Well, I live in the Jamaica Bay watershed area (Howard Beach), and I visit the area frequently, so a lot of the things that were in the reading were things that I already knew to some extent. I’ve seen the Diwali and Puja rituals take place, and I’ve actually collected the things that have washed up ashore (although, in retrospect, that’s probably not the most respectful thing I could have done). I’ve been to the Gateway Wildlife Preserve (some of the main path might still be destroyed as a result of Sandy), and I go kayaking at Sebago Kayak Club frequently, which launches out of Paedergat Basin. However, I didn’t know about the Santeria religion. I don’t really see many Afro-West Indians in the areas where I live except, I suppose, for myself. However, the actual Jamaica Bay Watershed extends farther than I originally thought. My original conception was that it included Howard Beach, Canarsie, Far Rockaway, and Broad Channel, but it’s more than that. It extends to Brooklyn neighborhoods that are more inland, like East New York, Brownsville, and Spring Creek. Obviously, West Indians live in all of these neighborhoods, so if I can broaden my perspective as to what counts as the Jamaica Bay Watershed, it’s not a stretch to acknowledge that I’m not alone in my West Indian-ness.

As mentioned earlier, Jamaica Bay’s used in a number of religious practices. Hindu and Voodoo rituals are a much-discussed example. This is evidentiary of the great Indo-Caribbean presence in the Richmond Hill and Jamaica areas, as well as the Afro-Caribbean presence in southeast Brooklyn. If one wants to look at culture as something broader than religious practice, maybe as an umbrella term for lifestyle, then maybe one could say that wildlife preservation, fishing, kayaking, boating, or other activities are part of culture, and the Bay is frequently used as a resource for these activities. The religious practices may be seen as detrimental to the environment, as their offerings tend to wash up ashore and are left their dirtying the beach (the beach under North Channel Bridge is especially dirty), but the other activities are intentionally designed such that they don’t compromise the natural environment or pollute, as far as I know. The speedboating scene may not be as good with that, but I don’t know for sure.

Well, I’m assuming indigenous knowledge is things that people already know about science or about their environment or something like that, based on where they were raised or what they know culturally. If that’s the case, then people could possibly know about Jamaica Bay if they’re indigenous to it, although this isn’t always the case. As we saw in the video, the woman claimed that she wished the national parks were more publicized so that people both in the area and out of it could know more about it and explore what it has to offer. This was a statement I agreed with and personally related to, because my father and I didn’t know much of anything about Jamaica Bay until his exercise needs gave us cause to start exploring it.  But people’s experiences and histories aren’t the same. For people who have a strong connection to their native culture or religion, they’ll know the rituals they perform and where it’s appropriate to do so. For example, the reading shows us that Pujas, which would normally be performed in rivers such as the Ganges, can be performed in Jamaica Bay to the same effect. This shows not only an innate knowledge of self, but an ability to adapt to one’s geographical situation.

While I come from two distinct cultures (Roman Catholic Sicilian and Christian Jamaican), I was not raised with either culture. My mother didn’t raise me with Italian language, and while she sometimes made traditional Italian dishes, we were very separated from our Italian family for personal reasons, and so my connection to that part of my culture was severed since before I was even born. On my Jamaican side, I live in a predominantly white neighborhood, and my father identifies as atheist and has limited-at-best communication with his (actually rather large) family. He came to America at a very young age, and the white supremacist imposition of “Americanization” on immigrant groups definitely affected his upbringing, so it affected mine as well. So on a cultural level, in that respect, we don’t connect to the Bay or to the environment. But, as a family and as citizens, we connect in numerous ways. My father and I go out kayaking or go to Floyd Bennett Field frequently. My family often goes to the Gateway Wildlife Preserve. We drive along the Belt Parkway to get to Gateway Mall. I often go exploring the beach beneath North Channel Bridge with my girlfriend. So I guess in that respect, I connect to the environment and with the Bay, but it doesn’t seem like a very deep connection, and it doesn’t feel very cultural.