From Amazon to Garden State
Summary
TLDRDavid Good's mother, Yara, was from the isolated Yanomami tribe in Venezuela. After marrying an anthropology professor, she moved to New Jersey and became a housewife, raising three children. However, after six years, she chose to return to her tribe, leaving her family behind. David, who was five at the time, struggled with the abandonment and hid his heritage. It wasn't until college that he discovered his mother's story and embraced his roots. He later reunited with Yara and founded the Good Project, a nonprofit aiming to bridge the Yanomami with the modern world.
Takeaways
- 👨👩👧👦 David Good's mother, Yara, was from a remote Yanomami tribe in Venezuela, which was a stark contrast to her life as a housewife in New Jersey.
- 🌊 Yara's transition from the Amazon jungle to New Jersey was filled with culture shock, as she had never seen modern technology or vehicles before.
- 💍 Yara was betrothed to David's father, Ken Good, an anthropology professor, who met her during his fieldwork in the Yanomami village.
- 🚗 Upon arriving in the United States, Yara found the environment and culture to be completely alien, even something as common as a Jeep was unfamiliar to her.
- 🌱 Yara adapted to life in America, raising three children and being a good mother, despite the immense cultural differences.
- 💔 After six years, Yara decided she could not return to America and left her family behind, choosing to stay in the jungle with her people.
- 👦 David, who was five when his mother left, struggled with the absence of his mother and internalized it as abandonment.
- 📚 In college, David read his father's book about the Yanomami and his mother, which led to a profound change in his perception of his heritage.
- 🌐 David embarked on a quest to reunite with his mother in the Amazon, overcoming logistical challenges to reach the remote village.
- 🤝 The reunion between David and Yara was emotional and healing, allowing them to reconnect and understand each other's perspectives.
- 🌿 David learned valuable life lessons from the Yanomami people about living in harmony with nature and community, which contrasted with modern life.
Q & A
Who is Yara and where is she originally from?
-Yara is David Good's mother, originally from southern Venezuela near the headwaters of the Oronoko River, in the Yanomami territory.
What was Yara's initial reaction to modern transportation like a Jeep?
-Yara's initial reaction to a Jeep was one of fear and confusion, as she thought it was an animal due to her lack of exposure to modern technology and vehicles.
How did Yara adapt to life in New Jersey after living in the Amazon jungle?
-Despite the immense cultural shock, Yara adapted relatively well to life in New Jersey, having three children and being described as an excellent mother.
Why did Yara decide to stay in the Amazon jungle after a visit back home?
-Yara decided to stay in the Amazon jungle because she felt she couldn't go back to America, preferring the familiar environment and lifestyle of her native village.
How did David Good's perception of his mother change over time?
-David initially internalized his mother's leaving as abandonment and felt shame about her background. However, after reading his father's book about her, he came to embrace and be proud of his heritage.
What was David's strategy to avoid questions about his mother during his childhood?
-David lied about his mother's death to stop classmates from asking questions, as the truth about her being in the Amazon jungle was too difficult for him to explain.
What was David's emotional response when he finally met his mother in the Amazon after many years?
-David was nervous and emotional upon meeting his mother, eventually breaking down and crying as he remembered the comforting feeling of having a mother.
What is the 'Good Project' that David started, and what is its purpose?
-The 'Good Project' is a nonprofit organization that David launched to serve as a bridge between the Yanomami people and the rest of the world, facilitating cultural exchange and learning.
How does David feel about his mother's choice to stay in the Amazon after reconnecting with her?
-David has come to understand and respect his mother's choice to stay in the Amazon, recognizing the cultural and personal significance of her decision.
What does David plan to do in the future regarding his relationship with his mother?
-David plans to spend as much time as possible with his mother, cherishing every opportunity to be with her and learning from her way of life.
Outlines
🌿 From Jungle to Suburbs: Yara's Unimaginable Journey
The first paragraph introduces Yara, a woman from the Yanomami tribe in southern Venezuela, who lived a drastically different life from a typical New Jersey housewife. Yara was betrothed to Ken Good, an anthropology professor, after he lived among her tribe and fell in love with her. The narrative describes Yara's initial shock and adaptation to American culture, including her fear of a Jeep at the airport, which she mistook for an animal. Despite the cultural shock, Yara adapted well, raising three children and being a loving mother. However, after a visit back to her tribe, she decided not to return to America, leaving her family behind and causing her son David to internalize her departure as abandonment.
🔄 Reconnecting with Roots: David's Quest to Find His Mother
The second paragraph follows David Good's emotional journey as he seeks to reunite with his mother, Yara, after years of estrangement. Despite the challenges of reaching the remote Yanomami village, David's determination leads him to his mother, who is still there and eager to reconnect. The narrative captures the emotional reunion and the weeks they spend together, hunting, gathering food, and reminiscing about their life in New Jersey. David's understanding of his mother's decision to stay with her tribe deepens, and he starts the 'Good Project,' a nonprofit aimed at fostering cultural exchange between the Yanomami and the outside world. The story concludes with a poignant reflection on the universality of family bonds, regardless of cultural differences.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Yanomami
💡Cultural Adaptation
💡Anthropology
💡Isolation
💡Betrothal
💡Jungle
💡Abandonment
💡Heritage
💡Quest
💡Nonprofit
💡Rejection and Acceptance
Highlights
Yara, David Good's mother, was a typical New Jersey housewife who had a surprising past as an Amazonian jungle woman.
David's father, Ken Good, an anthropology professor, met Yara while studying the Yanomami tribe in southern Venezuela.
Yara's transition from the Amazon to New Jersey was like traveling through a time machine, facing a completely foreign culture.
Despite the cultural shock, Yara adapted well to her new life, raising three children and being an excellent mother.
After six years, Yara decided she could not return to America, choosing to stay in the jungle with her family there.
David, who was five when Yara left, internalized her departure as abandonment and struggled with his identity.
David's shame and embarrassment about his mother's background led him to lie about her being dead to avoid questions.
A field trip to the Museum of Natural History in New York City brought David's dual identity into stark relief.
David's feelings towards his mother shifted dramatically after reading his father's book about the Yanomami.
David embarked on a quest to reunite with his mother in the Amazon, facing numerous logistical challenges.
The reunion between David and Yara was emotional, with both breaking down in tears upon seeing each other after 20 years.
David spent time with Yara, learning about her life and the Yanomami culture, without questioning her decision to leave.
David launched the Good Project, a nonprofit aimed at bridging the gap between the Yanomami and the rest of the world.
Yara expressed her sadness at David's departures, urging him not to wait too long before returning to visit.
David's story is unique yet universal, highlighting the importance of family and understanding one's roots.
Transcripts
um it's a nice family photo you'd never
know you never know you'd never know
looking at old pictures of David Good's
mother that she was anything other than
a typical New Jersey housewife this
looks like at the beach at the Jersey
Shore in fact David himself never really
noticed sunglasses she's just hanging
did you recognize that she was different
than other people's moms when she left
before that I don't remember being
cognizant of the fact that she was this
Amazonian jungle woman now she was just
Mom to me you know David's mom Yara grew
up 3,000 miles away in southern
Venezuela near the headwaters of the
oronoko river this is yanam Mama
territory home to some of the most
primitive and isolated tribes people on
the planet I studied yanami over a 12E
period David's father Ken good is an
anthropology professor at New Jersey
City University take notes while doing
his field workor back in the 70 and '
80s he lived in yar's Village basically
became part of it fell in love with the
people in general and one person in
particular yeah that was a little uh
unexpected he and Yara were betrothed
and eventually moved to the states Ken
says for Yara that was an unimaginable
Journey you know we got to the airport
and I'm getting the bags and over here
some guy starts up a Jeep and then she I
found her hiding in a bushes she thought
she thought it was an animal she thought
that the jeep was an animal yeah the
headlights the roar then it started
moving but she never saw a
wheel how a wheel works or anything like
that it was like she went through a time
machine or through a portal and went
through whole different Cosmos and every
artifact every meenta fact every socio
fact of this culture of this realm was
absolutely foreign to her and I couldn't
imagine just what that was like for her
she didn't know the jungle ever ended no
she thought the whole world was the
Amazon jungle you know when my dad said
you know let's come to my Village of New
Jersey she thought she was just going to
another shabo you another another Yan
Mama
Village considering all that she seemed
to adapt pretty well to this alternate
universe she and Ken had three children
and Yara was an excellent mom by all
accounts and yet after 6 years during a
visit back to the Jungle to see her
family Yara told Ken she just couldn't
go back to America and she didn't
how could she leave her kids ah the
Eternal question I've had more comments
particularly from women who can't
understand yeah how do you look at it I
look at it as the the in the in
intolerable situation for her she said
people weren't meant to live this way
what did she mean just the idea of in an
impersonal World walking by strangers
all the time a lot of them weren't even
so friendly that was not within their um
cognition that that's a way to live Ken
the professor Professor was able to
intellectualize it the two youngest were
able to move past it but David who was
five at the time never got over his
mom's leaving I internalized it as
abandonment as a kid yeah and um felt
like it was a good enough for her in
school when kids asked you where's your
mom what would you say that my mom had
died in a car crash that was the most
effective response because then they
didn't then they stopped asking
questions and why didn't you want people
to ask questions because all my friends
moms drove him to soccer practice you
know picked them up what's my mom doing
oh she's naking in the jungle eating
tarantulas so like I was I guess that's
understandable would you put it that way
yeah exactly so so David pretended his
mother never existed I just wanted to be
a typical American kid it wasn't always
easy for example he remembers going on a
class field trip to the Museum of
Natural History in New York City it's
just bad luck their guide just happened
to take them to the section on South
American tribes of all the sections that
we could be visiting just happened to
show them an exhibit on the Yana Mama
which just happened to include a picture
his dad took it of his mom bam right in
my face David says he did what any
embarrassed 10-year-old would do I think
I ran around this way and I just found
like a dark corner somewhere and just
hid there until the rest of the groove
caught up yeah imagine like every day
every single day you know people going
to find out are people going to find out
you know I just you know you know that
it gets to you after a while eventually
that nagging worry evolved into a total
hatred for his mother until one day
while in college he came across a copy
of an old book his dad published back in
1991 it's about his mom and just reading
it just finally getting to know her
flipped a switch it just the floodgates
Open complete 180 I went from absolutely
detesting my Heritage to being
completely proud of it and I knew that
this day was going to come I knew I had
to embark on this mission on this quest
to go back and reunite with my
mom it was a quest much easier dreamt
than done the nearest Landing Strip is
still 3 days away from the village and
there are no roads to it only rivers
with Rapids you have to go up oh man and
after all that there was still no
guarantee he'd even find her B mama can
be nomadic she could have been long gone
but fortunately for David she was here
ready and willing to pick up right where
they left off 20 years earlier I made it
put my hand on her shoulder and I was so
nervous and I couldn't talk to her she
couldn't talk to me and then all of a
sudden just remembering that comforting
feeling of having a mother and that's
when I just I broke down and lost
it they both lost
it mother and Son's spent the next few
weeks hunting for crabs Gathering
plantains and reminiscing about the old
days back in New
Jersey one thing David didn't do was ask
her why she left says he didn't need to
he says over the course of that visit
which was in 2011 and a second visit
last year he has come to understand
perfectly why she had to be here they
don't experience loneliness they don't
experience anxiety they're teaching me
how to be human they're teaching me how
to live to that end David recently
launched the good project it's a
nonprofit based on the campus of East
Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania
where David is working on his Masters in
biology he says the project will serve
as a bridge between the Yana mama and
the rest of us mainly so we can learn
from one another of course this project
will require many more visits to the
Amazon which is fine by
Yama before he left last time she told
him it's hard on me when you're gone so
don't take so long before you come back
David says not a
problem Someday I'm not going to have a
mom and I just spend two decades of of
rejecting my mom so uh I want to embrace
every opportunity every moment to be
with her and hang out with her your
story is it's truly unique it's one of a
kind but there's feels like there's
something Universal in it family's
family you know no matter if you know
she makes me a peanut butter jelly
sandwich or you know present me with a
piranha head and say eat this you know
mom's a so mom's a mom no matter
what yeah yeah
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