Lora Lyn Junio [she/her]
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
A sense of pride in my ethnicity sparked the inspiration to the details of this set. Up until two years ago I never saw being Filipino as something of significance and always felt disconnected from my cultural identity as an Asian American. I was never in tune with the Asian part. Growing up around other Asian Americans, I envied seeing my friends indulge in their cultural practices. Seeing them in the traditional garments of their culture and being able to express themselves unapologetically made me wish I had something of my own to embrace. This had me convinced that the Philippines was an uninteresting SE Asian country as I grew up somewhat sheltered from my own ethnic background.
Recently though, I have been reconnecting with
my Filipino community and learning things I have never heard of. This
caused a revelation within me and how I felt about where I stood as an
Asian American, which inspired me to proclaim that title back–I was
not just American. The Philippines is more diverse and rich with
culture than I initially thought out to be. So in this piece, I
decided to incorporate the two things I admire about my culture into
this set. For the thumb, I used a snakeskin motif that my ancestors
marked their skin (usually for women) to signify protection. The index
is actually written in Baybayin–which is the written script for
Tagalog. It says "Lakas" which translates to 'strong' or 'strength'. I
chose this word because it's a prominent trait within the Filipino
people and for me, it displays how my connection to my ethnicity has
strengthened over time. To me, the more I learn and celebrate my
ethnicity, the more it solidifies my experience as an Asian American
and I have never felt more akin with my people.
#pride