The object I chose to represent my ancestry is an aqua, yellow, and black waist bead. The story of the waist beads began with me adding them to a cart on Amazon. I had been in search of waist beads for a while, and I finally stumbled on ones I liked. The beads came in a pack, and it so happened that I received yellow, black, and blue waist beads. Although waist beads aren’t related to Bahamian culture it is the only thing that I have that represents my heritage. The beads represent the colors that make up the Bahamian flag. The Bahamian flag is broken up into three parts. Aquamarine embodies the glistening crystal waters that surround the islands. Meanwhile, the yellow stripe has two meanings: it is the depiction of the sun and sand that make up its beautiful beaches, and lastly, the black triangle illustrates the strength and vigor that Bahamians carry in their everyday lives. Much of my history is unbeknownst to me since I am not close to my father’s side of the family. I remember the stories my father would tell me of his joyous summers in the Bahamas. The Bahamas has a nickname “The Islands of Song" which is very fitting because of the rich music styles that have emerged out of the Bahamas. So in short these beads, although not passed down to me, I create my association with my ancestors, and I can almost hear the melodies of Funky D's "Island Gals" and visualize the sandy beaches of the Caribbean when I put on my waist beads.

– Selah Brown

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant