Dear Patient,
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in the US, and as the month winds to a close I've been thinking about cultural appropriation, and my role as a practitioner of a medicine that originated in Asia.
In some ways, cultural appropriation is simply something we humans do. We exchange ideas, we borrow tools, we trade recipes. Novel and foreign elements become woven into the tapestry of society. This is also how practices that can benefit all of humanity—like acupuncture—flourish. In their most authentic form, the best cultural traditions bring people together.
But cultural appropriation becomes a problem when a dominant group adopts foreign practices and symbols and then uses them to perpetuate their dominance. So it’s important to honor those practices in a way that doesn’t cause further harm, and also to recognize the individuals who act as a bridge: the teachers. They’re the ones who step out and offer something to the rest of us, who say, “Here, try this—it’s been a part of my culture for a long time.”
So in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I’d like to thank my teachers:
Dr. Daoshing Ni
Dr. Maoshing Ni
Dr. Lawrence Lau
Ji-Ling Hu
Yue-Ying Li
Dr. Ming-Dong Li
Hua-Bing Wen
Nai-Qiang Gu
Dr. John Chen
And those teachers I never met, but have greatly influenced my practice nonetheless:
Yo San Ni
Hua-Ching Ni
Miriam Lee
Dr. Richard Tan
Master Tung Ching Chang
Ing "Doc" Hay
When you sit down for your next acupuncture treatment, or do sun salutations in your next yoga class, or enjoy your next serving of chips and salsa, it’s an opportunity to celebrate those who offered something from their culture to the rest of us. Say a few words of thanks.
Love and gratitude,
Your Acupuncturist
Great idea - we don't often remember where some of our favorite foods, things, etc....come from. It is a nice practice to acknowledge other cultures for sharing with ours.