I BEAR THE FRUIT OF MY ANCESTORS 

I Bear the Fruit of My Ancestors is an ongoing series that pays tribute to the unwavering spirit of Vietnamese people and emphasizes the importance of storytelling by examining the unique cultural practice of ancestral worship. Vietnam has no dominant religion and has gone through periods of civil war and reunification where religion was even outlawed. However, ancestral worship has remained a dominant cultural practice in Vietnam that has persisted through centuries of colonization, war, and political turbulence.

Growing up, we all seek to feel normal and to fit in. As a Vietnamese immigrant growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I found myself caught in between two worlds. My life at home was dominated by Vietnamese culture, where I was expected to conform to the Confucian family structure—loving, appreciative, and exuding filial piety. By contrast, in school I was expected to assimilate to a predominantly American culture that rewards individualism, self-achievement, and assertiveness. These conflicting expectations led me to feel as though my Vietnamese heritage was a hurdle to my success in America growing up, but throughout my adult life, I have learned better of that sentiment and have discovered the importance of preserving my history, culture, and remembering the steps our ancestors took to get us to where we are today.

Through storytelling, I have learned that I am living the rewards of my ancestors’ sacrifices and my parents' sacrifices. This installation is a tribute to the generations that have paved the way for me and the importance of family history. The life that I am now living, the life of self-actualization, is owed to my parents, grandparents, and ancestors whose only choices were to survive and contribute to a better life for future generations. 

It took significant contributions from every single generation to get where I am today, but without honoring our history and our ancestors, it only takes one generation to forget all those contributions.