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In this episode of Tradition Café, Ana sits down with Wendy Aris, host of Dis A Fi Mi History Podcast, for a powerful conversation about Caribbean genealogy, Jamaican family history, ancestral records, oral history, and the emotional side of researching your roots.

Wendy shares how researching her Jamaican family history began with a medical question and grew into an 18-year journey through archives, church records, migration records, wills, newspapers, land documents, and stories that challenged everything she thought she knew.

Together, Ana and Wendy talk about the beauty and difficulty of Caribbean genealogy — from missing records and oral history to slavery-era discoveries, family secrets, migration, identity, and the complicated truths that can live inside one family tree.

They also discuss Wendy’s upcoming book, The Emotions of Researching Your Family Tree, her work preserving Caribbean history through podcasting, and why ancestral research can be both painful and deeply healing.

This conversation is for anyone curious about family history, Caribbean roots, oral history, ancestral memory, and the stories that shape who we are.

Wendy Aris is the host of Dis A Fi Mi History Podcast, a podcast dedicated to Caribbean history, family history, genealogy, cultural memory, and the stories that are often left out of traditional archives. Through interviews with scholars, researchers, cultural preservationists, and community storytellers, Wendy explores the histories, records, and lived experiences that shape Caribbean identity.

Wendy is also the author of the newly released book, The Emotions of Researching Your Family Tree.

Listen to Dis A Fi Mi History Podcast wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

Dis A Fi Mi on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/@DisAFiMihistoryPodcast

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What does Black art mean to Oakland—and why does community matter so deeply in the creative process?

In this episode of Tradition Café, I sit down with Art of the African Diaspora curators Eric Murphy and Yolanda Cotton Turner to talk about Oakland culture, Black art, memory, healing, and the power of bringing artists and communities together.

We discuss the Art of the African Diaspora exhibition, the satellite show in Alameda, Oakland nostalgia, preserving community stories through art, and why representation still matters in today’s art world.

This conversation is thoughtful, funny, and full of love for the East Bay.

Topics include:

• Oakland Black art and culture
• Art of the African Diaspora exhibition
• Community healing through art
• Bay Area artists
• Representation in the art world
• Oakland history and memory
• Eric Murphy artwork
• Yolanda Cotton Turner prints

🎙️ Tradition Café explores culture, heritage, creativity, and the stories that shape us.

Thank you for listening to Tradition Café. Visit www.traditioncafe.com for blog posts, news, and links, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for videos and updates.

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A painting of someone pulling the moon out of orbit might sound like fantasy—until you hear the artist explain the symbols, the technique, and the lived history behind it.

In this episode of Tradition Café, I’m joined by George Bernard III, a Bay Area portrait artist whose work draws from African diaspora identity, spiritual traditions, and the people he observes and paints.

This conversation is part of the Art of the African Diaspora interview series, where we sit with artists to explore the deeper stories behind their work—what shapes it, what moves through it, and what it carries forward.

George shares how his artistic journey began at just five years old, learning by watching his grandfather’s hand move line by line. We talk about growing up between El Paso and California, and the complexities of tracing lineage in the diaspora—including family stories that point to Senegal, alongside the uncertainty many families inherit.

We also get into the craft itself—the materials, the discipline, and the practice behind the work—but the heart of this conversation lives in meaning.

Through his piece Urban Magi, George breaks down the Yoruba concept of asé, the symbolism of dreadlocks as patience and power, and how movement is created through brushstroke, texture, and layered color. He also describes how music—especially jazz—shapes his process, including moments where sound becomes color and painting becomes something closer to meditation.

This is a conversation about art as more than technique—about energy, cultural memory, and what it means to create from something deeper than yourself.

If this resonates, follow, share, and leave a review to help more people find Tradition Café.

Connect with George Bernard III

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bernard_illustrations_2021
  
  
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/bernardillustrations
• Classes: West Contra Costa Adult Education https://www.wccadulteducation.com/

Thank you for listening to Tradition Café. Visit www.traditioncafe.com for blog posts, news, and links, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for videos and updates.

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We reflect on a year of building Tradition Café, then move into a vulnerable reading of Homecoming—a story about growing up Dominican in South Dakota and redefining where home lives.

This episode explores identity, heritage, and belonging across cultures—touching on Dominican roots, Midwestern upbringing, and the tension between language loss and cultural pride. Through memory, family, and chosen community, we return to a deeper question: what does “home” really mean?

There’s gratitude, a little awkward self-promo, merengue in the kitchen, and a ring passed through generations—all threading a path back to self.

Happy New Year, everybody. I love you.

Thank you for listening to Tradition Café. Visit www.traditioncafe.com for blog posts, news, and links, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for videos and updates.

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We explore two-spirit balance, the difference between soul and spirit, and a grounded understanding of divine counterparts over trend-driven “twin flames.” Music becomes medicine as OwlSnake builds and plays a frame drum, sharing tools, ceremony, and a call to remember who we are

• soul as lifetime vessel, spirit as enduring core
• divine counterpart as service and growth, not romance
• two-spirit roles as balance, responsibility, and community care
• moving beyond Western gender labels toward Indigenous teachings
• music and drum as journey tool and vibration for healing
• how drum circles guide students into presence and connection
• making a frame drum with intention, blessing, and natural materials
• ceremony tools including chant, peace pipe, feathers, and staff
• choosing love over fear to expand consciousness
• open invitation for questions without judgment

Follow Tradition Cafe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen and connect with us on Facebook and Instagram
Also swing by TraditionCafe.com for more stories, culture, and behind the scenes fun

Thank you for listening to Tradition Café. Visit www.traditioncafe.com for blog posts, news, and links, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for videos and updates.

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OwlSnake is a Two-Spirit medicine person, a hollow bone for Spirit, and a way-shower. She comes from a long line of healers and learned early on that she could receive messages from her ancestors and guide others toward deeper self-understanding. In this opening episode of Season 2, Ana welcomes OwlSnake into the Tradition Café for an intimate and grounding conversation about identity, ceremony, and the responsibilities that come with stepping into one’s gifts.

OwlSnake’s lineage weaves together Indigenous Nations of North America, the Caribbean, and West Africa—Muscogee, Choctaw, Cherokee, Taíno, and Benin—alongside her Scottish ancestry. She speaks about how these roots shape her medicine work and what it means to move through the world as someone who listens deeply, carries responsibility with humility, and helps others find their way home. The conversation acknowledges the long histories of trauma her ancestors endured, including the Trail of Tears and the Middle Passage, and how those experiences continue to inform resilience, healing, and cultural memory today.

Their discussion also unpacks how historical labels—such as the classification of Muscogee, Choctaw, and Cherokee peoples (along with the Seminole and Chickasaw) as the “Five Civilized Tribes”—flattened the depth, diversity, and sovereignty of these Nations. OwlSnake reflects on the teachings and resilience carried through her ancestors, and how each lineage informs the work she does today.

Thank you for listening to Tradition Café. Visit www.traditioncafe.com for blog posts, news, and links, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for videos and updates.

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Shadows of Samhain — The Story Behind Halloween

When the veil thins and the fires burn low, Tradition Café celebrates Halloween’s roots and stories — marking the turn of the season, not the end of the journey.

As Samhain marks the turning of the year — the closing of one season and the quiet beginning of another — Tradition Café pauses to close its own circle. In this episode, we explore the origins of Halloween: from ancient Celtic rites and medieval customs to the spirited traditions that still echo today. And as a special treat, we end with “The Tale of Nero,” an adapted Celtic folktale, read by Jordan Torrey.

From bonfires and costumes to the veil between worlds, discover how ancient beliefs shaped the playful and mysterious celebration we know now. Whether you’re lighting a candle, carving a pumpkin, or simply listening, join us as we honor endings, beginnings, and the stories that bind them together.

Thank you for joining us this season. We’ll be back with more episodes on heritage, culture, traditions, and community — but for now, may your Samhain be bright, your Halloween full of wonder, and your circle unbroken.

Thank you for listening to Tradition Café. Visit www.traditioncafe.com for blog posts, news, and links, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for videos and updates.

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Solitary, witty, and steeped in Celtic tradition — Cecilia keeps her magic private, her humor sharp, and her Scottish ancestors’ horse-thieving ways alive in story. She finally joins the podcast, and it’s unforgettable.

Thank you for listening to Tradition Café. Visit www.traditioncafe.com for blog posts, news, and links, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for videos and updates.

Video Episodes on YouTube @Tradition_Cafe
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