The Eighth Tribe, 1981 (8. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1981-05-01 / 5. szám
May, 1981 THE EIGHTH TRIBE Page 3 LET’S SET THE PURPOSE STRAIGHT Albert Wass It is one of the basic rules of human planning that everything we decide to do must fill a need in order to be successful. Otherwise our best efforts will be in vain, energy and funds will be wasted. The Hungarian Heritage Conference, tentatively suggested by the Eighth Tribe Foundation to take place in Ligonier on the fourth weekend in August seems to respond to several needs expressed by Hungarian Americans or Americans of Hungarian descent. 1. The need to preserve our cultural heritage as an obligation to our new homeland, America, the “land of many colors”. Young Americans are becoming more and more conscious of the right of every individual to his own cultural heritage. Since, except the native Indians, everybody else’s parents or grandparents came from somewhere, bringing with them the treasure-chest of their particular national heritage, it is important to realize that the interaction of these different cultures is not just desirable, but essential, for creating the proper cultural environment in which the new nation of mixed backgrounds can freely unfold and prosper. Though the American culture is rooted in the English language, in the various expressions and manifestations of this culture one can clearly recognize the Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Dutch, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Polish and many other cultural influences interwoven with one another like threads of different colors intricately mixed to create the unique patterns of oriental rugs. The peaceful blending of many cultures brought by the immigrants into this land, always preserving the worthwhile and lasting values, while letting go of the dross, created a new and striking culture, the potential of which can be kept up and increased only if this blending process never ceases, never becomes one-sided, but keeps its multicolored quality always brilliantly new and alive. Therefore it is clear that American citizens of Hungarian descent have a definite obligation to this country. Namely to sort out, preserve and add their own cultural treasures to the treasure-chest of America. Because if they fail to do so they will defraud the country which gave them safe harbour and the freedom to enjoy, develop and share their cultural heritage for the benefit of all. One basic fact must also be clearly understood: without a deep cultural heritage that links man to the past through proven values of human achievements, examples and ethical tenets, man is nothing but a two-legged beast under a thin coat of superficial camouflage which makes him seem like everyone around him but in reality he has nothing to tie to, and must sink, sooner or later, to the lowest strata of humanity, composed of elements which do not belong anywhere, do not care for anything but their own well-being, and if heaped up out of proportion, can make the richest and strongest country falter and collapse. 2. The need of identity. Young people are relentlessly searching these days for an identity, because they found out that without identity man is a boat without anchor, a kite without a string: helplessly at the mercy of whimsical forces. Identity is like a map marked carefully by foregone generations showing the trail whereby they have arrived to the place where we are and listing the values we must adhere to and the skills we must not forget in order to find our way through the still uncharted future. Our identity is deeply imbedded in our cultural heritage which is like the logbook of a ship: the very ship we must navigate through treacherous waters. It contains the only reliable instructions we can find on earth. 3. The need to fulfill our obligation. While some ideologies proclaim world-domination as their goal, the American dream is a world of peace in which everybody has his place and can live a useful happy life. World peace can be built only on mutual understanding and on justice derived from the understanding of all the complex problems of our world. Those who come into this country from the different parts of this world, are bringing within their consciousness the problems of their native lands and the peoples they left behind. It is not only fair but imperative that they make these problems known to their fellow Americans as well as to the rest of the world in order that wrongs may be righted one day and thus mankind brought forward toward justice and peace. Everybody who enters this country must become an ambassador of peace and understanding. What the English American has done for England, the French American for France and the Irish American for Ireland: every American of Hungarian descent has the obligation to do in order to fulfill his destiny. Who can not be loyal to his heritage, will never make a loyal American either! 4. The need to organize. There are no haphazard ways to fulfill a purpose. In an organized world all worthwhile actions must be properly organized. The “Eighth Tribe” was brought forth by just a few and for this very purpose: to sort out and uphold our Hungarian heritage, and hand it down to oncoming generations of Hungarian Americans. The “Eighth Tribe Foundation”, still in an initial stage, was the dream of those of us who feel that our heritage deserves to be preserved, and incorporated through communication into the American scene. It is time that we all gather around and help the purpose of this foundation become a reality: the establishment of a Hungarian American Cultural-Educational Institute. The need is here, waiting to be filled. We are expecting everyone who feels that his Hungarian heritage
