Founder Jenn Rupram Honors Her Cultural Roots To Embody Exquisite Care Work
We Gained And Lost A Lot These Pass Generations, So I Can't Help But Be Proud Of My Mother.
I was one of those kids who had a sweater that said, If You Think I'm Cute Wait Till You See My Mom. Can you imagine your mother dressing you up like this? But years later, the energy of Mother continues to nurture and transcend me.
It's my moms birthday. I'm proud of her. She's the descendant of Indians from Guyana brought by the indentured laborer system to work the estates after the abolition of African Slavery in 1834. Our Ancestors brought their village traditions and culture; as the, exotic Demerara Coolie attracted merchants to the fountain of wealth that is the Caribbean sea. Between 1851 to 1870, British Guiana imported 67, 616 coolies which 44,554 were men, 15,402 were women and 8,060 were children (explore here and here and here).
The women were “single, broken, creatures” picked up to fill the colonial office quotas. The Calcutta port emigrated a “less” inferior Indian Native from Madras. Under the indentured labor system, Indians survived deplorable conditions, until 1922, when agitation from Indian Nationalist terminated the system. And so the story of my mother is placed here, in a village in British Guiana; generations born on this land after slavery and indenturedship.
Her stories remind me of how different she is. I've been asking her questions and listening to her oral stories. I wanted to know about her pregnancy with me, the story of my birth and the story of my name. Her stories revealed so much cultural wisdom and insights that I needed to help myself reconcile with our family history. Archiving her oral stories in my body, connecting with my blood memory and embracing my heart knowledge; I was weaving a knowing and intelligence of who I am and the culture of my people through my mother.
We are connected so intricately; she called me one morning and said, “Jo, I have to tell you about this dream,” in her Caribbean accent. As she shared her dream, our family story started to reveal itself to me and ways our Decease is guiding us in the dream world. We had forgotten about the rituals we were responsible for and our Dead was doing their work to guide us in our living, feeling life, to remember our cultural responsibilities. I call this our family folklore; the tales of our family history across time and space, that ratifies the beliefs we held and how we relate to life. Together, we were reclaiming our cultural practices and venerating our Ancestors; so our Dead could rest in peace.
I can still feel the early memories of being in ceremony and the smoke of morning puja. Smokey agharbhati fills the air with the glistening gold energy flowing from Sarasvatī. I bowed before my elder’s feet in the grace of Agni and surrendered to the embrace of Yajna. Divine Mother surrounded me and was nurturing me. These memories are like cultural hauntings of the broken Spirit connection. Our People venerated Devi and our life was an embodiment of Devi itself.
When I was little there was this old woman in our village that reminded me of a witch. She lived by herself in a hut and her presence scared me a little, she felt eerie. Whenever she was walking along the main road pass the house, my mother would send me to fetch her to our bottom house. I didn’t like having to fetch her, she spooked me, but I would run up to her and say, “ma is calling you” and run away.
My mother would feed her dinner and give her food to take home. She would eat with us, pack up food and galang her way, walking up the road to her hut. She ended up dying alone in her hut, but that night, I knew I felt her Spirit passing by our backyard, as I walked back from my night chore. The trees said look up and the leaves rattled, my Presence knew she was there watching me as she passed on.
My mother picked up a lot of people like this; throughout my entire life, from continent to continent, she would pick up people as part of our extended family. We took care of a lot of old people because of her and I met a lot of people through her. She always talked about her kids and how proud of them she was. The ‘ol people knew it was her children that meant the most to her.
People gravitated to her like cosmic anticipations and appreciated her Spirit so much. I was watching her take a private consultation with a woman that learned about my mother through word-of-mouth. Someone gave her my mom's business card and she wanted to know if my mother could help her with her holistic health needs.
“ We are women and have to talk to each other”
She could tell the woman was feeling vulnerable to talk her business to a total stranger. Intuition guides, as she connects with this woman- it was the comfort to talk about our bodies, how it changes, how to support it and how to cultivate exquisite care for our needs and desires that made this woman feel at home. And that’s it. This feeling of home; there's a safety involved and a safety need being met by a caring person.
I heard it was really important to have at least one person in your life that expressed this exquisite crystalline care. A radiant heart in itself. These Hearts are our Guiding Light on Earth. Guiding Lights in a way where their essence radiates love in all their actions. Guiding Lights walk with their heart flame ignited in the service of Love. My haunting memories are encapsulated in the heart of my mother’s essence. As my Guiding Light, I often blame her for my “dysfunction.”
We make Mother responsible for the most intimate feelings in our bodies. Mother is responsible for everything I have and have not, in many cases, the etymology of my existence. Mother holds my burden as an incarnate daughter, Avatar of her, spiritually transient of Devi.
I've seen the lessons these radiant hearts grow through. She's a survivor of trauma and violence. I think about British Guiana and our Ancestors survival. I think about our villages, the estates, the architect and artifacts left now telling this survival story and the weaving of my mother's life. Even though we had villages like on the mainland, the Caribbean is its own whistle in the night; with its legacy of colonization, slavery and indenturedship. At the age of 10, I was asking if I was native to Guyana, I was trying to know myself in a displaced culture. We gained and lost a lot these pass Generations, so I can't help but be proud of my mother.
Her life wasn't easy. I hear this story of women of the Caribbean; they show us a sacrifice for life. Their energy is filled with exuberance and fortification to preserve life. This preservation of life that is her Caribbean Spirit, I am grateful to weave with my mother.
In the way she prayed to the Goddess for my first breath and partitioned Divine Mother’s ritual. My Nani picking my Hindu book name calling me Kamini. My name carries the essence of my Matriarchal Lineage and their sacrifices. They hold the energy of the nameless ones we can only feel in our blood memory.
She vibrates this Caribbean Spirit for the preservation of life. As my mother enjoys another Earth strong cycle, we celebrate her vision for our family business, the health, vitality and vibrancy of our family, and the evolution and expansion we are creating together, reclaiming our cultural practice in the wisdom of our care work.
JN Organichouse is a family-owned Ayurvedic Oil Emporium specializing in handcrafted organic oils for health and wellness. In 2021, Founder Jenn Rupram recovered from covid-19 and was experiencing pain in her body. With over 20+ years in allopathic medicine, Jenn set out to formulate a pain ointment as a traditional remedy for her pain relief. With her allopathic background armed with her traditional oil crafting teachings from her mother, she crafted her first pain oil formula with over 32 herbs, botanicals, leaves, roots and seeds. Using traditional teachings of Ayurveda medicine, she was her first case study and found her formula helped her feel relief and relaxation from her chronic pain and inflammation with consistent care.
Jen combines her knowledge of traditional medicine and allopathic background to work with clients one on one with pain management, reproductive health, and overall holistic stewardship. Jen is a post Indian Indentured Guyanese Elder who has dedicated her life to care and caring for others. She carries the wisdom of her People’s lineage of Tantric traditions and incorporates her cultural teachings into her care work.
Learn more about Jen and her work
Book a free consultation with Jenn here
Website: www.jnorganichouse.com
Facebook: JN Organichouse