I enjoyed the presentation on altars and the discussion of the research and work
done to create them. More specifically I found the walking altars very interesting
and beautiful. I enjoyed the innovation with it and the new type of connection you
can show for the souls of loved ones through actually becoming the altar yourself.
I also loved the altar for peace. The representation was glowing and amazing, along
with the materials put onto it, especially having people write words of peace as
ofrendas.
It was great to hear Rosanna and Ofelia talk about their involvement with the movie
Coco-- which is one of my favorite movies--hearing their discussion of altars with
the Smithsonian and seeing their education on altars integrated into the movie Coco
was so amazing. I think what they said about altars being used for healing and as a
call for action is especially relevant for today.
The panel discussion focused a lot on healing and how altars and community altars
help provide that healing for many. I think the discussion sound healing today is
extremely relevant with current Black Lives Matter movements and the recent unjust
death of George Floyd. I learned a lot about the growth within community altars and
can see the translation to growth within the expansion of voices being heard in
those communities. I learned more about altars today as well, I didn’t know that
it is believed that the souls travel for an entire year before becoming an ancestor
and that helped me understand the concept of offerings in a new way through the
depth that the souls travel and how that altar is involved in the long journey.
I thought the question presented on cultural appropriation and the expansion of
who uses altars as a form of remembrance was an interesting topic and one I asked
myself with the creation of an ofrenda for this class. Ofelia’s answer brought some
peace around this concern for me when she said that the important part is upholding
the respect of that culture and becoming educated on the traditions is what separates
actions of respect and actions of cultural appropriation.
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