For the first two weeks of my course, I had no idea where I was headed in terms of my learning experience, but I soon found out. During the first week we had to define “indigenous identity” which by the way was a foreign language for me. After determining the meaning (because there were so many choices) I decided on the meaning "that which connects one or more people based on their culture, race, beliefs and lifestyle." I never considered myself or included part of that definition because I thought it only applied to people from other nations or countries. Eventually my thoughts and understanding changed. As I stated before reading chapter five of “Thinking Like an Anthropologist,” “What this practice or idea was like in the past – The Time Question (2008, Omohundro, JT), will be an excellent and informative guide to my research ( in which era).Also, using syncretism as a tool gave me the opportunity to research not only the past but present rituals, beliefs, etc. of African Americans and how much they have changed over the years as a critic it allowed me to broaden my horizons not only regarding my culture but also about other cultures included in this identity. Two articles were presented for the first time: The “Gebusi” and the “Body Ritual of the Nacerima”. And I thought that their rituals and beliefs were somehow extreme, but then I realized that if they looked at our society and our practices, they might consider the same thing about us African American woman, I was ready to take that journey into the unknown, to investigate my culture, our findings, and then have the ability to share my findings and observations with others. Week after week we had…half the paper…w topics, but there were two statements that I will keep repeating in my mind forever. He said, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and the second statement he made, “When we recognize our talents we must share them with our communities and the country.” We also discussed my African ancestry and I shared with her that because of this research, not only would I like to have a DNA test to see where my roots begin, but I would like to conduct research into my family tree. Everyone should know not only where they come from but also who they come from. In conclusion, I found this course to be much more than I could have imagined. It was an experience I will never forget. I undeniably understand that not only are we all part of the “indigenous people,” but we are also part of the history that has contributed so much to the world and will continue to strive to do so.