Tap Into Your Ancestral Pool of Play

What Our Foremothers Knew

We’re halfway through our Joyride in June and I hope you’re consciously taking the time to play more each week—whether it’s repurposing pieces of SpaceX’s Starship 36 for an imaginative sculpture, making ingenious signs for peaceful protests, or crafting your version of the 2025 US Open theme that celebrates Althea Gibson.

As you energize your play adventures, draw inspiration from an often-overlooked source: the rich historical practice of play cherished by our foremothers. For many of them, play was a fundamental part of their spirit, survival, and path to intuitive wisdom.

Think about the grandmothers and great aunties who, with a mischievous glint in their eyes, turned family gatherings into an impromptu dance party, their bodies moving with an uninhibited grace that spoke of freedom and a deep knowing of self. They weren’t just letting off steam or being entertaining; they were actively cultivating communal joy through a formidable act far beyond childhood games.

To show us just how much, I called up a few of our ancestral mothers who embody or embodied this spirit of play.

While art was her life's work, the way Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) lived—her curated home (La Casa Azul), her elaborate traditional Tehuana dress, her surreal, almost childlike collections, and her vibrant social life despite immense pain—was a form of defiant, creative, and often playful self-expression.

Renowned for her literary work, Maya Angelou (1928-2014) famously loved to cook, dance (she was a professional dancer early in her career), sing, and host vibrant gatherings. Her play was in the joyous, generous expression of life and connection.

An incredibly gifted musician and composer, Queen Liliʻuokalani (1838-1917), the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, wrote over 150 songs, including the famous "Aloha ʻOe." Music was a deep personal passion and a powerful form of cultural expression and play for her.

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Anthropologist and novelist Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) immersed herself in Black folklore and culture with infectious joy. Her storytelling radiates with the playful energy of "the porch," where wit and lively expression were forms of entertainment, social engagement, and profound cultural preservation.

Artist Yayoi Kusama (1929-) creates immersive, polka-dotted art installations and sculptures that are fantastical, almost childlike wonderlands. She plays with space, repetition, and perception, inviting audiences into her unique, joyful vision.

Celia Cruz (1925-2003), also called the "Queen of Salsa," demonstrated pure, unadulterated joy and a playful celebration of her culture through her electrifying music and dance performances, vibrant costumes, and infectious "¡Azúcar!" (Sugar!) catchphrase which she used to encourage people to "enjoy life, to be in the present moment, and to be unapologetic about it".

These women, and others like them, see play as a sacred fire intrinsically linked to nourished identity, ability, and community. They ingeniously wove it into their lives, often through significant hardships, bringing lightness and connection to the everyday.

Who would you add to these examples and what inspiration might you draw from them for your own play?

True Selfers’ practice this week

• Get comfortable and think on the matriarchs in your history who taught you good things about play. What do you remember and how does it make you feel?

• Repeat daily this week’s hymn: “My foremothers' play thrills my spirit now.”

• Hear choreographer Camille Brown’s TEDx talk about her Black Girl Linguistic Play, highlighting the rhythmic, cultural importance, artistry, and humanity of play.

Journey on,

Netta Fei