Just as Indigenous people and many other cultures learn their knowledge and history through oral tradition, I learn my ancestry through oral traditions: my grandparents tell me stories about their lives at a younger age. I believe their goals by doing this are that they have a way to share what they went through and to keep a good connection with us.
My genealogy is Dutch, Ukrainian, English, and a bit of Irish and Scottish. I am fifth generation Canadian on my dad’s side, and third generation on my mom’s therefore my families have been in Canada for a long time. My great great great great grandfather on my dad’s side, Anthony Turner Senior, came to Canada in 1834 aboard a ship from England. My Oma and Paka came from different ends of Netherlands to Canada in the 1950s, and my great Baba and great Gido were both born in Canada, but their parents came directly from the Ukraine. Also, my great uncle on my grandma’s side is in the Canadian football hall of fame and my other great uncle on my grandpa’s side has his name in the book of war heros at the Peace Tower in Ottawa.
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| This is my great grandfather who also fought in the wars. |
I know about ancestry because I ask my grandparents and they tell me the events of their lives through stories. We sit together over tea or dinner and talk about their lives and how it was different for them. I love just sitting down with them and just listening to their stories, whether it be about the war they lived through or just how they learned to create the life they have. For the story of how Anthony Turner came to Canada, my grandma told me “ [he] almost died on the way over [here], he caught smallpox and almost did not make the trip over” (Tomlinson).
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| Family Tomb Stone of Great Great Grandparents. |
It took risks for my family to make their trek over to Canada, and those risks whatever they may be, are better than the odds of not heading over. The pull factors for each of my grandparents, to come here, were all the same: a chance for a better life for their children, more opportunities for jobs, money, etc, and an adventure.
I believe it is truly important to have that connection especially with the stories that grandparents tell. Their heritage is just as important to them as it is to me as my family is all very close.
Oral traditions can benefit people in the future and with these stories I can remember how their lives used to be, and usually there is a lesson involved. I love learning about who I am and where my roots were originally planted, and I plan to learn more and further the traditions and stories on to next generations.
Works Cited
Borsma, Lily. Interview. By Samantha Tomlinson. 24 Nov. 2017.
Koroscil, Marie. Interview. By Samantha Tomlinson. 26 Oct. 2017.
Tomlinson. Cutler’s Tombstone. 2016.
---. Navy Profile Picture. Sept. 1939.
Tomlinson, Norie. Interview. By Samantha Tomlinson. 22 Nov. 2017.
I find it really cool that you keep in touch with your ancestry in such depth, It's rare these days! Do you feel you have gained any quality's from your ancestors, physically or personality wise? Your ancestors seem very motivated and persistent, which I think you excel in too! Also, what were their lives like before they were in Canada? Did they have jobs they were unsatisfied with before Canada? Overall I think your ancestry is really cool and it's awesome that you show so much interest in it!
ReplyDeleteI like your focus on the importance of oral tradition. One of the things my own Grandmother is NOT good at is sharing stories about her past. As Amir says in the Kite Runner, he is always learning things about his father through other people. It's wonderful that you have the chance to hear the stories directly from the people who experienced them, or heard them from their ancestors as well. Is anyone writing the stories down, or does that take something away from it?
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