| Subject: Re: IMSCF Syndrome ("I'm Spanish-Chinese-Filipino" Syndrome) in America |
Author:
Craig
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Date Posted: 10/ 5/05 6:03pm PDT
In reply to:
Chris
's message, "IMSCF Syndrome ("I'm Spanish-Chinese-Filipino" Syndrome) in America" on 01/16/02 8:55pm PST
This is an interesting thread to me, because I am a quarter Filipino (the rest is miscellaneous European).
I have always been happy to tell people who ask that I am part Filipino, because I am glad to represent the diverse backgrounds that are all a part of me. When people guess at the origin of my name, they usually guess (incorrectly) that it is Italian, French or from some other European country. Since I "pass" for white, people are usually surprized when I tell them that my name, Litorja, is Filipino-Chinese. My father's father was from Cebu, and I have been told by relatives that one of our ancestors was from Shanghai, and that the name originally was closer to Li Ton Hua or something like that. It is hard to find many other people who have the name "Litorja" -- those I know of are all relatives -- but there are a larger number of people named "Litonjua", and I wonder if there is a connection, and if the name is indeed of Chinese origin.
Again and again when people find out that my surname is Filipino, they ask "Is your mother from the Philippines?" Duh!!! I got my name from my father! People seem to assume that anyone from the Philippines who marries a Caucasian American was a bargirl who married a serviceman. This is a whole 'nother can of worms....
I don't know for sure whether or not there is Spanish blood running through our veins, but I ususally include that in the list of ethnicities/nationalities that are part of me. Perhaps this will not turn out to be accurate (I'm doing a bit of genealogical research, but am finding it hard to find documentation on the Filipino side), but I'm certainly not ashamed to identify with my Filipino ancestry.
For my grandparents' generation this was unfortunately not the case. My (Caucasian) maternal grandmother always claimed the name was Spanish, and when she and my grandfather were living in Chicago in the 30s it was hard for them to find housing because my grandfather was Filipino. Interestingly, two of my grandmother's sisters also married Filipino men. This was certainly an anomaly in that era. In some states, such a marriage would have been illegal at the time.
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