Tuesday, April 5, 2011

My beginning


We're waiting on a exception from a band for our potential new children. They are Aboriginal. All of our children we have adopted are First Nations and Aboriginal children. So we have to ask permission, present ourselves and accept a cultural plan in order to adopt children with this Ancestry. For us, our children's culture is within us. We embrace their heritage. Because we've been in this process of adopting children with different Ancestry's, I've been searching out my heritage. Before it really didn't matter, I thought what I was told was good enough. Being a French Viking is a mixed package like making cabbage rolls with ground beef and pork. An interesting mixture but what comes out of the oven, is it necessarily the roll you thought it was? Perhaps I'm more onion then beef and pork!? I've been finding out new enlightenment's since I've been searching my own roots. I found out that my Grandparents on my Father's side is from Port Au Port Newfoundland. Their history is Acadians and are descendants of the original French settlers and often "Metis" in the Northeastern region of North America. My Father has admitted to me that he doesn't know his roots (or names) past his own Mother and Father. So his heritage from his knowledge only goes back that far! In the seventeenth century, the Mi'kmaq and Acadians joined together for their mutual benefits during the war between the French and the English and joined in numerous inter-marriages. The Mi'kmaq's held their military strength after the year 1710. I've found out through my Maiden name, (my Father's name) there is a link between us and the Mi'kmaq's (Micmac) or also known as the Early Historic Native people the "Newfoundland Mi'kmaqs" Back in 1949 the Mi'kmaqs were not recognized as "status" Indians but by the 1970's they were able to reclaim their rights as First Nations. Interesting. This is just with my one name I've searched so far! Now that I'm making progress, I'm not only beef and pork; I have an application package being sent for a possible Metis Status. I'm completely interested in my heritage, not because I want to be "Metis" but because everyone around me and my children have a history. I was so focused on keeping our children's heritage alive that I started questioning myself. Basically this is just my beginning. A beginning of finding out who exactly I am. I've noticed some people will state, "Who cares" or ask, "Why bother?" "Why waste your time?" If anything, this isn't wasting my time, it's interesting. It's my history. It's Social Studies that I haven't learned, a history that can ultimately define missing details of my story. (If I were to ever have a story) So who knows what I will find out next, I'm definitely spicy with a little mixture of this and that!

1 comment:

  1. I find it awesome that you're discovering your roots! I'm fortunate that on my father's side I know some parts past my father and his parents. I'm Norwegian Viking and Icelandic too! On my mother's side I'm English and from farm/land baron's from our Prairies and Nova Scotia.
    Discovering our roots is never a waste of time, it's enlightening and refreshing to know where we've come from!
    Good luck in the rest of your search.
    Blessings,
    Kelly

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"She's a rebuild"

       It's been three years since I wrote. Within those three years I've lost myself. I stopped writing. I stopped crafting. I stop...