At Our Heritage we welcome new participants who want to contribute to celebrating the diversity of our Caribbean foremothers. Below you will find more information on how to participate in our project. **Update September 2nd: Please note: at this moment the registrations are closed by an overwhelming series of reactions.
Participants
Translation:
"Finding out who my foremothers were is essentially finding out who I am."
Identity: Dutch
Heritage: British Indian, African
Caribbean roots: British Guiana, Suriname
Translation:
"It felt like an enormous gift and a deep obligation to research and describe this history and my ancestors around my origins."
Identity: Dutch and PSA-eligible (People of Surinamese Descent)
Heritage: Dutch, German-Lutheran, African
Caribbean roots: Third-generation Surinamese (mixed)
Identity: Afro-Caribbean Dutch from Curaçao
Heritage: African, European
Caribbean roots: Curaçao
Identity: Aruban Dutch
Heritage: African, German, European (other)
Caribbean roots: Aruba, St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Translation:
"Participating in Our HERitage is very important to me because it allows me to close the circle of the colonial past I carry with me. I want to highlight my foremothers, to honor them for their courage and determination.''
Identity: Indo & Surinamese
Heritage: African, European, Indonesian
Caribbean roots: Suriname
Translation:
"By participating in Our HERitage, I hope to learn more about my ancestors and their stories. Not only because I'm very curious about this, but also, and especially, to be able to pass this knowledge and their stories on to my children."
Identity: Surinamese Dutch Heritage: British Indian Caribbean roots: Suriname
Translation:
"History goes beyond facts and dates; it's about understanding who we are and where we come from. Our HERitage connects my foremothers to me by bringing their untold stories to light."
Identity: global citizen,
Caribbean Dutch with mixed roots.
Translation:
"Their stories of determination remain a source of strength for us, and through this project, their legacy lives on."
Identity: Curaçaoan Dutch
Heritage: Indigenous, Sephardic, African
Caribbean roots: Curaçao, Cuba
Translation:
I don't really know much about my family history, and my grandmother was a woman of few words. This is also becoming clear in my quest to learn more. By participating, I've already discovered some remarkable things about my great-grandmother, who I think made quite an impact. And as a bonus, I'm gaining more insight into my own roots.
Identity: Dutch
Heritage: African, Jewish, Indigenous
Caribbean roots: Suriname
Translation:
"I'm researching my family history at Our HERitage to discover what the mothers who came before me experienced and how they endured in a time of oppression. My goal is to inspire future generations to appreciate our heritage and celebrate the strength and resilience of our community."
Identity: Surinamese-Dutch
Heritage: Surinamese Maroons
Caribbean roots: Suriname
Translation:
"I didn't know my ancestor. But she lived on through my father. In him, South America and the Persian Gulf, Catholicism and Islam came together."
Identity: Caribbean (mixed-race),
Island child of Curaçao
Heritage: Lebanese, German, African, Indonesian
Caribbean roots: Suriname, Venezuela, Curaçao
Translation:
My maternal grandmother died young, and I've heard few stories about her and her family. This feels like my chance to discover their origins. Where "measuring is knowing," now applies to me: "searching is knowing." I hope I can find something of their story.
Identity: Curaçaoan
Heritage: Arawak, European
Caribbean roots: Curaçao, Montserrat, Anguilla
Translation:
I carry four to five bloodlines within me—Indigenous, African, and more. I want to discover my foremothers' stories and am curious about possible transgenerational transmission. Our HERitage encourages me to explore this.
Identity: Dutch
Heritage: African, Indigenous, European
Caribbean roots: Bonaire, Curaçao
Translation:
The history of Chinese migration to Suriname is generally unknown, let alone what the lives of female migrants were like. Bringing my grandmother and her other Chinese foremothers out of the shadow of history is my motivation for participating in Our HERitage.
Identity: Surinamese Dutch and
Chinese Surinamese
Heritage: Chinese, African, European, Jewish
Caribbean roots: Suriname
Identity: Afro-Latina and Dutch
Heritage: African, European
Caribbean roots: Middle East, St. Maarten
Translation:
Researching my foremothers encourages me to ask more questions about my own life. 'Who am I? What legacy will I leave behind?' That's what I'm interested in.
Identity: Javanese-Chinese from Suriname
Heritage: African, Javanese-Chinese
Caribbean roots: Suriname
Translation:
“By breaking the contemporary silence with the echoes of the past, we work towards a future in which hidden voices contribute to a just society.”
Identity: Surinamese-Dutch Muslim
Heritage: British Indian, Boeroe (Dutch), African
Caribbean roots: Suriname, Trinidad
Translation:
"Identity can be changed, but where you come from isn't. I'm delving into the past with the goal of contributing to a brighter future for myself and everyone who comes after me."
Identity: A mixed group, a Creole woman, a Black woman
Heritage: Javanese, African, European, Indigenous
Caribbean roots: Suriname
Translation:
Who are the mothers who raised me up? I feel the strength of the women before me. Now that I'm raising a son, the female line ends with me. I want to share with him who these women were—their strength, their story, their legacy.
Identity: Surinamese
Heritage: Chinese, African
Caribbean roots: Suriname
Identity: Caribbean Island girl
Heritage: Indigenous, African
Caribbean roots: St. Maarten, Aruba, Curaçao
Translation:
"Where I came from and where I ended up is a special story for me, and I can only tell half of it. With Our HERitage, I hope to finally decipher the other half of my backstory."
Identity: Surinamese
Heritage: Indigenous, British Indian, with Javanese heritage
Caribbean roots: Surinamese
Translation:
For the first time, I delved into my grandmother's life! It was like finding myself in someone else!
Identity: Curaçaoan and Surinamese
Heritage: African
Caribbean roots: Curaçao, Suriname
Translation:
“The past and present, well-rounded, bring good morals.”
Identity: Afro-Caribbean
Heritage: African, Creole/Moorish
Caribbean roots: Curaçao
Translation:
“Learning about the past through the eyes of my ancestors has made my life richer and fuller.”
Identity: Global citizen as a Dutch Hindustani
Heritage: British Indian
Caribbean roots: Suriname
Translation:
"History has crept into my food. By participating in this research about my foremothers, I'm discovering the stories that shape my past."
Translation:
My participation in this project strongly reminds me of the African Adinkra symbol "Sankofa." "Sankofa" means to me in this situation: Let us please not forget the good things of the past, even if they arose under bad circumstances.
Identity: Surinamese
Heritage: Scottish, African
Caribbean roots: British Guiana, Suriname
Identity: Curaçaoan
Heritage: African and European
Caribbean roots: Curaçao
Identity: Curaçaoan
Heritage: African, Scottish
Caribbean roots: Curaçao
Translation:
“Know where you come from so you can walk your path into the future.”
Identity: Hindustani/Indian
Heritage: British Indian, African
Caribbean roots: British Guiana, Suriname
Translation:
Researching my foremother and history gives recognition to the past and strengthens my present. I am here and now thanks to my roots.
Identity: Javanese Dutch
Heritage: Indonesian
Caribbean roots: Suriname
Translation:
My mother and I are participating in the ancestral research because little is known about my great-grandmother Paulina and our Indigenous ancestors. Due to colonial anonymity, little has been documented, making us dependent on family stories.
Identity: Lokono & Dutch
Heritage: Dutch, Indigenous
Caribbean roots: Suriname
Translate:
"My motivation lies in restoring the voice of my ancestors. This project offers me the unique opportunity to rediscover the history that has been taken from us, thus building a bridge between the past and the future."
Identity: Afro
Heritage: African
Caribbean roots: Suriname, Aruba
Translation:
“If you don't know the past, you can't understand the present or shape the future.”
(Helmut Kohl)
Identity: Dutch with Surinamese and Hindustani background
Heritage: British-Indian
Caribbean roots: Suriname
Translation:
I'm participating in this project because I'd like my children to no longer have to explain why they're here. Chinese-Surinamese roots are an essential part of Dutch history, something that's still largely unknown. And we're slowly discovering that knowing where you come from is truly important for knowing who you are today.
Identity: Dutch with Surinamese-Chinese roots
Heritage: Hakka Chinese
Caribbean roots: Suriname
Translation:
As the child of an Aruban mother and a Lebanese father whose family has lived in Curaçao for five generations, I feel deeply rooted in Antillean culture. This research is a personal journey for me, but also a broader recognition of how diverse and multifaceted our islands truly are.
Identity: Antillean with indigenous and Lebanese roots.
Heritage: Meso Andean (indigenous), Lebanese, Mediterranean (Spanish/Greek/Italian)
Caribbean roots: Curaçao
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