Reflections: About Me

Cultural Autobiography I am pictured here coming into my authentic soul, embracing my heritage, with my arms outstretched and looking up towards the Heavens in gratitude for reuniting me with my ancestral home and family. The photo was taken in my grandfather's (dad's dad) garden in February 2014 after returning home to Cape Town, South Africa for the first time in 18 years. The blooming tree behind me is a bougainvillea and was planted by my grandfather, 50 years ago. I am wearing my mother's dress, she bought it sometime in the early 70's; it was passed on to me after she died. This photo encompasses my true heart, my love of family and my deep sense of awe and respect for the country and culture of my birthright.

My name is Dominique Jacobs. My first name is French, because my mother loved French names, I have no middle names because she thought my first name was long enough. My last name is the second most popular name in my community; I am a member of the Cape Coloured people of the Western Cape province in South Africa. The term "coloured" is a natural description classifying people of mixed-race background in Southern Africa. Since 1994, after the fall of apartheid and the beginning of "The new South Africa", the term Cape Coloured became a badge of honor to our people. Both my parents and their families are from the same community, dating back centuries, which is as rich and rare as the mixture itself.

The Cape Coloureds are a heterogeneous South African ethnic group, with diverse ancestry. We are an authentic mixed-race breed of people only found in the Western Cape of South Africa. Our tribe is the indigenous Khoisan

-which are the yellow-skinned, nomadic people who followed the herds along the coast of the southern tip of Africa. Our ancestry includes European discoverers, traders and colonizers, predominantly: Spanish, Portuguese, German, English and Dutch. They started mixing with Khoisan tribe in the early days of the Far East trade as it was a mid-way resting point between Europe and the Far East. The Cape of Good Hope and Cape Agulhas (or southernmost tip of the African continent) was "discovered" by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias in 1488, the mixing started shortly thereafter. We are also mixed with slaves imported from the Dutch East Indies, my daughter's great-grandfather (on her dad's side) was such, an Indian man from India. Lastly we are mixed with Malaysian; there is a pronounced Malay influence in our cooking and my grandmother (dad's mom) could be mistaken for a pure-bred! The range of coloring and hair texture is incredible, due to differing mixtures. You can find coloured people my tone and darker, just as you will see many that can certainly pass for white or Hispanic (like my mom).

Pictured: Khoisan mother and baby from http://blackgirllonghair.com/2015/08/10-beautiful-images-of-the-san-people-of-southern-africa-from-whom-all-modern-humans-descended/

More about the Cape Coloured History here:

When I was 5 years old, my parents decided that we would leave South Africa for the United States. This was a crucial decision and a turning point in our lives because initially, the move was to be temporary. Only long enough for my dad wanted to complete his PhD studies, which he had started in the early 70’s in St. Louis, more importantly to escape political persecution. At that time my father was a member of the A.N.C. (African National Congress) and in those years of apartheid the A.N.C. was considered to be a terrorist organization. So we made the move, but ended up immigrating to Canada in 1990 instead of returning home. The reason for this incredible shift was because my mom became pregnant with my little brother, who became the first generation Canadian in our family. My dad couldn't work to support his growing family on a student visa in the States, so he answered a "call" which in the church -he was a pastor, means jobs offer. We moved to Cranbrook B.C. and from there Vancouver, where we settled and became really happy, until tragedy struck.

In 1995, my mother (43 years old) passed away from cancer and we went back home to bury her, as per her last wishes. That was the last time I was in Cape Town, South Africa; until 2013, when I went back on my self-discovery sojourn (pictured above). I was blessed to spend six months in Cape Town due to landing a coveted student travel bursary/travel blogger position through Toronto's Centennial College, where I had moved from Vancouver in 1999. Toronto's fast-paced, multi-cultural melange had me connected and buzzing with the robust nightlife and dating scene but also, in a strange way, feeling isolated. In the seventeen years that I spent living and working in the city, I never found my tribe.

During my 2013-2014 trip back to Cape Town, I fell in love with a childhood friend. After a subsequent trips back to visit him -he proposed. But the most notable trip, the one in September 2015 right before the start of my Professional Communications program at Royal Roads University in January 2016, I became pregnant. It was a big, scary surprise which has further changed my life by challenging me to be the best version of myself. Because my daughter's father and I are no longer together, I am more determined to create a beautiful, safe, happy life for her. That's why I've decided to continue with my degree program, against all odds and to leave the big, grimy city behind for the natural zen of Victoria. We are settling into our new home; I'm still unpacking, boxes strewn everywhere, but I am hopeful and optimistic that we will find our tribe here.

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Week 1: Sharing Circle and Dancing the Four Directions

My video has cut out (due to lack of storage on my phone) before I could finish my script. After five attempts (or takes) at this and repeatedly going back to delete apps and data with the same result, I've decided to leave it at this and write my ending (as opposed to saying it in my video) as follows:

I remain humbled and in awe at the kindness and generosity of some people. A huge heartfelt thanks to Asmanahi Antoine.

My medicine box: Two eagle feathers (which represent my daughter and me), sage, sweet grass, abalone shell burning bowl and the belly button.

The healing crystal, Howlite, whose properties are for calming and to be used to cure insomnia caused by an overactive mind:

This concludes my first entry. Thank you for listening. Thank you for opening these doors and allowing this connection.

Thanks to the Great Spirit that makes all things possible.

Be well friends.

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