1923. I didn't realize it was a special day for her until she shared with me and the kids. Today is the exact day of the 100 year anniversary of the original Armistice Day. Her father was serving in WWI at the time. His birthday was one day before the armistice. Pretty great birthday present, eh? Norma's been coming to UCM since she first walked through it's doors when she was 18 years old--77 years ago! It was called Church of the Messiah and she loved it right away and has been such an active participant over the years and changing names and building additions, etc. The children had time to ask questions and passed the photographs around with great care.
Some highlights were:
-she was a huge fan of ice fishing on Lake Champlain
-for fun she went on long walks in the woods (nowadays they would call it hiking)
-picnics with all her cousins, who she still maintains close contact with
-one room schoolhouse with 25 kids in 1st-8th grades
-telephones in a big box on the wall, when she was young they were only at the neighbors house. Her family got one when she was a teen and you had to tell the operator the number. Sometimes you had wait for your neighbors to get off the shared line first, or ask your neighbors to finish up!
-She mentioned never having any ethnic foods like kids today do. Her family had food they raised. Her father had a big garden, and she had to help in it. She hated planted the carrot seeds. They ate some meat and LOTS of vegetables. Her mother would can 500 quarts of vegetables every year, including really good pickles.
-At age ten she learned to sew from an older woman down the road as part of 4H. She did 4H for eight years and by high school she was sewing all her own clothes!
-she was a huge fan of ice fishing on Lake Champlain
-for fun she went on long walks in the woods (nowadays they would call it hiking)
-picnics with all her cousins, who she still maintains close contact with
-one room schoolhouse with 25 kids in 1st-8th grades
-telephones in a big box on the wall, when she was young they were only at the neighbors house. Her family got one when she was a teen and you had to tell the operator the number. Sometimes you had wait for your neighbors to get off the shared line first, or ask your neighbors to finish up!
-She mentioned never having any ethnic foods like kids today do. Her family had food they raised. Her father had a big garden, and she had to help in it. She hated planted the carrot seeds. They ate some meat and LOTS of vegetables. Her mother would can 500 quarts of vegetables every year, including really good pickles.
-At age ten she learned to sew from an older woman down the road as part of 4H. She did 4H for eight years and by high school she was sewing all her own clothes!
There was some extra time at the 11am for kids to choose an activity--more time with Norma and her photos, playing the game Memory, or time to make cards to send to the recent Bridgers who are away from home, and may need--like the legend of the Sankofa bird--a reminder of where they come from and how much we love them. A great morning all around. All the children took home a Sankofa booklet to use over the holidays to fill with names and stories of their family's history.
Thank you so much for your time with us, Norma Raymond! Thanks you also to the LSE volunteers and parents who joined us and helped.
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