Ellie Nakamura-Corfield

My Mother's Tongue

"..Stories that we carry every day as values to uphold us, and stories that have become distant, as if whispered to us by a mother while we slept. My Mother’s Tongue explores the diasporic feeling of what language and oral stories do to us, how they grasp, choke, and hold us within their touch.."

“ We open our minds and hearts to remember the stories passed down to us from generation to generation. Stories that we carry every day as values to uphold us, and stories that have become distant, as if whispered to us by a mother while we slept. My Mother’s Tongue explores the diasporic feeling of what language and oral stories do to us, how they grasp, choke, and hold us within their touch. Exploring themes of loss of language and stories of trauma and joy, we question whether the history books hold the complete truth. The local community is invited into an intimate cafe setting to consider stories told to them publicly and privately. Our Mother’s, Aunties, and Elders imbued within us tales of warning and comfort, and it is up to us to carry those stories on. To allow our stories to fade away is to betray ourselves; we must discuss and share until our last moments. As you read and venture into My Mother’s Tongue, remember the ancestral stories told by the women in our lives, and feel how their voices wash over us. Reflect and process the intense emotions and rejoice in moments of bliss. I ask that you respect the artist's vulnerability in sharing, as it is an important act of support. ”