Many people can relate to the concept of having European ancestors who made sacrifices so that their children and grandchildren may live a more privileged life as Canadian settlers. As new generations succeed them, these stories can blur with time, be taken for granted, and appear abstract aside from a photograph or a few possessions of said ancestor(s). My ethnicity is entirely rooted as a Doukhobor settler: the ethno-religious group of Christian pacifists composed primarily of Slavic origin who immigrated to Canada in the beginning of the twentieth century. The deep homogenization of my heritage manifested itself in my life through traditional foods, the Russian spoken in my grandparents’ house, and the stories of what my relatives did to survive once settled in Canada.
My mother's first home was within…
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British Columbia History (Digital) - 1 Issue, 57.1 Spring 2024