Inang Mo. . .Emeteria

My ABC Wednesday theme: The Mama and
Her Authentic Green Thumbs. . .and Fingers

In the Mama's language of Ilocano, the word inang means mother. This photo is the Inang of the Mama when she was 70 years old or so. The last time the Mama saw her Inang was in October 1949, just before she sailed with the one-year old Only and Older Bionic Brother from the Philippines for the United States. The two were heading onward to their new lives with the Daddy, who was already living in their new home.

I think it's fascinating that the Inang of the Mama signed that photo in 1971 to her daughter not as Inang Mo (your mother) but by her first name Emeteria. That to me is very forward thinking for a woman of the Filipino culture of her generation, which makes me very proud. Having never met the Inang of the Mama, I do not think of her as lola (the Ilocano word for grandmother), but as the bright, beautiful, and bold woman Emeteria.

To know a little something about Emeteria, is know a bit more about the Mama and her authentic green thumbs. . .and fingers.

Emeteria married at the age of 14 to Cipriano who was 13. Her family was unhappy with the marriage. Not because both were young but because he was poor and a "pure" Filipino. (Emeteria's father was from Spain.) By the time, Emeteria was 28, she had given birth to five sons and one daughter. About two years later, Emeteria was a widow and the sole supporter of her family.

From the Mama's stories, I think of Emeteria as a Renaissance Woman. Better yet, a Wonder Woman. Emeteria worked and managed their farm, as well as made money by sewing clothes, making and selling bottles of salted fish called bagoong, and doing other things.

To help Emeteria, the Mama, at nine-years-old, was taken out of school to care for her younger brothers and the house. As the Mama grew, she learned how to raise crops, grow vegetables, tailor clothes, and do the various jobs that Emeteria did. All of which made the Mama, herself, become a Renaissance Woman—a Wonder Woman!

The Mama in 1975

I'm participating in ABC Wednesday, a meme began by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt and managed today by Roger Green at Ramblin' with Roger. Today is the letter I. Click here to read other I posts.